Spirit Of Inertia: Aren’t We Missing Something?
Matthew 25:15,18,24-25
NIV
[15] 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.
[18] But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
[24] “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
[25] So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
Rereading the above scriptures I asked myself these questions “Aren’t we missing something?” Are we visionary enough? Are we able to read between the lines? Are we able to discern the truth hidden in the parable?
As a church fellowship which of the three scenarios/personalities represents us? Surely one represents us!
I’ve been taking a critical look at the above parable with the view to applying it to the twenty -first century Believer and by extension the Church
The story or parable is known to everyone, Two things appear to have escaped our attention which are freedom ( Liberty ) And Trust
The Master trusted the recipients and then gave them liberty to do as they wish the gifts He gave them Trust and freedom.
If you read critically you’ll notice that the Master did not instruct or direct them regarding precisely what they should do with the gift and how they should use it.
This is freedom /liberty to choose and act as one sees or sees fit. It also indicates the trust the Master had in them.
The one who received the five and two we are told went straight into action. What they did and how they did what they did we are not told., All we are told is that they brought returns that made the Master happy
The one who had one though was expected to go into action, but didn’t because no specifics were given, which specifics he was expecting.
From the response he gave to the Master, it is clear that he didn’t want to offend, since no specifics were given. What is more, he was afraid of the Master.
In effect, he was saying “ I don’t want to do something with the gift which will displease you as a result of which you’ll punish me so I kept it intact”
Doesn’t this man’s attitude resonate with ours? Isn’t this what we see around? We, like him also received from the Master talents (wisdom, knowledge etc)
Instead of deploying these to raise the standard of the church in every form and way, we sit still because the Master did not give us specifics!
And like him, we are afraid he will be displeased if we do something, hence punish us!
The question is how can he be displeased with something we did, if he never told us what not to do? If he told us what to do and how to do it ; and we did the opposite then he has every reason to be displeased with us.
Concerning the two who made gains, we are not told whether he gave them directives Which means these two men used their own minds! Initiated productive ventures that yielded dividends as a result the Master was pleased and commended them.
To confirm that He didn’t tell them what to do, here is how another writer puts it;
Luke 19
KJV
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13+ And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luke 19:12-13
NIV
[12] He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.
[13] So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
Did you read these “Occupy till I come “ or “ 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
Which work, he didn’t state, why? because he trusted them. Beloved God has trusted us with talents/resources etc; yet see how we are behaving?
Many are groping in darkness because no specifics were given. We sit and argue over non-essentials, interpreting and misinterpreting , expressing personal opinions as if they are biblical rules, speaking where God has said nothing etc!
Think of it like this, someone gave you a cutlass as a gift and you want him to tell you what to do with it?
He gave you land and you want him to tell you what to do with it? He settled you by the banks of a river that flows 24/7 and you want him to tell you what you should do there? Oh oh! You are afraid to do something because he did not tell you what to do!!! .
So, Because he did not tell you what you should do you kept the cutlass under your bed, sat by the banks of the river just watching it flow!
Every day you take out the cutlass admire it and praise the Master, then put it back. You spend the day looking at the vast stretch of land, the long stretch of water flowing by you! All you do is sing in praise of the Donor!
Your favorite daily song as usual is one of admiration; which you sang with the cutlass lifted! Hmmm! Here are the words ;
O Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed!
When thru the woods
And forest glades I wander
And hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze,
And conclude your daily song with these words ;
Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
Meanwhile, you hold the cutlass in your hand, stand on the land and watch the river flow silently by
Are you not like the One talented man? And by extension is this not what the present church is? We are holding up the Bible, admiring the doctrines, afraid to do anything that will displease God, because he has not told us specifics.
There are things he has told us, there are some he hasn’t! He trusted and gave us freedom to think and use our minds, yet we sit waiting for specifics in everything!
We call this state of affairs “ doctrinal hostage “. We are languishing in “ doctrinal captivity “, a captivity of our own making.
Beloved, my thoughts as I ponder over the scriptures, especially the parable as read above. Occupy till I come was what he said to us! Work with this money , he said. What work, He didn’t state
May we, like the two who gained the Master’s recognition think and work with whatever He gave us. They thought outside the box. Let us use the trust and freedom He gave us else we shall suffer the fate of the man who received one!