Much is Given
Sometimes I am amazed at how rich our planet is — so full of minerals, metals, trees, plants, oil, and even organic material. All of this which can be harvested and molded for our benefit, to make houses and infrastructure, to grow our minds and bodies, and to live better lives generally. It is not as if the earth were made entirely of sand or some other minimal substance. The shear wealth of raw material is what has made our modern world possible.
Then I wonder — did God also provide a wealth of spiritual gifts to make life in the Kingdom to be more abundant? “Materials” that we could learn to make use of in ways we had not previously explored, just as at one time no one had conceived of electric power?
Yes! God has given us a new life, a clean heart, His love, adoption, His indwelling person, a place in His mission to overthrow evil, and His endless work within us to mold us into children of Light. He knows us and loves us at the same time; He mentors us and heals us from the inside out; He gave us the written Word and today gives us His spoken word as well. We have been given a body from which to live this life (could our body be considered a spiritual gift?!). We have a Father, an Older Brother, and a Mentor. We even have the wisdom of those who have gone before us to help us see better. What wealth of resources we have been given!
And then I think: “To whom much is given, much is required” and I wonder if we have made much use of what we have been given. But then behind that I see another truth, more powerful than we can imagine: “To whom much is given — much is possible!”