God Has Found You Faithful
From the Parable of the Talents you must see the hand of God in it all, for he is the one who has entrusted all these things to you. And behind the hand of God, you must see his confidence in you, his trust, his optimism. God is the one who has called you to walk this path, and he is the one who has called you to walk it faithfully.
The Parable of the Talents is one of the best-known and best-loved of all the parables Jesus left us. It tells of a man who is going on a journey and, who, before he sets out, distributes his wealth among his servants for safekeeping. To one he gives five talents, to another two, and to another just one. (A talent, for sake of context, is about 20 years’ of wages for a laborer.) It tells how each of these servants responds to what is entrusted to him: Two of the servants invest the money wisely and double it, while the other simply buries the money and then later returns it as-is. The first two receive their master’s approval while the third receives his condemnation.
This parable leads to many legitimate applications and often challenges us to be faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to us, whether that is the gospel itself, or the gifts, talents, money, responsibilities, or opportunities we have been given. God entrusts us with so much and it falls to us, as his servants, to be faithful with it all. We can expect that as we are faithful, we will know God’s approval and reward. “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.”
Hidden in plain sight is a simple observation: the servants are never offered a choice in their stewardship. The master does not come to them to ask, “How much of my wealth do you think you’re capable of handling?” He never checks in to inquire, “How would you feel about being given the full five talents? Do you think you can handle five, or would you prefer to have just two?”
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Apple Removes Bible App From Its Store After Communist China Complains
The Chinese government has ramped up restrictions limiting Chinese citizens’ access to the Bible overall. Physical copies of the Bible can no longer be purchased online in China, Christian businessmen have been prosecuted for selling audio Bibles online, and the Chinese Communist Party has announced that it is developing its own version of the Bible that will embrace socialist values.
Last week, it was reported that a Bible app and Quran app had been removed from Apple’s App Store in China following pressure from the Chinese government. This is hardly surprising behavior from the Chinese Communist Party. But now, an American company has been enlisted to do its dirty work.
The watchdog group Apple Censorship was the first to report that the apps, Bible App by Olive Tree and Quran Majeed, had been taken down. When Apple removed the Quran app, the app makers were told it contained content that is illegal in China. China’s restrictions on religious texts have affected those of all faiths, sometimes brutally so. In Xinjiang, Uyghur Muslims who are caught with religious content on their phones can be detained without trial in an internment camp.
Leaders at Olive Tree removed the Bible app themselves. “Olive Tree Bible Software was informed during the App Store review process that we are required to provide a permit demonstrating our authorization to distribute an app with book or magazine content in mainland China,” a spokesperson told BBC News. “Since we did not have the permit and needed to get our app update approved and out to customers, we removed our Bible app from China’s App Store.” They ultimately hope they can get the app back on the App Store.
This seems unlikely, as the Chinese government has ramped up restrictions limiting Chinese citizens’ access to the Bible overall.
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Is God Moody?
God’s actions are always perfectly proportionate to his character. God’s character never changes. When it looks like God has changed in the Bible, we should explore those passages for changes in the situation: people’s attitudes, behaviors, and decisions—not changes with God’s character or being.
Have you ever seen someone so moved by emotion that you could tell their brain had kind of checked out? Maybe you’ve been there yourself. Sadly, I know I have. Whether it’s the result of anger, frustration, confusion, or despair, there’s a certain look in a person’s eyes when they’re operating on pure emotion. God never experiences this.
Changing Character?
The doctrine of impassibility describes how God isn’t controlled by passions. While I hope you have control over your emotions, at least most of the time, you can certainly relate to experiencing emotions that don’t match reality.
Think of a surprise birthday party. You walk into a dark room, and all of a sudden, a lot of people jump out at you. Your immediate response might be shock or fear, but in your rational mind you’d be elated or happy. God never experiences anything like this. There’s never a time when God’s emotions dictate his attitude toward a situation. God is never out of control.
Now, to be clear, there are plenty of passages in the Bible that talk about God having feelings. Again, this is anthropomorphic language. Passions or emotions don’t affect God the way emotions affect us. We can’t read our experience into God.
So whatever it means in such descriptive passages about God, we must keep the prescriptive passages in mind. For example, Malachi 3:6 that tells us God never changes, and Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When we see a change in God’s mood, we need to ask how this change fits with passages that say God doesn’t change. How can we make sense of the two realities — passages that say God doesn’t change and passages that describe God changing from anger to delight?
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Gray Hair Is a Crown of Glory
I am thankful for this group because they help all the members of the church keep our eyes on Heaven and the King of Heaven–the Lord Jesus Christ. They know that their days and years on this earth are few. But they do not look at that as a negative but as a positive. With an eager expectation of what lies ahead, they look forward to being with the Lord and being reunited with loved ones lost. What a joy! What perspective that gives the rest of us in church that this life is indeed fleeting. To enjoy every stage of life and to cherish the time that we have.
A pastor in our area once told me that the median age of his church was somewhere in the mid-20’s, and that he had no one over the age of 50. Many would have been impressed by such a fact. However, I was a bit sad to hear it—mainly because my friend was missing out on the incredible blessing of elderly saints. Sure, there are always a few that are cantankerous and surly—as with any other age group—but, on the whole, I am overwhelmingly and especially thankful for this group of congregants.
I have not always felt that way. Like most, when I was in my twenties I was looking for a church that had other twenty-somethings. This is not wrong per se. Most visitors come to a church looking for others like themselves. But as I became more involved with the life of the church (both as a lay person and then as a minister), I quickly found myself having a growing appreciation, and most surprisingly, many friendships with those much older than myself.
Here are several reasons why I am thankful to God for the elderly saints in the congregation:
1. Love
No other group has loved me and my family better than this age group. Perhaps it reminds them of when they were younger, and they had little kids – but there is a bond and affection that they have for us, and us with them. They are genuinely glad to see us, ask us how we are doing and remember my children’s birthdays with cards and small gifts. Many have become like our children’s adopted grandparents. Sure, my ten-year old son may not like it now when old ladies give him hugs or kiss his cheeks, but I think later in life he will be thankful for the family feeling that our church has provided and the love that he has received from such people.
2. Prayer
Again, no other group in the church is more dedicated to prayer than this particular age group. Those of us younger tend to think that we can solve most problems and issues through our vigor and actions.
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