|
What does God want me to do today?
I was recently asked, "What does a normal Christian do with this life?" Although it may sound trivial on the surface, it is truly an important question. The person in question was puzzled and discouraged.
So many people think that when God controls and directs their lives they are going to embark on some big project. They read and listen to stories of great Christians who did all sorts of things and spent their lives touching thousands or millions. Then they hear about all of the wonderful services that Christians do, all of the things done to promote Christ. They look at their own lives and feel lost. Somehow, God never seems to have told them His great big plan for their lives.
Let's look at a parable in which Jesus explained how God deals with those who serve Him.
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability: and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two." Matthew 25:14-17.
Here we have three servants who were given there is not a word mentioned as to any instructions he left. They came in, he divided up his goods, and gave it to them. "Here, these are yours to take care of now," he probably said and then left. He didn't tell them what to do with them, but they knew that it was his assets they had been given, and they also knew that someday they would have to give an account for them. The first two servants, then, proceeded with their own idea of what to do with their master's goods. They went and traded them. That means they took them to the marketplace‹they went out into the wide world beyond their master's property, and they dealt with the goods he had given them. They used those goods in order to increase them, dealing with people who almost certainly did not know or even care who their master was. Their goal then, was to take what they had been given and to make it better. They weren't given instructions on how, but they knew where to go to do it, and they succeeded.
"But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money." Matthew 25:18.
The other servant was given the same sort of responsibility. He, too, knew that he would given an accounting. As he later said, "he was afraid." He was afraid to lose what he had been given. He was afraid it would be hurt. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle it anywhere outside the safe confines of his personal property. So he hid it. It may not have been gaining anything, but at least he still had it.
We, too, are in this same position. It isn't just money God has given us, but our abilities, the place we live, the people we are around, and all of the many opportunities of our situation which only He knows in full. We have two choices. We know that God has placed us here. We know that we are to serve Him. We know that one day we will give an accounting; so in the meantime, what do we do? The first two servants went out into the world and there they traded. Trading was something everyone did. It is the flow of goods, services and money which lets any society provide for the people in it. Everyone trades. We trade. We trade both literally, with our own money, and figuratively, in the sense that we trade ideas, habits, mannerisms, values, attitudes and many other things which are traded not in money but in the way we live our lives. These are the goods the Lord has entrusted to us, and our goal then becomes to engage in trade‹to live our lives so that the things He gives us are increased. Remember that trade is a day to day activity. I'm sure the servants in this parable did not go out and in one day, or in one trade, double their money. It took time, effort, research and doing it consistently to yield results.
The danger, as outlined by the last servant, is to take what God gives us, and to be so fearful of losing it that we hide it. It is easy to laugh, or to shake your head and wonder about that servant's stupidity. But he represents the normal, natural fear in all of us. To an extent, it is actually good‹we have been given an important responsibility and we should treat it seriously. But it's not something to hide or to worry about losing. Someone who continually worries about whether or not they are losing out is not someone who is growing‹growing in God, or in what God gave them. What you dwell on is what you get. If you dwell on failure (the stormy seas of life), you will fail. If you dwell on your goal (God), you will proceed towards it.
There is another section to this parable which brings out another thought: "After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:19-23.
Note the phrase that their master used to praise them, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things." Although what we have may seem overwhelming to us, it is good to remember that God's perspective is different from ours. It doesn't seem that big to Him, but also, we need to remember what little He has given us is what He expects us to use.
This, then, is the key that lets us truly begin a life for God. We know what to do‹increase the things He has given us. We know where to do it‹do it in all of our lives, and wherever we find ourselves. And we also know that it is not something that is done in one big project, one big deal, or in one huge task. It is done small, on a daily basis, and with the final goal continually in mind.
It has been said, "Life is no big mystery. It's lots of little ones!" That can well apply here. If you feel overwhelmed wondering, "What does God want me to do with my life?" don't look for some huge undertaking that you're missing out on. Look at the little things in front of you. Remember, the master's servants were given a few things, not many. They were not entrusted with many until after they had proven themselves faithful with a few. Their master didn't expect them to immediately take over his entire estate. He split up parts of it as he saw fit.
So, instead of asking, "What does God want to do with my life?" ask "What does God want me to do today?" What thing, or things, have you been putting off? What time do you need to spend in some place that you hadn't been considering? Who would benefit from a thoughtful word or a helping hand in some, perhaps trivial, task? Ask God, seek His will, and not just for the "big mystery" of life, but for all of the little ones. Once you learn to find and take care of the little things, you will find you are more open and ready to receive the big things. If the "big thing" never comes along, I suggest you look back upon that life of little things. You will find that they did amount to a far bigger and more important thing than any huge task you could have undertaken yourself.
|  |
|
