Bible
Study: Ephesians 3, 2 to 12 and Luke 12, 39 to 48.
In today’s
Gospel passage, Jesus speaks to us of the need to be prepared at all times for
the day of reckoning. If the householder had known at what time the thief would
come, he would have prepared ahead to prevent the thief from succeeding. Common
Sense! Isn’t it?
You do not
start fixing doors and windows the moment you are told that armed robbers are
standing at your gate, No! You don’t wait till when you are famished and
lacking energy before you thinking of what food to cook. You don’t wait till
you are rushed to the hospital before you keep your surrounding clean. At times,
it is not all about spirituality, common sense matters!
Honestly, you
do not wait till you are close to the grave before you begin to form new habits
or try to live a holy life. The best time to begin is NOW. Today is another opportunity
that God has given you to live a better life than yesterday. Today is another
chance to stretch forth your potential for virtue because you have so much good
inside of you that is yet to be explored. You cannot afford to be a mediocre, that
bright light that is inside you as a child of God must shine brighter today.
While
Jesus was talking of how we should be prepared at all times for the day of
judgment, it is interesting that Peter stood up to ask “Lord, do you intend
this parable for us or for the people?” And Jesus responded by saying: “To whom
much is given, much is expected.”
I may be a
good preacher but if my preaching does not affect my life, I am no better than
a signboard; showing others the way but never going there! The biggest
temptation ministers of God experience is the feeling that the Gospel is only
meant for the people who sit to listen to us every day while we “do our thing
the way we like.” What we demand of others, we sometimes do not lift a finger
ourselves to do.
As
ministers of God, much has been given to us and that is simply why much is
expected of us. We too need to be prepared as our life can also end at any time.
And I think it is only fair that we would get a tougher judgement because we
have every tool for advancing in holiness at our disposal. For instance, the kind
of books I have read, I doubt if my parishioners have seen them, so I ought to
know better when it comes to avoiding certain sins. Isn’t it? If others are
struggling to stand because of the temptations of the world, I think I ought to
be flying. Abi? To whom much is given, much is expected.
I saw an
article recently about a fuel tanker. The tanker may be loaded with fuel set to
deliver to a petrol station but if there is no fuel inside the vehicle’s
engine, it cannot move. The tanker may be carrying 33,000 litres of fuel but it
still has to queue up in a filling station to buy fuel in other to get to its
destination. If its own engine is empty, the fuel in its tank is useless both
to him and those who need it.
This for
me describes our lives as Christians and more still, as ministers. We may have
so much knowledge in our brains, we may be skilled at preaching and spreading
the undiluted word of God but we need that same word of God ourselves too. We need
to practice it in our lives as much as others do.
Let us not
hide under the shadow of holiness when in fact, we are full of dirt inside. Let
us be good stewards who not only feed the flock entrusted to their care but
also feed their own stomachs to have energy for feeding others.
Let us
pray:
Lord
Jesus, make me more than a signboard for your kingdom. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
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