Sweetly Broken

My heart is like a one room schoolhouse that belongs to the Lord. God has been teaching me that He doesn't judge us against each other but we are judged according to what we do or don't do with what He gives. This week I've been dwelling on these thoughts as I've gone about my daily routines and as I read God's Word and meditate on these ideas that He puts in my heart, I'm once again amazed at the grace that God shows.

We can learn more about this concept in Matthew 25

Parable of the Three Servants

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver^[b] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!^[c]’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ LNT

I love this passage. What a privilege it is to be entrusted with gifts and talents that are to be used as an investment for God. In order for me to be able to be like that first servant that Jesus taught about, I must be 'Sweetly Broken' in order to do His will and not my own. As I learn to do more of His will then I not only help Him to accomplish what He wants to do through and in me, but I also reap the rewards for working so hard. The more I learn to do His will, the more He will give me to do. In this story, Jesus didn't give them each the same amount, but he gave them "in proportion to their abilities". It's what they did with what they had that mattered. He also said the same exact thing to both of the workers who took what they were given and made more. He praised them in saying ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!' This parable has taught me that God doesn't judge us against each other but against what He has given us to do. Below is a beautiful video that touches my heart and reminds me that in order for me to do God's will and to be a faithful servant I must be a broken vessel that He can use.