Who will be saved?

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         "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." (Lk. 12:43)

The above passage was spoken by Christ in explaining one of his parables to His disciples. He had just been teaching them (and us) some fundamental lessons about how to be pleasing to God. Lessons about how they are to live their lives and how they're to "do" things. In those parables of Luke 12 we also are shown examples of how "not to do" things.

A good example is the parable of the "rich fool" (Vs. 16-21). The "rich fool" talked about all the things he would "do" but if you notice, they were all to his benefit. Like the last verse of the parable says, he was all about "laying up treasure for himself" and was "not rich toward God."

As you read on down through that chapter you'll see other examples are used such as, the "birds," the "lilies" and the "grass of the field" all of which are taken care of by God. Because they are "doing" what God designed them to do, therefore He takes care of them. And, just like those creatures of God, He knows what we need and will "add" His blessings to us when we are "doing" what pleases Him.

Jesus goes on in His lesson there by telling His disciples that this "doing" is continual or, as He taught using the parable of the "wedding feast" that the "faithful" servants are the ones who are always prepared for the master to return. And, He also told them about the "thief" breaking into the master's house with the object of the lesson being that the "thief" would not be successful if the "servant" was always on guard or "doing" his job.

Then Peter asks an interesting question. At least I think it's interesting. He asks Jesus, "Lord, are you telling these parables for just us, or are they for everyone?" (Vs. 41) In His answer, Jesus says "who" He's referring to as "faithful servants." That "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes."

A few verses later we find a further answer to Peter's question: "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." (Vs. 48)

When we consider how we are to "do" things pleasing to the Master, I see implied in that verse that "everyone" is given some portion of responsibility. Some measure of ability, if you will. And that we are required to use that measure, that talent, to which we've been "entrusted."

In other words we are to "do" the things we are able to "do" to the best of our ability. And that we are to always be "doing" them. To borrow a phrase from some of our large merchandise stores, our "doing" is not "seasonal." Like Paul told Timothy, be "ready (instant) in season or out of season." (2Tim. 4:2) In down-home parlance, that means "all the time."

The lesson that I draw from Jesus' teachings there in Luke 12, and other places, is that our being blessed by God for "doing" is contingent upon us "doing" what we can. Using whatever degree or amount of talent we have at our disposal. That, by inference, we're not held accountable for "doing" something we're not able to "do." But, always know this: that our Master knows His "servants" abilities and will "bless" them according to what they "do" in His service.

What got me to thinking about Luke the 12^th chapter and the lessons therein, which led to my offering this lesson on the importance of "doing" what we can "do," was a little article I came across, written by a B-17 navigator in WW2. I found it interesting and I think you will also. Here's my paraphrased version of that story and I think you'll easily see how I arrived at the topic of this editorial.

The story: On one of their bombing runs over Germany the flak from the German anti-aircraft batteries was filling the skies around them and the rest of their formation of bombers. (A dear friend of mine, who passed away a few years ago, was a bombardier on a B-17 and he told me that they never got over the fear of the flak which they had to fly through in order to drop their bombs. He left me the piece of flak that hit him and I can understand why they feared it.")

Back to our story: On this particular bomb run their plane received a direct hit on the fuel tanks by one of the 20MM shells but didn't explode. Just pierced the tank. They made it back to their airfield and the next day they found out some incredible news. He described this news as being so "awesome" that it left him "shaken" and that it still does to this day.

The pilot went to the crew chief and asked for the shell that had pierced the tank as he wanted to keep it as a souvenir. That's when the crew chief told him that not just one shell had been found inside the tank, but a total of eleven (11) of them were in there and NONE OF THEM HAD EXPLODED!

The pilot found out that the 11 unexploded shells had already been sent over to the armorers and that the Intelligence Division had already picked them up from there. The crew chief did not know why Intelligence had gotten involved. When the pilot followed up on that he found that when the armorers opened up each of the shells, they found no explosive charge in them. They were "clean as a whistle and just as harmless."

But, not all of them were empty. One of them contained a carefully rolled-up piece of paper. Written on this paper, in Czechoslovakian, was this message: "This is all we can do for you now." The ammunition had been loaded by Czech's who had been captured by the Germans and made slave laborers.

What a great story/example. Those slave laborers obviously couldn't do much to help the cause of the Allied war effort but, they did what they could do. To me, that's what Jesus was talking about His disciples "doing." At all times, in any given situation, to be "doing" what we can for the cause of the Master.

Let me close this lesson by reminding you of a few scriptural thoughts regarding our "doing." In Gal. 6:9 and 2Thess. 3:13 the Apostle Paul reminds us to "not grow weary of doing good work." With the added thought that we'll be rewarded for it "in due season."

Probably the best known and remembered words of Christ on this subject can be found just before He closed His sermon on the mount and I find those words to be a fitting close to my meager efforts today.

"Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Mt. 7:21) He goes onto say that a lot of people will talk about being faithful to God but, it's only those that "hears my words and does them" will be "wise." In this instance, "wise" equals "faithful servant."

Ron Covey