A Nugget from New Life Network

Scripture for the Day (November 12, 2015)

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:12-13)

When the nobleman returned he called for all the servants to give an account of what they each had gained by trading. The key to this parable is the instruction given to the servants. They had been told to “occupy” until he returned. The Greek word for occupy is “pragmateuomai” which means to carry on or transact business, to trade, to make gain. Figuratively it means to bear much fruit and metaphorically it means to win people to the Lord.

Remember what we have learned in reviewing the parables? The scriptures just before the parable and just after are sometimes key to interpreting the parable. The scripture just before this parable is the story about the salvation of a rich tax collector, Zaccheus, who was a known sinner. Jesus visited his home and caught a lot of flak for consorting with a sinner such as this. The scripture that followed that story was Jesus’s reply to the criticism:

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)

Upon his return, the nobleman rewarded the servants that had gained the most. However, he was not pleased with the one that hid the pound he had been given and made no gain. The indication here is that the ones that made a profit were not afraid to risk it all. From a spiritual standpoint, they did not hide their light under a bushel and they were not ashamed of the Gospel. We live in a time where political correctness and radical terrorism have convinced many that the best approach is to just keep quite because it is too risky to say what you believe or think.

I understand that fear but we cannot be ruled by fear. At some point we will be asked what we did with the pounds we received. What will we say? Will you tell the Lord that He really doesn’t understand; it was just too risky; we may lose our job; people will laugh at us; we will be ostracized; we could lose our income and our business; we may even lose our life; or maybe we should say that people should be able to see what I believe by how I act without me saying anything.

Do you think any of those explanations or excuses will work? We have all been confronted with these type challenges. The one scripture that I always go back to in these situations is the following:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. (Hebrews 12:2-4)

We do not have a legitimate excuse! Whatever we face, it does not compare to what Jesus faced. We have been bought with a very high price (the blood of Jesus) and the currency (pounds) of Heaven have been invested into you and I. We have been given everything necessary to overcome this world. All we need to do is OCCUPY!!

It is up to us folks. Jesus has already done His part.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:15-18)
 

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