Talents

I sometimes think that it is unfair at how God has distributed talents. Subconsciously I am upset at God and envious of multi-talented people. Some people have more than their share of talents and seemed to have won the talent lottery. These people are smart—they can read a book in a few hours, understand, and recall what they read. And if they had to, they could articulate and write about what they read in a very entertaining and engaging way.

These people are also very clever. They could look at problems and come up with ingenious solutions with what they have available. These people also seem to have an endless supply of wisdom and have a lot of knowledge about everything under and beyond the sun. These people are physically fit and attractive, are gourmet cooks, musically (vocally and instrumentally) inclined and seem to be able to do everything well. On top of that, they seem to do everything efficiently and with great ease. All I can say is, “That’s not fair!” because I have to work very hard at everything.

However, there is one thing that gives me great comfort. When I read I Corinthians 13, Paul levels the playing field. Paul tells me that if I had all the talent in the world, but if I don’t have the love of God that originates from Christ Jesus (compare Romans 5:5-8), then all the gifts in the world amounts to nothing.

This doesn’t totally take away my jealousy of others, but it does make me feel good about God because He is willing to give me freely what He’s made available to everyone else. In other words, I can have the very best thing in life and not have to work for it—that’s more than fair and that’s Great News!

Irene

Several months ago I watched people on the news as they prepared for Hurricane Irene. The people on the Southeastern coast of the United States were taping and boarding up windows; they were moving patio furniture inside; they were tying other things down; Long lines formed at gas stations, hardware stores and grocery stores as people were filling up their tanks, stocking up on water, batteries, and other necessities—all in preparation for Irene. Someone even joked, that he got cleaned up and dressed up in anticipation of Irene’s arrival in his town.

The news made me reflect on Jesus’ words,

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39)

What a contrast! Even though Jesus said that the people in Noah’s day “knew nothing about what would happen” they could not have been totally ignorant about the things to come. The people watched Noah at work for about 80 years and the ark that Noah was building was 50% longer than a football field (Genesis 6:15). And since Noah was called “a preacher of righteousness” (II Peter 2:5) he probably was not quiet about the impending doom.

Here’s another irony. Over and over Jesus said that He was going to die, was coming back from the dead, and His disciples did not believe or understand what He meant. And even though Jesus’ disciples witnessed the empty tomb, they were totally unprepared to see Him alive (Matthew 28:17).

History has a way of repeating itself and it is still amazing that Christians can listen to and believe the weather prophets today, but fail to hear the Son of God. We often look more like pagans in our life’s pursuits than we do as Children seeking our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:25-33).

Yet the words of the Preacher of Righteousness continue to echo throughout the ages, “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matthew 24:42, 44). Can we hear Him now?

I Never Knew You

The first time I read Matthew 7:21-23 and heard Jesus say, “I never knew you” I was traumatized. I think that was Jesus’ intent. In the event that I didn’t get what Jesus was saying when He started off with, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Scribes…” (Matthew 5:20), and His commentary that followed, Jesus lowered the boom with his heart stopping statement of, “I never knew you.”

This is very troubling because the people that Jesus was talking to seemed to have known Jesus. They not only prophesied or preached, but they also did great and wonderful works all in Jesus’ name. But the most disturbing blow is that Jesus didn’t just say, “I don’t know you,” but “I never knew you.”

For years I’ve consoled myself by telling myself that Jesus could not possibly have been talking about me. In fact, I could come up with lots of reasons, good reasons that Jesus was really talking about someone else. However, in the back of my mind there were the gnawing questions, “Will this be my fate and what is the will of God?” According to Jesus, doing the “will of God” will get me into heaven (7:21).

After years of trying to figure out what the “will of God” was so that I could “do” it, it dawned on me that I was asking the same question as the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-23. I was asking for a set of behaviors or a formula to enter into God’s good graces, but was not looking for a Savior.

It is astonishing to me how disconnected I am. I already know this. I mean, how does one get into heaven or receive eternal life (Matthew 5:20, 7:21, 19:16)? It is on the basis of a relationship with Jesus Christ, of course! The only way that we can approach God the Father is based in our relationship with Jesus Christ and in trusting Him.

When I hear Jesus “lay down the law,” through the Sermon on the Mount, I am faced with several choices. I can throw my hands up in the air and walk away like the rich young man because what Jesus asks is beyond me; Or I can make a checklist of good works hoping that by doing them it will be acceptable to the LORD; Or I could drop to my knees at the foot of the cross and cry out, “LORD, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

I still get traumatized these days, but I am okay with this—as long as it is bringing me to a place of complete trust and confidence in Jesus or as Paul would say, “I know Whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (II Timothy 1:12).