was thankful that i attended our church's equip conference "meet yourself in the parables" last tuesday
the first passage which speaker mike raiter spoke about was matthew 18:21 -35 (the parable of the unforgiving servant)
he reminded me that we all owe God a great great debt like the servant in the parable who owe the king ten thousand talents
like the servant, we all are unable to pay off this debt even if we sold off everything we have (all our assets, children and wives)
but God like the king, out of pity and compassion for the servant who pleaded for patience, released him and forgave him the debt.
this was an amazing gift of forgiveness
all christians are like this servant, we all have received this amazing forgiveness
however, like the servant, we often make 2 mistakes after receiving the amazing and undeserving gift of forgiveness:
1. we forgot grace
we forgot that with forgiveness comes a great responsibility
we often forgot that we need to forgive others like God has forgiven us
2. we live a life not fearing judgment
what is your answer to the question: if you were to die tonight, where do you think you will be? heaven or hell?
if your answer is heaven, what would be your answer to God if he ask you why should he let you in?
many christians will be able to tell you that they believe that they will go to heaven because Jesus Christ has paid the ransom for them and that it is by grace and not works that they enter the kingdom of God.
it is easy to give the correct answer.
but mike reminded us that Jesus cautioned in the sermon of the mount that not all who say "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of God.
a true believer bears fruit; good works in his or her life even though it is by grace and by faith, we are saved.
hence we need to work out our salvation in trembling and fear for God
the second passage of the night was matthew 25 (the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents and the final judgment):
the lesson from this passage was that we ought to be a good and faithful servant till christ returns again.
mike raiter retold the story which john piper urges his readers to consider in his bk "don't waste your life".
this is what he wrote:
"I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple 'took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells. . . .' Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: 'Look, Lord. See my shells.' That is a tragedy.
"God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives.
what are the talents God has given me?
health, life, energy, resources etc etc.
he gave these talents for a reason, a purpose
he expects me to produce a profit from these talents
will he say to me, "well done, you good and faithful servant. you have been faithful over a little ; i will set you over much." (esv)?
Or will he say to me, "you wicked and slothful servant!" then take away what was given to me and throw me into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.?
will i be considered as God's sheep who bless others and thus be welcomed into the kingdom of God or
will i be considered as the goat who did nothing to help and bless others and thus be sent away into eternal judgment?
image from
here: showing a man reading the book by john piper in the tree.
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