LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
We Are Responsible
"...to everyone to whom much has been given, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48).
How much have we seen, and how much have we yet to see? God, in his grace, receives our prayer when we ask for more light in order to please him better; however, that light is accompanied by a sense of duty, a moral imperative.
What we have heard, and know, inevitably makes us accountable. We cannot hear without being made responsible. What we know will be demanded of us in the day of Christ. Now, to escape this responsibility, no one should shrink from knowledge, for even that can be counted against him. We are to advance, on the one hand, by growing in the knowledge of the Lord so as to please Him in everything, and on the other hand, by avoiding negligence in that knowledge.
To please God we need to grow in the knowledge of him and his will. How could we take part in his business, without being prepared for it? How could a doctor perform surgery on someone if he did not study to do so? How could an engineer assume the responsibility of building a bridge if he does not know the quality of the materials he is going to use?
Through the prophet Hosea, God reproaches Israel for its lack of knowledge. Moreover, that was the cause of their downfall: "My people are destroyed because they lacked knowledge" (4:6). Knowledge of God, not external, merely religious knowledge. "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But in this let him that shall praise himself praise himself, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD, which sheweth lovingkindness, and judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for these things will I, saith the LORD" (Jer. 9:23-24). To serve Him, it is first necessary to know Him.
God has entrusted many things into our hands, how could we ignore Him? God has placed his wonderful treasures under our stewardship, how could we fail him? Undoubtedly, we cannot comply; however, even for that he has provided a way out, a solution. He himself has the power to do it in us.
Rather, we should ask ourselves: Are we willing to allow God to fulfill his will in us? He desires to form Christ in us, both individually and collectively. For that, he will deal with us, he will mold us; he will pass over us his hand of authority and comfort, to obtain that final result. He called us, and he will fulfill in us his calling.
Are we willing to pay the price that this means? Sometimes we have prayed prayers that we later forget, but the Lord answers them anyway. And those answers bring us some pain. It is not that God is cruel to us, but rather that His hand discomforts us and makes us angry, in order to set us on the path to His perfect will. It is the price to pay. There are many things that God has placed in our hands, and we are responsible for them. May God have mercy, so that we will not be irresponsible or inconsistent.