This Is Your Responsibility!

 It is our responsibility to find out what He is requiring from us at each stage in our lives and each area of our lives and to meet his requirements. Here are some questions God has asked others in the past.

• He asked Adam, "Where art thou?" Sometimes we don't realize where we are in life and it takes the voice of God to remind us.

• He asked Moses, "What is that, that you have in your hand?" Many times the very blessing we need is already in our grasp.

• He asked Malachi, "Will a man rob God?" It's so easy to give our time to everything but the work of The Lord.

• He asked Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" Sometimes you may think a situation in your life has died, but God is reminding you that it can live. It's not dead. It's not over.

• He asked a lame man, "Wilt thou be made whole?" God already knows He has the power to deliver you but you need to want to be delivered.

• He asked Abraham, "Is there anything too hard for God?"

Remember the parable of the talents? Someone once described this as a personal development gem and as far as I’m concerned, it is. Although the word “talents” in the story refers literally to money, you can obviously extend the meaning to other areas. It’s interesting to read it using the common definition of “talents.” Another interesting aspect of the parable is that our talents are entrusted to us, like a master putting money into the care of his servants. Another notable quality of the parable is the lack of competition. The servants aren’t competing with each other for their master’s favor. It’s not a zero-sum game. The first two servants both contribute something of value to their master’s estate.

What’s the ultimate reward for the faithful servants? Although Jesus doesn’t explicitly say it, it seems obvious they don’t get to keep the money. The two successful servants aren’t even working for their own increase. It’s not their money. They’re working for the increase of their master, and they share in the increase to his estate. Their true reward is to share in their master’s happiness. So happiness is the reward, and happiness comes from serving others.

By Ijeoma Olujekun