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6 Words I Long To Hear Featured Image

6 Words I Long To Hear

January 30, 2015 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment


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In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells the parable of Ten Minas, in which a master of noble birth (Himself) goes away to another city (Heaven) to become King and leaves his servants (us) the task of safeguarding and investing money (the Gospel) while He is gone. Upon His return, he speaks 6 words I long to hear:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

There is nothing like these words that make my eyes tear up and my heart fill with expectation. To be found faithful by my master is a profound joy and deep desire upon my heart.

How are you investing the “ten minas” that God has given you?

Do you long to hear these same 6 words?

What does it look like to be a faithful servant today?

Who are you investing your “minas” into?

 

The Wicked Servant

One striking element to me in this passage is the master’s response to the servant who merely maintained his investment. Jesus refers to him as a “wicked servant”. Harsh? Perhaps. Yet, if this is how the master, now King, responds to the servant, it makes me question if we haven’t placed a sufficient weight or priority on putting our experience of The Gospel in our lives to work.

It seems that we, as Christians, are in danger of misappropriating our energy and emphasis. The Gospel must be shared; and a danger that I see in our current society is that, in the United States, we believe we are a “christian nation”. America’s general consensus regarding the Gospel is, “We’ve already heard it and are uninterested,” which only proves that they never heard the Gospel — I know this because the Gospel, in it’s whole truth, is compelling and mind-blowing.

The Gospel

A King made himself a servant, enduring all the earthly pains that we experience. He freely offered himself as a sacrifice, being beaten and tortured on my (and your) behalf, to the point of death on a crucifix. But conquering death, he arose on the third day and re-appeared to hundreds of His followers. With grace and forgiveness, he invited all to be joint heirs in the Kingdom, leaving us with His Holy Spirit. He is returning and His Kingdom is at hand; we are entrusted with the glorious task of being ambassadors of His Kingdom until He returns. Our joy is not heaven and clouds and harps… it’s the mighty embrace of a King who is available to intimately engage on a daily basis and a front-row seat at watching Him bring His Kingdom to earth, one person at a time.

Pain, tears, sin and death are currently all being put in their proper place, as Christ’s footstool. Soon, every knee and every tongue will bow in humble adoration of the true King. There is nothing keeping you from His presence. He wants you, now… completely. He knows you and the darkest secrets of your past and they are not too much for His grace. He has a plan for your life, if you’ll only surrender to your creator — then, He will guide you into the fullness that you were created to be. Not a personality-drained God-robot, but a uniquely created expression of the One True and Holy God.

Really. I’m serious. He has SO MUCH in store for you.

Closing Prayer

“Lord, I pray that our lives would be a demonstration of the Gospel to those around us, but also that you would awaken our spirits to the opportunities around us to be your mouthpiece in gently and diligently guiding seekers into full devotion to Christ… for your namesake and glory!”

“Lead us into a full knowledge of you. We surrender our hearts and our will to you, and trust your plan for our lives. Have your will, that in the end you may be able to speak these words over me, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.'”

Filed Under: The Kingdom Centered Mind Tagged With: Gospel, Stewardship, Surrender

Who Are You To Judge?

Who are you to judge?

October 29, 2014 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment


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I am so tempted to take things into my own hands. Reading through Jude during a men’s Bible study that no one showed up for (I’m popular, I know), verse 9 stood out to me, with an underlying question of “Who are you to judge?”:

“But even the archangle Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

This led me over to Zecharaiah 3:1-2, which reads:

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angle of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

What stood out to me in these verses was the mix of integrity and humility. Under immense pressure from Satan, these men stood their ground, knowing their place of authority, yet not overstepping it.

How often, in my own folly, do I get amped up over an issue and approach the boundary line of my authority? Many times, only to learn that I was out of line, making judgements and statements of my opinion that weren’t mine to give, but the Lord’s.

As Christ-followers, I don’t believe we need to be the first to throw stones. I don’t believe we need to be the first to stand on the side of the reproachers and accusers. Satan is “the accuser”, though he has no authority to judge — we are wise to not to stand in his place becoming unrighteous accusers ourselves.


The Good News

Great news follows us in Zechariah’s story. In the following verse, Zechariah 3:3 says:

“Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood beofre the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’

Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.'”

What a beautiful and glorious reminder! Though we are accused, the one who has the right to both accuse and judge, namely Jesus Christ, has taken away our sin and placed rich garments on us.

Closing questions:

  • Are you standing in the place of the accuser? Have you unrightfully placed judgement on those that you have no authority to judge? Other Christians? Other non-believers?
  • Have you condemned that which is only the Lord’s to condemn, namely, yourself? If God, Himself, is offering you forgiveness and freedom from condemnation through belief in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for you, what right do you have to continue condemning yourself?

 
Step into freedom. Join me in conversation via the comments; I’d love to introduce you to a savior who doesn’t mock, accuse and condemn, but instead sacrifices Himself for His followers.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Filed Under: Scripture Studies Tagged With: Authority, Condemnation, Gospel

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