“Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required…” – Luke 12:48b

I don’t remember how old I was, but somewhere between ages 6 and 8 I heard the words of Luke 12:48 from my Sunday School teacher at church. I remember the classroom, and even the seat I was sitting in when I realized that God had given me much and expected me to use those blessings for His glory. Around that time in my life I was given another piece of revelation: If the Bible is true, how could anything be more important than knowing, believing, and obeying what it says?

Most people I knew (and know) had very little regard for the words of the Bible. I was taught that it is God’s direct message for mankind. So many people spend so much of their lives searching for themselves, or success, or fulfillment, or significance, or happiness, and never once consult the words of the One who created them. If anybody knows how human beings ought to operate, it’s the One who invented them. And not only did He create us, but He wants to have a relationship with us so much that He has acted miraculously to get our attention, He sent His Son to us to reconcile us to Himself, and He made sure all the information we need is written down in language we can understand so we can know Him and relate to Him. This is not the work of a distant, stoic deity. It is the caring gift of a loving Creator who wants to give us every opportunity to know Him and converse with Him and join Him in His work.

If God is real and His Word is true, then what does He expect of YOU? What gifts has He entrusted you with? Have you committed yourself to a relationship with the One who committed Himself to death so He could rescue you? His hand is held out to rescue us from our sin and selfishness, but it must be accepted. We can slap it away and reject Him if we choose, but we will eventually sink beneath the waves of our guilt and we will have to pay the eternal price for our sin. But rescue is available now, and we are wise when we take hold of Him and commit ourselves to joining Him in the work of saving others who are drowning in their lostness.