“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 Corinthians 6:1 ESV
Reflection: how do you define a “good” investment?
You have probably, like me, made some good, and some not so good, investments in your life. And even if you don’t invest in the traditional stock market, you are still an investor. Did you realize that? Let’s just think about today. You have been given this day, 24 hours, how do you plan to use those hours? What about those that you meet today, what will you say to them? How about the money you use today, how will you spend it? Everything we do, is in a way an investment. And each of those investments we choose to make today, will yield a return, good or bad. We could of course try to be passive or neutral, to avoid people and conflicts.
Do you realize that God has been, and is actively investing in you?
That everything we have, even every minute of life itself, is an investment by God in us? So then how we use what we have been given is really a “re-investment” of what actually belongs to God. Do we see it that way? In the focus verse today, Paul makes a very important observation. He says “we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 Corinthians 6:1b ESV. He is talking about the gift of grace we receive from God, through Jesus, that is not “in vain”. That’s a strange thing to say, right? How could the gift of grace be in vain? Isn’t grace the gift from God that we receive without deserving it? Without having to work for it? Of course it is. But, when you think about it,
doesn’t the gift of grace demand a response from us?
If we understand what we have so undeservingly received and are receiving through Christ, we cannot be neutral. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents, of God’s expected return on investment in us. And he makes the point that not all have received the same, but some is expected. To the faithful servants, whose labor yielded results, he said “‘Well done, good and faithful servant.You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” Matthew 25:21 ESV. But of the servant who just “buried” his talent, Jesus said “‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?” Matthew 25:26 ESV.
This might seem pretty harsh, right? But if we are honest with ourselves, we know how easy it is to get complacent, to want to be “comfortable”, and not cause any conflict with those around us. To lay low, not to “ruffle any feathers”. Touching on spiritual truths can feel taboo, almost like we are violating someone’s personal space. Or perhaps violating a company policy. But have you noticed that it seems totally ok to talk about topics that the world promotes, even topics we know are in direct violation of the word of God?
Paul makes the point that living what we say we believe will be in conflict with the world based on his experience. Notice what Paul and his companions to spread the gospel had to endure, “as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 ESV.
Of course none of us want hardship. We don’t desire conflict or suffering. As a Christian, we desire peace. But we are also following a higher calling. Answering to God, and how He has, and is, investing in us, to further His kingdom on earth. We are the light of the world, right? So, perhaps a question to ponder today is whether God’s investments in you and I are yielding the returns He had planned? Are we diligent in using the talents and resources He has given us to further His kingdom, or are we trying to avoid conflicts with the world so that we can focus on enjoying this life?