As we addressed last week, the Lord could have defeated the devil and all evil with a flick of His smallest finger immediately after His resurrection. He could have eliminated all suffering and injustice right then, but He did not for our sake. Instead, the entire church age has been allowed as training for those who are called to be sons and daughters of God and to reign with Him. What a witness it will be to the universe when those who have come out of the great tribulations of this age, especially at the end, to be made worthy to rule over all creation with Him.
To be adopted as God’s own sons and daughters and to rule with Him is the highest calling. The trials that prove our faithfulness to Him are important, yet that is not all this training is about. We must also learn the principles of authority in His kingdom, and what it means to rule as servants and grow in wisdom and competence. Between a third and half of all teachings in Scripture on righteousness are about stewardship—managing well what He has entrusted to us.
In the parable of the talents, those who managed what had been entrusted to them well were called “good and faithful servants.” Those who did not manage their talents well but buried and neglected them were called “wicked, evil slaves.” Since we are called to do everything “as unto the Lord,” every responsibility or assignment given to us by the King of kings must be done with the excellence and devotion He deserves.
Our foundation for good stewardship should be our devotion to the King. As we learn to do this, even in the smallest things, He will make us ruler over greater things. By not wasting our opportunities to do this, we will grow in our ability to rule over what He has entrusted to us. It’s not just about the results we get in this life but more importantly about preparing to rule with Him in the age to come.
Ruling with Jesus will be very different than the governments of this age. In Peter’s second major sermon after the day of Pentecost, he said heaven had to receive Jesus until “the period of the restoration of all things” (see Acts 3:21). As many biblical prophecies declare, the earth will be restored to its original paradise. All that was lost in the fall by the first Adam will be recovered by Christ, “the last Adam” (see I Corinthians 15:45). Those who rule with Christ will be agents and leaders of this restoration. This begins with mankind but includes the earth and all that is in it. In the end, lions will eat straw like oxen and lie down with lambs, and there will be peace and harmony among all creatures.
How can this be accomplished through us if we cannot even get along with each other? Even when there were just two brothers on earth, they could not get along. Perhaps this is why the most important prayer and devotion on the Lord’s heart in John 17 before His crucifixion was for the unity of His people. And if this was the primary desire of His heart, should it not be ours also? So, what will we do today to get along with others and seek the unity of His people? Should this not be our top priority every day?
In Hebrews 12:14 we are commanded, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” What will we do today to pursue peace with others beginning with those with whom we have the most discord? This is a basic discipline that leads to the sanctification we are told we must have to see the Lord.
The next verse explains how we seek this sanctification: “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15 NKJV). Our default in life should be to carefully ensure we say or do nothing that may be used to impart bitterness or division. Doing no harm by controlling our tongue is important, but more than just not spreading bitterness, we must be devoted to spreading life and peace.
© 2022 by Rick Joyner. All rights reserved.
