Today's Word
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Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
(Click for enlarged)
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance belongs to me. I will repay,’ says the Lord. Again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31, WEB
I like to do word studies in the Bible. This means choosing a word in a concordance and reading the scriptures listed for it. I will often look for the number of times a word is used in a particular book, or look for the different ways the word is used in the Old and New Testament. Seeing those words in different contexts can help clarify the meaning. A lexicon can make the study even more interesting as you learn the many different ways Greek and Hebrew words can be translated. Those different translations can help broaden the understanding of the text.
I once focused on the word “apostasy” which led me to today’s passage. It is a hard one, interpreted in many different ways by many different experts. Who is the writer of Hebrews addressing? Who are the apostates? What is this judgment? Can we, who have had faith, become an enemy of God again?
I had an online friend who had been a passionate, active Christian. He was devoted and zealous, often deeply involved in the study of the scriptures. Unfortunately, he discovered what he considered discrepancies between what he believed and what he read in the Bible. His experience of Christianity did not fit into his understanding of the faith. He saw contradictions that bothered him. “How can it be both this way and that way?” He asked solid, intelligent questions, but the answers never satisfied him. He lost his faith and rejected Jesus. He rejected Christianity and all religion. He considered himself an agnostic on some days, willing to admit that there could be something, but he just did not know what it was. Some days, which came more and more frequently at the end of our friendship, he rejected everything to do with faith, including many people who cared for him. Sadly, we haven’t talked for many years.
I don’t know what happened, or will happen, to my friend. Today’s passage does not offer much hope. All I know is that it is up to God, and I have to believe He is always faithful. We can reject what Christ has done. I don’t know how anyone who has known the grace of Jesus and the hope that comes from faith in Him can reject the Gospel, but we can reject Jesus Christ, even if we have experienced and embraced His amazing grace.
We find comfort in the fact that God can do the impossible, and though hell is real for those who reject Him, we can hope that God can overcome even our unfaithfulness. It is fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God, but there is always hope.
It is appropriate for us to think through a difficult text like this one during Lent, and to consider the problem of apostacy in the Church. Our prayer life and devotions are often focused on self, reflecting on our sinfulness and repentance, not on the faith of others. However, since we are spending more time in prayer, we can take a few moments to pray for those who were once faithful but have fallen away. We are all just a doubt or question away from apostacy ourselves. Though we have faith, we can become lost in the cares or temptations of the world. It is not up to us to judge their place in God’s kingdom even if they have seemingly rejected Jesus so completely that they are not even willing to have Christians in their lives. God can do the impossible, He can change their life and faith. It is our calling to pray and seek God’s hand in their life. Condemned or not, it is our responsibility to love them. God will do what God will do. Our job is to believe and trust, living hope for what can be through God’s mercy and grace.
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“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them. He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30, WEB
There was a commercial on television for a credit card company that began with a very pregnant woman sitting in the midst of a pile of shopping bags. When her husband entered the room, she told him that she went to the doctor and then shopping. He praised the convenience of their credit card, because it gave them the opportunity to pay off the items slowly, spreading out payments at a time when need extra cash to deal with life's surprises. The couple walked to the baby's room, and when they opened the door, the father fainted at the sight of three of everything: triplets!
It was a commercial, but not very believable from my point of view. How could a very pregnant (with triplets!) woman manage to accomplish everything suggested in the commercial in just one day? She had a doctor's appointment, an exhausting experience that must have lasted several hours. They she went shopping, filling her car with a mountain of stuff. Then she took it home and set up an entire nursery with three cribs built, complete with sheets and other accessories.
I don’t know about the other women who’ve had children who read this writing, but I wouldn’t have had the energy to do all that in one day. I certainly would not have been able to put together those cribs all by myself, and the woman was pregnant with triplets. She probably shouldn't have been doing that sort of lifting. The store may have been able to deliver and build the furniture for her, but it never would have happened that afternoon. I definitely would not have wanted to make the beds and decorate the room. She accomplished work that most of us would have done in days, perhaps even weeks. When I saw the commercial, I wondered if the producers even had a real concept of time. The commercial wasn't about time, it was about money, which is a whole different devotional.
I read an article that suggested that with so many modern conveniences, we should have more time on our hands, but we are busier than ever. We constantly feel like we do not have enough time. As we consider our lives during this season of Lent, we ask ourselves, how we spend our time? Is time an enemy or is it a friend? Do we use our time well or do we waste too much time?
One of the things I am trying to avoid during this Lent is the reels and videos that are recommended for me on my Facebook page. I tend to watch cat videos, bakeries icing cakes, area rug cleaning, and woodworkers lathing bowls. It is amazing how much time I end up spending with my nose in my tablet. Every video takes time away from doing what I could be doing. We usually talk about today's Gospel lesson in terms of creating a windfall for the Master, accomplishing great things with the gifts He has give us. It encourages us to use our gifts (and our time) for the sake of others. It is also a message about using our time well.
The people thought that Jesus was speaking of a time that would come quickly, immediately. They were anxious for God’s promises to be made complete, for Israel to be restored and for God to be honored once again in the world. They were anxious to see the Kingdom of God rule over all the nations. The two servants did a good job at using their talents in the time they had to accomplish great things for the Master. The third servant hid the talent until the Master returned because he was afraid it would be lost. Perhaps if there were more time, the servant would have found the courage to do something. Perhaps he was just piddling away the hours watching cat videos on the Internet and would never have accomplished anything. Whatever the reason, time ran out and he failed.
I suppose we could try to accomplish all the things that woman did in that commercial, even if it seems impossible. What we learn from the scriptures is that time is limited. It might not be limited in the way we expect. The Kingdom of God may not arrive today, but Jesus is coming. We might have many years to accomplish the work God has called us to do. But the reality is that we don’t really know how much time we have, and that means we do not have time to waste. The Master is coming and He expects to see something to show for our time and talents.
How will you spend your time today?
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Savior Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honor Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Savior's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The Lectionary consists of four texts: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found at Midweek Oasis.
You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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