My Mina

10/6/2016

Luke 19.13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.' – Jesus

I did the quick math: a mina was the equivalent of about three months’ wages, or roughly, $7785 USD (adjusted for inflation and calculated at a rate of $15/hr. at an FTE of 173 hours/month). What would you do if someone gave you $7785 and said: Invest this until I come back then show me know how much you made?

We are all given something. We all have something to invest. It may be time. It may be a talent. It may be treasure. But we all have something. The question from Jesus is: what will you do with it?

Yesterday I spoke with a gentleman who mentioned a motivational sign on my desk which reads: Don’t judge each day by the size of the harvest; but by the amount of seeds you sow. We talked about the need to sow seed. All of us have seed to sow. Are we sewing, and if so, what harvest are we looking for? Are we sowing purposefully or helter-skelter? Do we have a plan? Are we following the plan?

Truth is, we are sowing – whether we realize it or not, we are sowing. Our lives are comprised of sowing: time, talent, and treasures; and then reaping what we sow. If we sow generously, we’ll reap generously. If we sow sparingly, we’ll reap sparingly. If we sowing purposeful activity, we’ll reap purposeful reward. If we’re sowing Facebook, we’ll reap the reward of that. The question is: how are we using our time, talents and treasures; and what do we expect in return?

It doesn’t matter if one believes or not: truth is, sowing equates to reaping. What would you do if someone gave you three months’ worth of wages and said: go, invest this, and bring a harvest? What would you do?

Truth is, Jesus has given to each of us a mina of sorts. He has given us the resources we have to make a difference in this world. Some take His resources and, attempting to make a difference, bring back tenfold; their 7785 becomes 77,850. Some get only half: 7785 becomes 38,935. Some take His resources and bury them in a sock, in a hole in the ground thinking: what’s the use? If we see no purpose, we’ll see no reward. Do we believe our lives are on purpose?

It took one person to get my attention yesterday: “I like your sign!” His comment reminded me of my purpose and the resources that are mine. What am I doing with my mina? What are you doing with yours?

Father in Heaven, thank You for the reminder of minas and what my life is about. Thank You that You have, indeed, given me time, talents, and treasures to invest in the lives of people for Your purpose. Lord, may I put them to work anew today so that tomorrow, I will reap what I’ve sown. Amen.