Jesus Christ said in Luke 12:48 (NLT), “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” Our Lord and Master is teaching us about being ready for his coming by living a life that is fruitful, spiritually focused, and disciplined. As believers, we must learn to be patient and to not get weary in doing the good works like Christ, but many of us are not exercising this patience and focus. We haven’t understood that God has given us the ability to go higher and higher as we grow in the Spirit and study His Word.
I don’t know of any human being that doesn’t start out their adult life with wanting to have the best of everything that God has to offer; believer and non-believer alike. As we grow and mature mentally and spiritually, we begin to understand a little bit about how life works. We find that things don’t come as easily as we thought they would. Effort, skill, and most importantly faith are all necessary to move ourselves from one level of blessing to the next. James 2:26(NLT) tells us, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” Sometimes, we think that all we have to do is sit back and wait for God to do all the work, but James 2:26 corrects us. We must live a life of service to God and His people and love them as He does. These are the good works that we are all required to put in action.
Luke 12:48 reminds us that when we’re asking God for more, we also need to ask ourselves if our arms are already full. How can we reach out and grab more if this is the case? Jesus teaches us that more blessings added to our lives will require greater spiritual maturity from us. Many of us know this, but we’re not asking the Father to show us what He will have us to do, and sometimes when we’re asked to do more, we quickly turn away. We must consider the Words of Christ in all our thoughts about marriage, because we are asking him to grant us the responsibility and privilege of taking care of another’s heart and well-being. This request means that we must also embrace the reality that God will require more of us.
Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:33 to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” If we truly and earnestly seek God first, then we’re willing to follow what He tells us to do to prepare for marriage. His leadership is perfect, and He will direct us according to His Will. Often, He tells us some of the things we need to release and surrender so that our arms are not so full. He is going to tell us to learn more about Jesus Christ so that our faith will increase, and He is also going to examine if we are listening for His voice. He needs to see that we will actually heed and follow what we hear from Him, because our obedience to His Will and Word is an absolute necessity for marriage.
God is not the author of confusion, and His directions are very plain and clear. He loves it when we come to Him and ask Him for the blessings we desire, but He expects that we will also understand that we will have to grow spiritually in the process. James 4:10(NLT) tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” It is inevitable that your walk with the Lord will need to go higher as He lifts you up in the honor of holy matrimony. Don’t be fearful of what He has to say to you. Open your ears and draw near to Him. He will be with you every step of the way as you prepare to receive all that He has in store. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“When We Ask for More, More Is Required”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.