If you had to leave in five minutes and had to choose
one possession you own, what would it be?
I can hear it now, it would be your phone,
but phones aside for the sake of argument
If you said Bible, you’re on the right track,
but let’s assume you get to take your Bible
and only one material possession
During your five minutes, you might think of all the items you love
and when you got them,
whether by inheritance or as a gift, or a purchase
You remember the newness of adoration you had?
The joy you felt inside when you got each one?
Maybe that big, comfortable chair
or the gold necklace your grandmother wore
Maybe it was a painting someone painted for you
Whatever it is, the newness has worn off
and you don’t feel the same exuberance
you did when you first acquired that item
It’s on to the next
Salvation is a gift
What have we done with it?
Did we place it neatly in a safe place and consider it taken care of?
Or is it amongst the many other things we have in our life
that are precious and appreciated, yet often forgotten about?
Or, better yet, do we eat, sleep and breathe every moment,
the thankfulness of that gift?
The parable of the Ten Talents is a good metaphor
that shows how particularly important salvation is
as well as our relationship with our Savior
and how important it is that we value what the Lord has given us
Matthew 25:14-30
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country,
who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. v14
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two,
and to another one; to every man according to his several ability;
and straightway took his journey. v15
Those who received talents did well with what they were given
except for the one who hid what he was given
For unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. v29
If we receive the gift of Salvation and do not value it,
but bury it or set it on a shelf
If we consider it a right when it is a gift,
we may just find ourselves hearing the same words
the man who hid his talents heard:
His lord answered and said unto him,
Thou wicked and slothful servant,
thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not,
and gather where I have not strawed: v26
What have you done with what God has given you?
Remember the rich man who Jesus said could follow Him
but first he must sell all his possessions and give to the poor? Mark 10:17-31
Yes, compare that to the many rich people who accept the Lord
and the free gift of salvation?
We can be rich in many ways
This is not just speaking of money
What Jesus requires of you is between you and God, not anyone else
Be listening and careful to hear what He is asking you to give up
Keeping our love for the Lord in its newness,
that is, not losing our first love, being hot, not lukewarm
and not cold is of great importance
Whatever He is asking of us, let us be willing to submit to Him
Jesus told us many times how important the Kingdom of heaven is
These people valued and esteemed the Kingdom of heaven:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;
the which when a man hath found, he hideth,
and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath,
and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man,
seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62
In other words, loving the world and things within it, like Lot’s wife
Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32
For all those things hath mine hand made,
and all those things have been, saith the Lord:
but to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:2
The fear of God must remain in our hearts
lest we take His grace for granted
We must remember that salvation is a gift, not right that we can demand
Many will demand the gift of salvation on the last day
Jesus told us about them:
Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils?
and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23
If this causes an unknowing in your heart,
take it to the Lord
He is, after all, the One who created you, who understands you
and the One whom you are going to meet on Judgment Day
He knows how to teach you
and how to lead you and guide you into all truth
Seek Him with expectation of your purpose here on earth
We all must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
Scriptural References:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:
I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;
and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:
be zealous therefore, and repent.
Revelation 3:13-19
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15