Greetings;
Our measure of rule will change, but that change is the result of being faithful with what is given to us today. Being faithful doesn’t mean that we grasp to get more than we have. It means that we do more than expected with what we are responsible for. We recognize that what has been given to us doesn’t belong to us. It was given to us for the benefit of others. When we seek to expand what has been given us for the sake of giving life to others, we will see the measure of our influence expand. All authority comes from authority and what we are responsible for represents the life that has been given to us from our Father in heaven.
Matthew 25:14-30 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ‘And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
When we embrace our God-given responsibilities today we will be blessed in our efforts. Those efforts will bring life to others and we will see our sphere of influence expanded by God. God will expand the boundaries of our influence in the future as the result of our faithfulness today. The testimony of our faithfulness in what has been given to us will be seen in how the lives of others are affected because of who we are and what we did.
Mark 4:25 “For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
I have found this principle to be true in my own life. I never asked to be a worship leader or a worship director. I never asked to be a youth leader or a church administrator. I never asked to go fulltime in ministry. I never asked to be the senior leader of a church. I never asked to be a minister to the nations. I never asked to be an author. I never asked to be who I am today, but all these things I have done by embracing what was in front of me each day. Again, calling is what we are not yet, inheritance is what we are today, and the power of our lives is revealed in what things look like behind us. We must be constantly willing to embrace things that stretch us from the place that we are, we must be willing to be who we are today with our whole hearts, and we must live to see the fruit of our efforts manifested in the lives of others who follow behind our lives.
If we don’t whole heatedly accept our responsibilities today, we will decease in our influence tomorrow. We must be confident in accepting our responsibilities for the sake of others. We can never see what has been given us as our own. It is something given to us for the sake of others. Authority gives life. It is not a matter of power or control. It is a matter of faithfulness in bringing life to the world. Our breakthrough is not tomorrow. It is today. When things don’t seem to be working the way we think they should, we must be faithful in the ways they are working out. Our answers are not found in our coming days, they are found in the days of our faithfulness. Wisdom is found in the gates (Pr. 1:21). It is found in the places of influence. Places of influence are found by being faithful in the things that have been given to us and being willing to stretch to the limits of our sphere of influence. A spider or a lizard is a very small creature, but each are faithful with what is in front of them and they find themselves in king’s palaces (Pr. 30:28). Each of these creatures embrace the world in a way that defies their size and even what would appear to be their abilities, but by embracing what is within their touch they find themselves in places that other creatures can only dream of going.
We must have a mentality of being very rich in the areas given to us by God. Very rich people don’t look for the answers found in lottery tickets. They became very rich by taking what they had and making the most of it. They aren’t afraid to stretch the boundaries in the areas of their own responsibilities, but they don’t look for their sources in resources that are not within their reach. This is the secret to expanding the boundaries of our spheres of influence in life. We should desire more life for the sake of giving more life to others. This is the faithfulness of authority.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
