Your Responsibilities

“Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not feed the flock? […] They scattered for lack of a shepherd.” – Ezekiel 34:2, 5 NASB

God was angry. Why? He had appointed people to positions of responsibility and given them resources to care for His people, but instead, they ignored their flock and indulged in their private passions. Because of their negligence, many were scattered and lost. The sickly were not strengthened. The diseased were not healed.

God is serious about the gifts He gives us. Jesus reinforced this point when He described the day He will sit “on the throne of His glory.” Some will be on His right while others will go on the left. The ones on the right will be blessed and “inherit the kingdom prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:31-34).

How did they merit this reward? They showed concern. They used the resources they had been given to meet the needs of others. Jesus told them that whatever they did to “one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).

In contrast, those on the left were sentenced to judgment. Why? They had not shown compassion or used their gifts to help others and advance the Kingdom.

The Bible says we are given gifts of our time, talents, and treasures not to hoard on ourselves, but to bless others and help meet their needs and spread the Gospel. God has blessed you, so you might bless others. Invest your talents and resources in His Kingdom.

Reflection Question: How can you use your resources to help those in need around the world?