The Faithful

Three obstacles to faithfulness:
- Cluttered calendar
- Comfortable life
- Complacent spirit

While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back. But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
- Luke 19:11-14

He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
- Luke 19:15

Diagramateuomai = How much business transpired?

The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
- Luke 19:16-17

The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
- Luke 19:18-19

Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
- Luke 19:20-21

His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
- Luke 19:22-23

Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
- Luke 19:24

‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
- Luke 12:18-19

Cluttered calendar

Comfortable life

“As we experience fewer problems, we don’t become more satisfied. We just lower our threshold for what we consider a problem. We end up with the same number of troubles. Except our new problems are progressively more hollow.”
- The Comfort Crisis, Michael Easter

Complacent spirit