Improvement Needed

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

Luke 12:47-48

47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

NIV

This is certainly a difficult statement as it infers God punishes his children. But there is more here than might first meets the eye. We know what the Master wants. We know that God desires above all else that all should come to the saving knowledge of his Son Jesus Christ and that none should perish. We know God wants us to accept his Son and be saved. We also know that because what may be known about God is plain through his creation and so all men are without excuse. What Jesus is saying here is that when we have the opportunity to know God and refuse to do so it is a crime deserving of great punishment, hell and ultimately the lake of burning sulfur. However Jesus also makes the point that some of us have had great opportunities while others may have only little opportunities to accept Jesus. Some people have grown up in Christian homes and lived among the enlightened, having many versions of the bible available to them. That even as children they attended Sunday school or children’s church but as they grew they left Christ behind for the things of the world. Having the ability to have great knowledge about Jesus Christ and salvation yet deserting him for a life of self-pleasure indulging in the ways of the world will bring greater punishment then those who may not ever heard the gospel at all. Although those who have never heard the gospel are still without excuse because God has given them enough information in his creation for them to find him. Jesus is really talking about the Jews here, specifically the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They have all the knowledge of the scriptures but refuse to see all the scripture points to Jesus. Their punishment will be grave. We must ensure that as we learn more and more about Jesus Christ and the way in which God desires us to live, that we continue to improve. Certainly we are not like the Pharisees in that we know the laws of God, but we also have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we strive to obey all the rules and regulations of the scripture. But are we truly improving or have we hit our stride and just plot along within some denominational guidelines. With all the knowledge we learn, we all the study of scripture and supposed listening to the Spirit have we just settled in, instead of continuing to grow, to improve? If we have replaced Jesus with religion then perhaps we are like the Pharisees and are deserving this punishment. But if we are not like the Pharisees, if we have maintained our trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, and are keeping our faith and trust completely in him, even to the point of improving in our faith and trust, growing, learning more and more each day to look to Jesus for everything, then we have no need to be concerned about any form of punishment at all. Will we fail? Yes. Will we fall short and commit some form of sin? As certain as the sun raises in the East and sets in the West. But this sin is to be human and that is what Jesus died for and as we ask forgiveness we are forgiven and shall not receive punishment for it. But if we leave what we know to live in sin, woe to us.  We can never leave Jesus, for without him we are truly lost. There can be no leaving, but there also should be more improving.