Labors

 God expects a return on investment. That’s not me saying it; it’s Jesus. To believe that navel-gazing is the only thing you are required to do until the Master’s return is not only a lie but a dangerous lie. Spiritual laziness is not a virtue. It is not something we should aspire to or allow in ourselves when we see it try to take root.

Laborers perform labor, whatever those labors might be. It’s up to the Master to assign your labors, and it’s up to you to carry them out. It’s already proven that telling God you took what He gave you and put it in a hanky doesn’t work. If you want to make Him angry when He returns, tell Him all you did was wait around, smelling roses and contemplating the shapes of clouds.

Coincidentally it’s the hottest theology going at the moment and has been for the better part of decades now. Come as you are, leave as you came, remain in whichever state best suits your desires, live your best life, have no care in the world, close your eyes, and wake up in heaven, where you draw lots for the most excellent mansion on the block.

Luke 19:11-13, “Now as they heard these things He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’”

The one thing that’s always stood out to me is that all ten servants got the same amount of minas. The master called ten servants and gave them each ten minas, but when he returned, their returns were different. The master didn’t shortchange any of his servants or demand one produce more profit with less. By this, I understand that it’s not the amount of talent someone has; it’s what they choose to do with it that determines whether or not what they were vested with brings forth a profit.

There are people, and I’m sure you can think of a couple, that succeeded by sheer force of will even though their talents were average at best. Others seemed like future comets, destined to blaze through the sky, that fizzled into nothingness because they did not apply themselves and allowed distractions to stifle their talents.

We all get the same twenty-four hours every day. It’s what we do with them that sets some apart from others.

I like old architecture. Old castles, churches, palaces, and buildings of note from bygone eras impress me not only because they were built in a time when the work was done by hand with hammer and chisel but because they’ve stood the test of time, remaining for centuries.

Before the kids and having to budget for braces, I took my wife to Barcelona for a few days. While there, we visited the Sagrada Familia, a yet unfinished church in the heart of the city. Its architecture is awe-inspiring, and walking through it makes one appreciate the craftsmanship and proficiency of past generations.

As with all things that are a focal point in any given city, it was primarily tourists doing the walking and gawking, and as an older couple brushed by, I heard her speak to her husband with wonder in her voice. “How could they have built something like this? When did they have the time?” I smiled to myself, thinking that you could get a lot done when you don’t have text messaging, Facebook, or the internet.

Time vampires are everywhere all the time. From the moment you wake up to when your head hits the pillow, everything around you is trying to distract you from your duty and purpose. Your duty and purpose are not to make a name for yourself or build a kingdom for yourself but rather to take what the Master has entrusted you with, multiply it, and grow it so that when He returns and asks what you did with what you’ve been given, you can say you’ve increased it.

Because that’s the other thing that stands out in that handful of verses: the certainty that the master will return. “Do business till I come.” There was no hesitation or allowance for the possibility that he would not return. He knew he would, beyond doubt or reservation, the certainty that he would be back should have emboldened his servants to be diligent all the more.

We are drawing ever closer to that hour, that moment when He will make good on His promise to return, and on that day there will be those who will be crying Maranatha and those scrambling to make excuses for why they wasted the time they were given and the minas entrusted to them.

Some things matter in life, and some things are irrelevant. That’s just how it is, and objectively speaking, for the most part, the things that matter are much the same across the board, no matter the continent one lives on. That we would commit more time to the irrelevant than the necessary is a testament to our spiritual childishness and ignorance of God’s expectations of those who call themselves His servants. You have what He has given you. Make use of it until He returns so you may rejoice at His coming.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.