Daily Devotional for October 18, 2010
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.’”—Matthew 25:26, 27

The term, upward mobility, refers to our desire to improve, to get better.  In life, it’s important that we possess a desire for upward mobility.  Upward mobility is not reserved for the economically advantaged, the intellectually advantaged or the socially advantaged.  Though it is true that there are people who have these advantages, no one is born with a greater potential for desire than ours.  When it comes to potential desire, we’re all the same.  Thus, the question of life is not “How can I compete with people who have been given distinct advantages over me because of race or wealth or exposure to academic opportunity”, but the question becomes, “Will I allow anyone to outwork me?  Will I allow anyone to exercise a greater desire than mine to achieve, to improve, to overcome, to gain all those things that God has in store for me?” 

Let us be certain of something:  The biggest hindrance to upward mobility rests within ourselves.  Sometimes it’s laziness.  In Jesus’ parable of the talents, we are told that the one talent man was not condemned because he failed to produce like the others, but he was condemned because he was too lazy to try.  The Master in the parable says of him, “You wicked, lazy ser-vant! …[At the very least] you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.” 

Notice how Jesus connects laziness with wickedness.  It serves to remind us that, in the sight of God, it’s sinful to know that we have been given something and then fail to have the motivation to put our gift to use.  And yet, this is a reality of life for a lot of people today.  Many today are failing to do what they could do because they can’t do what they want to do.  But that’s not the right attitude.  God didn’t have to give us what we have; and what we have is far more than what a lot of others have.  And if He gave us something, He intended for us to use it to His glory.  And remember what happened to the lazy servant: “…Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

For the Christian, upward mobility means drawing nearer to Jesus Christ.  An old hymn of the Church says:  “More about Jesus I would know; more of His grace to others show.  More of His saving fullness see; more of His love, who died for me.”  If we are to move up a little higher, it means that we must try to get closer to Jesus; we must seek to learn more of His Word; we must try to live a more spirit-filled life; we must try to win more souls to Christ, we must try to be better Church members; we must try to be better in our homes and with our families; we must try more to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.  The one area where no one has more than anyone else is the area of desire.  What are you doing with yours?

Prayer:  Eternal God, our Father.  Thank you for the opportunity to make a positive differ-ence in my home, in my social circle, on my job, in my world.  I know that the greatest dif-ference I can make is to do the best that I can with what You have blessed me to possess —my talents, my gifts, my energy, my time.  Today, I place my all in Your hands and ask You to make me an instrument of Your peace.  Bless, strengthen and keep me today.  In the name of Your Son, I pray.  AMEN!