True Identity Ministries Blog

Luke 12:48
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

So here is my question to you today, “what is your much and are you using it?” God’s word is making it clear here that to whom much has been given, much shall be required.

Luke 12:47-48 Message
The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he'll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!

The truth is that God has placed in you a very important “much“. I am not convinced that everyone believes that about themselves. One of the questions I hear over and over from women I meet seems to be, “I don’t know what purpose God has for me and what I could possibly offer?“ My answer is….your much. I promise it is in you. God has gifted you and gave you very specific talents.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Message
God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.

And those gifts and talents have much purpose. It wasn’t to boost your self confidence, it wasn’t so that you would be able to measure up to some standard, it certainly wasn’t so you could boast about how talented you are….it was to serve the purpose of edifying others and glorifying God. Although our much was meant to be shared, all over you can find stingy Christians. People that are gifted and talented but just keep it to themselves. That’s not at all God plan.

1 Peter 4:7-11
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

So what do you think it is that keeps us from living out God’s plan for our lives? What keeps us from offering God back the “much” he has entrusted each of us with. I am not claiming to have all the answers but I can share with you the things I realized were holding me back from using my much.

Comparisons seemed to top the list. As I surveyed the gifts of those around me I began to feel like the gifts and much I had to offer didn’t measure up. I felt like their gifts were much more significant than mine, so as a result I just tucked mine away feeling like there was no place for them. I am pleading with you to not do that. Remember in the verses we have already covered that God says he decided who to give what and it all holds great purpose. The last thing God wants us to do is to make a comparison and then decide to tuck away our much just because it looked different from someone else’s. Your job isn’t to decide how valuable your much is, your job is to willingly offer it back to God allowing him to use it as he pleases.

Another hindrance that seemed to keep me from offering my much was comfort. I wanted to be comfortable. I didn’t want to be stretched because sometimes stretching caused pain. Can anyone else relate? I can promise you that the first few times I stood up in front of groups (very small groups) to speak, everything in me became uncomfortable. I would feel sick, I would begin to sweat, and my words would come out all jumbled. The truth is that everything in me wanted to say “forget it!” I will keep my much and stay comfortable. Sometimes that is exactly what I did. Thankfully God began to pour these same scriptures we are studying together today over me and I realized God never said offering him back my much would be comfortable. And the truth is there was a lot more at stake if I chose to not use the gifts in me than just comfort.

As a result of me offering back the much God has placed in me….lives have been changed and Jesus has shined. My much has purpose and sweet one so does yours. I challenge you to take a survey today of your much. What is your much? Don’t know? Ask God to reveal it to you. What do you love to do? What are you pretty good at? What do other people notice about you? Answering those questions very well could lead you straight to your much.

My next question for you is: are you using it? Are you using your much or have you tucked it away thinking maybe you will use it later? Scripture told us that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. God is asking you for your much. Don’t allow unhealthy comparisons or comfort stop you from offering it to him. As 1 Peter put it: Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! It’s want I want more than anything….God’s presence to be evident and for him to get all the credit. I love you so and pray that God stirs up the much in you and you begin to pour it out. You won’t regret it.

xoxo
Justeina