48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. -Luke 12:48

As a follower of Jesus, we always approach stewardship, understanding that everything we have is a gift from God. We are his, and the things in our control are his but are entrusted to us for wise use. We live in a culture that teaches us that in order to experience ultimate happiness in life; what we need is more. More of what? More of everything!

Many of us have taken this to heart, so we have had to make sacrifices to get the more that we are told will make our lives better. We sacrifice our time with our loved ones for the promotion. We sacrifice our health by overeating fast food because we lack time to prepare a healthy meal. I notice that what we sacrifice most is peace of mind due to the stress of keeping up. We suffer from hypertension, ulcers, restless nights without sleep, and time continues to move on in spite of us.

Jesus, in Luke 12:48, is asking us if we can be trusted with what he has given us. How do we use what he has given us? If I had more, what what would my life be like?

The truth is that we don’t need more, but we do need to slow down and use what we have been given to invest eternally. We invest eternally when we use the time we have been given to be in a relationship with one another and use our gifts and resources to share the transformative message of Jesus to our world. Can Jesus trust us with what he has given us? If he can, I bet you realize how much you genuinely have been given.

Journeying Together,

John