Please read Luke 19.11-27

Good Morning, Travelers.

Did you get the 'holy ground' reference in yesterday's morning briefing? When God called Moses, by name, to lead the people out of Egypt, He spoke to him from a burning bush. (Exodus 3) It is a powerful visual, thinking of Moses approaching the bush to hear God talking to him--and then, God says, "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." It was holy because God was present there. (You know, when Paul says to 'think on these things--whatsoever is true, lovely, admirable. . .' well, maybe that is something you and I could think on a bit--how God chose to inhabit a burning bush so as to get Moses' attention, and then call him to do a herculean job! Yeah, 'think on these things. . .' How might He call you and me?) This was a very holy moment in the desert where Moses found himself, and as the Son of God is about to enter Jerusalem, I am so aware that this is truly a holy moment! The disciples had a sense of anticipation, too, because along with the people, they thought that Jesus was going to establish the kingdom of God once they got there. Jesus uses a parable to tell them that this was not to happen yet--the last parable recorded in Luke's gospel. It expands on the parable of the talents--which illustrates our responsibility to be both faithful and accountable; the parable also shows Jesus' authority in judgment. There were recent happenings analogous with the story with which the people would have been familiar--of the local leader Archelaeus/Archilles who went to Rome as a nobleman to receive his kingdom. He would have left servants in charge of his business who would represent him while he was gone. Upon his return, an accounting would be in order.

What does it mean? Jesus would not establish His kingdom on earth--just yet--***but, don't you see--this did not fit with what His contemporaries thought, including His own men?!*** They missed it. I am regularly asked why the Jews of the day didn't accept Jesus as Messiah; here it is again. What they deemed as the obvious rolling out of the Messiah's kingdom on earth was not God's timing. . . Jesus had told them the Son of Man would be mocked, insulted, and killed--and on the third day, He would rise again. . . and as we know, He then ascended to take His place alongside the Father. One day, He'll come back, and then there'll be a day of reckoning, or Judgment Day. For the faithful, the accounting or Day of Judgment will be a time of affirmation; for those who have not been faithful, the gavel will come down hard.

When is the last time you were in court, especially criminal court--or maybe you just watched it on television, or read about it in a Grisham novel? Did you notice there was only one judge presiding, and he made the rules? Standards of judgment are set by the judge. So, when the Lord returns, we will be held accountable for that which He finds in our hands. . . based on that which He left in our hands. As the parable indicates, the servants had to tell the nobleman what they had done with what he had left them. . . so too we will answer to Jesus for how we used what He has given us. First, have we stayed close to the heart of God? Have we sought after Him, and kept Him first--that is to say, will we be found faithful? And second, have we used the gifts He has given us for Him? 'To whom much is given, much will be required.' 'Got resources? Have you used them to lighten another's load, care for the downcast, support God's work here on this planet? Like it or not, we will be held accountable for these things. This is a matter I take very seriously, because in the book of James, our Lord's brother says, 'let not many of you become teachers, because as such is the stricter judgment'. I will be held accountable for what I have taught, and certainly if I've ever misled anyone, from God's Word. Yikes.

Last night, I had the privilege of hearing Pastor Chuck Smith preach in person; his text was James 2-4. Yeah, that's right--all three chapters. I took copious notes on his message, and wrote several comments in the margins of my Bible too, dating them, and noting his name, so I would always remember being there with him. As Pastor Chuck commented on this passage warning teachers, he made an aside about the verse that was so poignant. He used the example that he would never want to lead someone astray on the subject of 'once saved, always saved' that some are known to teach. Well, for me, it was like a spark to a small forest fire, and I came home and began researching so I could remember my college theology courses on Arminianism vs. Calvinism, and all that goes with the pillars/points of each. What am I talking about? Simply, some teach that once you have made a decision to become a child of God, nothing will change that; you cannot 'fall from grace' or 'lose your salvation;' but other Scriptures indicate the danger of living in unconfessed sin. . . so, how will Jesus rule on the judgment day? ____________________ Well, I've been thinking about that all day! Accountability. . .

When you hear or think of the word 'accountability', what notion does it conjure up for you? One that is positive, negative, or heavy? Several words come to mind for me--~CHANGE~ When I am willing to make myself accountable to someone, I am more likely to see change in my life. (breakthroughs, changes in habit, growth, etc.) Therefore, I should see POSSIBILITY as a byproduct of accountability. RESPONSIBILITY is a counterpart of accountability, which will probably require me to be DISCIPLINED; and when Jesus is involved, that also means REWARD when I am FAITHFUL.

So that we will give a faith-full accounting,

Christine