“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.” (Romans 12:1 The Amplified Bible)
I received an email response from one of the out-of-state individuals who has received these Mark Writes meditations since I started sending them out daily in 2017. He expressed his thanks for getting them sent directly to him and not having to go to the blog site. He communicated about how he had been challenged and at times how his choices were confirmed as right, in line with the will of God. Being God-conscious is something he has been more focused on than ever before, starting with the day that he first accepted Christ. And then he asked the question, “How do you do this every day?” That was followed by, “I could never do it!”
My response, “You are looking at it the wrong way. You don’t have to do what I do. Just be faithful with what the Lord gave you.” Then, I suggested that he take a look at the parable that I am going to leave you with today, so that you can do a little self-monitoring of your faithfulness as a good steward of what the Lord has blessed you with in order that you can have a positive effect on His kingdom here on earth. Have a great day! Be blessed!”
“It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money. After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’” (Matthew 25:14-30 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King