Trust is an important element in our relationship with Jesus. We’ve been entrusted with gifts, talents, finances, relationships and material possessions. Jesus has entrusted my wife, Lisa, and I, with the church, His Bride. He’s trusted us with the lives of people, the health of His flock, the stewardship of finances, and people’s dreams and goals.
But I also understand Jesus’ words recorded in the Gospels:
- ” ‘Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey’ ” (Matt. 25:1415, NIV).
- ” ‘When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required’ ” (Luke 12:48, NLT).
So, because I’ve been given much, much will be required of me. You have been given and entrusted with something, too. These verses mean that there will be an accounting process to determine what we’ve done with what was entrusted to us.
- If you’re in a position of leadership in any venture, you’ve been entrusted with leading your people, business or organization with fairness and integrity.
- If you are on the worship team and have the ability to sing or play an instrument, you’ve been entrusted with a gift to lead people into the presence of the Lord, and are required to steward the gift He’s given you with “integrity of heart” and “skillfulness of hands” (see Ps. 78:72).
- If you’ve been given the ability to build businesses, the same applies to you.
Notice the words Christ used in Luke 12:48: Given, required. Entrusted, required. There’s a cause and an effect. You’ve been given; you’ve been entrusted; therefore, you are required.
So take a good, hard look around you. If you look closely enough, you’ll see all that you’ve been given. I don’t think there’s anyone who can honestly say that they haven’t been given a thing. Got children? Got a job? Got a bus ticket? Got a stomachache? Then you’ve been given something!
In my humble estimation, Jesus is placing all of the responsibility on you and me for what we have been given. Whether we’ve been given an adequate amount, a mustard seed-size amount, or much, it is our responsibility to steward what we’ve been given. And if we have the privilege of being entrusted with more (leadership, money, people, time) then much, much, much more will be demanded from us in return.
Wow. Let that one sink in for a minute.
So let me ask you this question: What are you doing with what you’ve got?
Mike Kai will be a speaker at Connection 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. For more information or to register for this year’s convention, please visit www.foursquare.org/convention_2011.
By: Mike Kai, senior pastor of Hope Chapel West Oahu in Waipahu, Hawaii