I have put off writing this blog for a couple of weeks now.  Time to get it down so that the Lord can stop stirring it up in my mind and soul….

I attended a funeral a few weeks back where something was said that just hasn’t left my mind, heart or soul and continues to play over and over again in my head.  Don’t get me wrong, the service was lovely … the deceased – who was gravely ill – is now with the Lord and celebrating a new life.  Nonetheless… something was said that I felt was misleading….

During the message, it was said that this lovely person had placed their faith in God… in a box… to protect it.  The gest of the message was that a good life was lived and that faith had been protected via safe-keeping… with the finale being handing the box to back to God when they meet in Heaven.

It took me most of the day to figure out what was bothering me and finally my husband and I had a chance to debrief and I shared my thoughts.  This part of the message had escaped him, but had been a significant stumbling block for me.  It reminded me of the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30.

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the speaker NEVER intended this to be the meaning of his comments, but I couldn’t help but wonder how many people actually do treat their faith like this.  Something to protect and hideaway for safekeeping until the day they meet their Lord.  It occurs to me that our faith is something to be multiplied and shared… it is given to us with the expectation that we will invest it wisely and be able to show gain… fruit.  Otherwise, why receive it in the first place.  Remember, our life on this earth is not about us… it’s all about God.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

Be Blessed!

Don’t box up ANYTHING that the Lord grants to you….

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