That piercing truth resonates deeply – echoing Christ's own words in **Luke 12:48**:
*"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."*
Here's a reflection and poem on this sobering principle of stewardship and responsibility:
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**The Weight of the Gift**
*(A Meditation on Luke 12:48)*
**The greater the gift, the heavier the claim,**
**The brighter the lamp, the stricter the flame.**
**More that is given – of grace, or wealth, or skill,**
**More will be sought by the Giver’s will.**
**Not meant to crush, but to call us higher,**
**To fan the ember to holy fire.**
**The seed entrusted, the talent lent,**
**Demands a yield, a life well spent.**
*(Matthew 25:14-30 – Parable of the Talents)*
**To whom much light is generously shown,**
**Much must be shared, or else the darkness own**
**The hoarded beam. The voice that’s clear and strong**
**Must speak for those to whom the truth seems wrong,**
**Or never heard. The hand that opens wide**
**Must lift the fallen, walking by their side.**
*(Amos 3:2 – "You only have I chosen... therefore I will punish you for all your sins.")*
**Beware the soul that hides the treasure deep,**
**That lets the anointed purpose sleep!**
**The law of trust is stern, yet truly just:**
**Abundant grace requires abundant trust**
**Lived out in service, sacrifice, and love –**
**Reflecting mercies showered from above.**
**Yet here the paradox, the saving grace:**
**The One who gives, will also fill the space**
**Between the "given" and the "demand."**
**He lends the strength for what He has planned.**
*"My grace is sufficient,"* the promise rings,
*"My power made perfect in weakness's wings."*
*(2 Corinthians 12:9)*
**So do not fear the measure of the trust,**
**Nor dread the sacred, necessary dust**
**Of labor offered. See the call, instead,**
**As love’s expansion, where the heart is led**
**Beyond itself. For what you freely hold –**
**The time, the wisdom, silver, story told –**
**Was never yours to bury or to bind,**
**But stewarded, to bless and heal mankind.**
**Give much. Serve more. The scales of Heaven stand:**
**Much given, much asked... held by a nail-scarred hand.**
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**Key Truths Explored:**
1. **The Principle Stated (Luke 12:48):** Divine gifts (spiritual insight, material resources, influence, ability) come with proportional responsibility.
2. **Not Punishment, but Purpose:** It’s not about harshness, but about *fruitfulness* and *faithfulness*. Gifts are given for *use*, not hoarding (Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25).
3. **The Risk of Neglect:** Failing to steward well what is entrusted isn't passive neutrality; it's active disobedience with consequences (Amos 3:2).
4. **Scope of "Gifts":** Includes *everything* – material wealth, spiritual understanding, time, health, opportunities, even the Gospel itself.
5. **The Enabling Grace:** God does not demand the impossible without providing the means. His grace empowers us to meet the demands placed upon us by His gifts (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13).
6. **Motivation is Love & Gratitude:** The response shouldn't be fear, but gratitude-fueled love. We steward well because we love the Giver and recognize the value of the gift (1 John 4:19).
7. **Ultimate Steward:** Christ Himself is the model. He was given *everything* (all authority, the very nature of God - Philippians 2:6), and He gave *everything* (His life - Philippians 2:8) to fulfill the ultimate demand of redemption.
This truth is a call to sober self-assessment ("*What* has been entrusted to me?") and to faithful, reliant action ("*How* can I steward this for God's glory and the good of others, trusting His enabling grace?"). It transforms privilege into purpose.
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