THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S
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He surrendered His will in doing His Father’s work. (John 6:38.) “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own w ill, but the will of him that sent ”*And He could say with a heart full of praise at the close of His ministry (John 17:4): “I have glorified thee on the. earth; I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do.” He has made it clear to us what the desire of His heart is for us (John 15:8). “Herein is m y Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” A careful study. of these Scriptures will greatly help us in taking this les son home to our hearts before we givt it out to others. Every believing Christian is a servant. Christ is the Man who has given to each of us certain talents,^ it may be ten, or five, or one. By nature He has graced us. Never glory in them, but let the fact humble you. Every equipment of mind and body is an eh- trustment. We are bond servants. He has pur chased us with His own blood. The obligation for service is mighty. It cannot be evaded. He has given abil ity as it pleased Him. We cannot be accountable for others, but only for our selves. We must not envy others. The accounting will be in accordance with the talents entrusted to us. The acceptance of Christ as Saviour made us members of.God’s family and involves responsibility, and there is no possible way of evading that respon sibility. Let us get to work, and work along His lines. Not what we want to do, but what He has given, us to do. (3) THE GRACIOUS REWARD, vs. 19-23. • He will come back,—He who went away. There must be a reckoning. There is no evading it. We will not be judged for what others do, or do not do. (Rom. 14:12.) “So then, every one of us shall give account of him self to God.” “Every one.”.. The Word tells us
Our Lord is the man travelling into a far country, etven to Heaven (Acts 1:9-11). “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he w as taken up; and a cloud re ceived him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward ; heaven as he w ent up, behold, tw o men stood by them in w hite apparel; - W hich also said. Y e men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ?( this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” He is to go away, but He is to re turn. He bestowed gifts upon His ser vants. All are graciously endowed With abilities for service. These are God- givem. He has given by the Holy Spirit to every man as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11). “B ut all these worketh that one and the selfsam e Spirit, dividing to every man sev erally as he w ill.” They were servants, but were en trusted as stewards with capital to be used for the Master. They were not their own; they had been bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23.) There are many things which com bine to give value to the talents—edu cation, environment, possessions, posi tion, circumstances, natural ability, ojp- portunities growing out of all these; relationships, time, and many other things,—all must be recognized as bear ing upon what is here called “talents.” (2) THE GRACE OF SERVICE, vs. 16-18. Jesus has never asked us to do any thing which He did not Himself do. Hold that thought while we consider this theme—“The Grace of Service.” Our Lord left His home on a mission of mercy to a lost world, sent by His Father. (John 3:16; John 3:17; Rom. 8:3, 4.) “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; That the righteousness of the law m ight be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” He Himself gives us the key to His purpose in coming when Ho^says (Luke 19:10). “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
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