Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Somehow the statement made by Jesus always reminds me of this statement made by Uncle Ben Parker to his nephew Peter Parker in the movie Spiderman: “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.”

To the power hungry men, the philosophy is, if you have power, it would be a waste not to use it. History has a lot of people showing them becoming corrupted because of great power, such as Napoleon, Saddam Hussein, and Hitler. Closer to us, we see bosses, managers, movie directors, and sport coaches, all using their powers to bully their charge. We see some employers treating their domestic helpers like slaves. Indeed, to a lot of people, they think that once they have some form of power, they can lord over others. Sure, they have great powers, but they are not acting responsibly. Instead of using their powers to help others, they become bullies.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” The key word is “responsibility.” What is your responsibility? The simple meaning is: If you have the ability to do something, make sure that you do it for the good of others. The converse is to act irresponsibly. It is to act selfishly.

Let’s come back to the words of Jesus: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

The meaning is, we are held responsible for what we have been blessed with. We are accountable for the knowledge, resources, abilities, skills, etc. that God has blessed us with. If we have been given much, then He expects much more from us. If we are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that we use these blessings to glorify God and benefit others.

This reminds me of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The servants who were given five and two talents used those talents and gained the same amount. The Master did not compare the servant with two talents with the one who had five talents and asked him why he only earned two and not five. You see, God does not expect us to do something that we do not have the talent to do. But He does expect us to deliver what we are able to. The one talent servant, even though he had only one talent, he should use it to glorify his Master. His sin was he did not use it.

God gives each of us special talents to glorify Him. Paul said: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6–8). This is responsible stewardship.

If you have been blessed with wealth, use it to glorify God and not yourself. Paul addresses the rich with these words: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:17, 18).

The Scriptures say: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:12). On the Judgment Day, every man will be required to give an account of his stewardship (Luke 16:2). Are we using our wealth, time, knowledge, and talents to serve God and one another? Are you?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.