“‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Luke 19:26 (New Living Translation, NLT)

This verse tells of a king, one of noble birth, who gave his servants money to invest while he was away. He came back and called them to give an account of what they did with what he gave them. Some received more and some received less. Why? it was based on their usefulness, faithfulness, and wisdom. Those who invested and made more were given even more. Those who did nothing with what they had were stripped of what they were originally given, and it was given to the faithful and wise investor.

The king in the story is Jesus and we are the servants. We are to use what we have been given to advance the kingdom of God until the rapture. Then we will give an account for what we did with what He gave us. As a result, we will either gain rewards or lose them.

Jesus wants us to use the gifts, talents and resources He has provided. When we do, He gives us more. We either use it or lose it. It’s not a hard concept to grasp. And He starts us out small to train us to handle the big things later. We, not God, determine our level of usefulness to the kindgom. This is yet anotehr example of how the Kingdom of God operates differently than the world system. The world wants to take from those who have increased and give it to those who have not. God, on the other hand, increases those who have already increased and proven themselves faithful.

If you want to be used greatly by God, start with what you have and use it for His glory. Then He will give you more. And remember- what we do today determines how we will rule in eternity.