The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2017Sample

Use It or Lose It

Myra Hindley was one of the most notorious murderers of the twentieth century. Her crimes were almost unbelievably horrific. Yet one person took it upon himself to visit her regularly while she was in prison.

Lord Longford (1905–2001) was a controversial figure who spent much of his life visiting prisoners, including Myra Hindley. Yet, no one can doubt his compassion and his faithfulness, both to God and to those he visited.

When he died, former prisoners joined hundreds of mourners to say farewell to the man who had spent his life faithfully fighting for society’s outcasts.

He found inspiration in the words of Jesus from today’s passage. On his deathbed he asked his wife, ‘You know what the most important quotation from the Bible is?’ He spoke his last words by answering his own question, quoting the words of Jesus: ‘I was in prison and you came to visit me’ (Matthew 25:36).

Life is not a competition that you have to win. It is not supposed to be a rat race. Life is a huge privilege and an opportunity. God has trusted you with gifts and abilities, which he wants you to use. Use them or lose them. He is faithful to us and he expects us to be faithful to him.

Psalm 18:43-50

1. God’s faithfulness

‘Be kind,’ said the philosopher Plato, ‘for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ The Bible gives us an even stronger reason to always be kind. God is always kind to us. In his faithfulness, he shows us ‘unfailing kindness’ (v.50).

David is able to look back at his life and see how God has shown ‘unfailing kindness’ to him and his children and grandchildren, (‘his descendants’, v.50). God had delivered him from all ‘the attacks of the people’ around (v.43a). He had put him in a position of leadership with great responsibility (v.43b).

He had given David ‘great victories’ (v.50a) and had saved him and exalted him (v.48). David composed this psalm as an act of worship (‘I will sing praises to your name’, v.49b), to thank God for his faithfulness to his ‘anointed’ (v.50b).

You also are ‘anointed’ (2 Corinthians 1:21–22; 1 John 2:20). God will show you his ‘unfailing kindness’ (Psalm 18:50). He is kind all the time. And, if you want to be like him, try to be kind to others all the time.

Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to me, that you show me unfailing kindness. Help me to be kind to everyone I meet.

Matthew 25:14-46

2. A life of faithfulness

How can you be ‘faithful’ (vv.21,23)?

• Use them or lose them
  God is so generous and kind. He gives us so much. A talent was a huge sum of money – probably equivalent to twenty years’ wages. Even the person with one talent was given so much. In the parable, the talent (this is the origin of the English word ‘talent’) represents not only your money but your gifts, skills, time, energy, education, intellect, strength, influence and opportunities.
  
  Be faithful with whatever you have been given. It is no good wishing that you had been given more. You are simply called to do the best you can with what you have.
  
  To be faithful means to use the gifts and abilities that God has given you. Many of us are tempted to be like the third servant who said, ‘I was afraid’ (v.25). We hide our talents because we are afraid of failure and what others may think of us, or of the hard work and responsibility that may be involved.
  
  It has been said that, ‘The greatest mistake you could make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.’
  
  The servant who received five talents and the one who received two talents must both have had to risk losing it all. Step out in faith, use your gifts and risk failure.
  
  Jesus says, in effect, ‘use them or lose them’ (vv.28–30). If you do the very best with what you have, God will give you more and say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (vv.21,23).
• See the least and the last as Jesus in disguise
  Jesus said, ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (v.40). He tells us that faithfulness to him is shown in what we do for the most vulnerable and most needy in our world (vv.35–36,42–43):

1. The hungry
   Millions of people are dying of starvation. Every time you feed the hungry, you encounter Jesus. Mother Teresa said, ‘The dying, the unwanted, the unloved – they are Jesus in disguise.’
2. The stranger
   To be homeless, a refugee or an asylum seeker must be one of the most painful experiences of life. When you encounter people who are ‘strangers’ and when you look after the homeless, provide them with shelter and invite them into the heart of your community, you encounter Jesus (vv.35b,38).
3. The sick
   Another way in which you can meet Jesus is through ministering to those who are sick, whether they are in hospital, at home or at church. Every time you pray for the sick you have the opportunity to encounter Jesus.
4. The prisoners
   Those in prison often come from the category of ‘the last and the least’ of our society. Jesus challenges us to imitate his grace and acceptance of ‘sinners’. We need to remember that we too are forgiven sinners. Many prisoners have committed appalling crimes – and yet Jesus still loves them, and calls us to love them too.
   
   It is a huge privilege to go into the prisons or to care for and mentor ex-offenders. I remember the chaplain general to the prison service saying that when he first went into the prisons he thought he would take Jesus in with him. He soon realised that Jesus was there already. He said that from then on he went into the prisons in order to encounter Jesus.

In all these areas Jesus says, ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (v.40). Jesus tells us that when he comes again in glory there will be a judgment (vv.31–33), and it will involve a separation that will surprise people (v.37,44). How we respond to Jesus has eternal consequences (vv.30,46).

Lord, help me to be faithful and to use the gifts and abilities that you have given to me. Thank you that when I reach out to the least and the last, I encounter you.

Job 40:3-42:17

3. Job’s faithfulness

God has had a good plan for you from the moment you were conceived. He also had a good plan for Job. Right from the start he had planned Job’s restoration and blessing.

Job is remembered throughout history for his faithfulness. The apostle James says, ‘You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about’ (James 5:11).

Once again God fires questions at Job making him realise that there are simply some things ‘too wonderful for [Job] to know’ (Job 42:3b). Job holds on to the faithfulness of God: ‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted’ (v.2). This is a wonderful promise to hold on to when things in your life are not going according to your plans. God has a good plan for you and it will not be thwarted.

God does not give us trouble-free lives. He does not answer all our questions. But he does reassure us that he is with us in our troubles.

God tells Job to pray for his friends who had hurt him, let him down, wrongly accused him, judged him and criticised him (vv.7–8). Job forgave them and showed his total forgiveness by praying for them. As he interceded for them, God not only accepted Job’s prayer for his friends but also, ‘The Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before’ (v.10).

Joyce Meyer writes, ‘If you do things God’s way, he will give you double for your trouble.’ ‘The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first’ (v.12). As with David, God showed his kindness to him and his descendants (v.16).

Job is commended for his perseverance in the face of suffering (James 5:10–11). Satan believed that suffering would cause Job to turn away from God. Job’s perseverance demonstrated that Satan was wrong. With brutal honesty at times, Job was nonetheless able to maintain his worship of God in good times and times of great trial.

His perseverance is an example to us of how to respond to suffering. When you respond with faithful perseverance, Satan is defeated. Job is a ‘type’ of Christ. Through Jesus’ faithful perseverance in response to his suffering on the cross, Satan has been totally defeated, once and for all.

Lord, help me to be faithful in praying for my friends and to persevere like Job.

Pippa Adds

Matthew 25:14–30

At first glance this passage does not seem at all fair – giving more to the person who already has a lot. I feel sorry for the man too frightened to use his talent. I can relate to that. I have sat in many meetings wondering if some thought or prayer was right to say but not wanting to just in case I had got it totally wrong, or that I might have missed something and the subject had changed and we were now praying for world peace! Is it pride, not wanting to look a fool? If we are more cautious and fearful by nature we may need to encourage each other. I’m spurred on by the fact that I don’t want whatever little talent I have, taken away!