Kingdom Promotion

Read: Luke 19:11-27

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Luke 19:26

IN WORD

We like to think God’s Kingdom is a perfectly comfortable realm—that it will match every impulse we’ve ever had about “this is how it should be done,” that it will resolve every sense of injustice we observed in this life. But will it? Or will we be offended by God’s way of doing things, just as we are by other people? When we see others getting farther ahead and ourselves stuck and stagnating—or even losing ground—will we still be able to rejoice over God’s goodness?

In this Kingdom, there’s no attempt to even things out. Those who are most trustworthy and fruitful get more, and those who are less trustworthy and fruitful suffer loss even of what they had. Seeing those who have plenty get more and those who have little lose what they have may violate our sense of fairness, but we should understand. It’s exactly how we treat people in the workplace, how we invest our resources, and how we value impersonal forces in this world. We approve whomever and whatever proves effective and worthwhile, and we overlook whomever and whatever doesn’t. That has nothing to do with our love. It simply fits our goals and purposes.

Likewise, God doesn’t love fruitless people less than fruitful ones. But He doesn’t promote them out of a sense of fairness. It may be an uncomfortable dynamic, but it’s the way of the Kingdom. Trustworthy people are entrusted with more.

IN DEED

This dynamic is not a “one day” Kingdom principle. It’s now, already in effect in this age. God loves every one of His people as much as He could possibly love us, and He isn’t a utilitarian employer. He’ll invest heavily in those who need help. But He doesn’t position all of us the same way. Our fruitfulness and responsibilities are contingent on our faithfulness. Small responsibilities lead to greater responsibilities when we handle them well. That’s how Kingdom purposes move forward—and how we move forward with them.

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 20:1-16

Faithfulness in a little thing is a big thing.

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM