Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Luke 19:11 While they were listening to this, He went on to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
PUTTING YOUR MINA TO WORK
The verse above introduces Jesus' Parable of the Minas. (Be encouraged to read it in its entirety in Luke 19:11-27.) In this parable Jesus speaks of a man of noble birth who was traveling to a distant country to have himself crowned king and then return. Before leaving he summoned 10 servants and placed into their charge 10 minas. (A mina was a unit of currency in ancient times.) The man of noble birth then instructed his servants to put this money to work during the time he was gone.
By the man of noble birth Jesus is picturing Himself. He is the noblest of all men, the Son of God, our blessed Savior. After completing His earthly mission to redeem us, He "traveled" to heaven where He assumed again the full use of the divine powers He willingly laid aside to serve as our slave. God the Father placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be Head over all things to the Church. Now in the same way that the nobleman in the parable gave minas to his servants, Jesus has given us "minas" to use for the building of His kingdom in the time before He returns. Chief among these is the Gospel treasure, the Good News of what He accomplished for sinners through His life, death, and resurrection.
How may you put your "mina" to work for the Lord? If you are a male member of the church you may do this by serving the Lord as an elder, deacon, trustee, usher, or other church officer. You may serve Him as a voting member by participating in meetings where your Lord's kingdom work is planned and discussed. If you are a female member you may serve the Savior as a member of the ladies' group, where you are can lend support to the proclamation of the Gospel in your church. We're privileged to put our minas to work for Jesus at home too. We can share the words of eternal life with loved ones in the family circle. We may bear witness to our children through the Christlike attitudes we exhibit and words we speak seasoned with Christian love. We may put our minas to work by serving those around us at the office or factory, using opportunities God gives for sharing our faith in Jesus.
Be encouraged to serve Jesus with your mina. Remember, the time comes when it will no longer be possible. When your Lord returns on the Last Day (or when He calls you from this life) it will be too late. Now is the time for putting your minas to work in service to Christ your King.
