Much is Required

"...For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48

This verse flooded my mind this past weekend as the Hope House staff and missionaries hiked up to a village called Yaapi. We take a trip like this every year so that our staff can get a better understanding of where our girls who live in the Hope House come from. We embarked early Monday morning on a bus ride quite a few hours long, took taxi trucks down to the river, crossed the river by canoe, rode on the back of what looked like a motorcycle with a cattle cart attached, and eventually came to the end of the road where we would finish our journey on foot.

The hike was beautiful, but then it got dark, and not only did it get dark, it rained...hard. When we finally made it to the village soaking wet and tired we were greeted by a few members of the church with bowls of cold soup. We ate, said our hellos, and got ready for bed. But as I got into my hammock and zipped my mosquito net I still couldn't stop thinking of this verse... "to whom much is given much is required." 

I thought that I really understood it. I come from a country of privilege and compared to my friends here in the Jungle I have been given so much more than they might ever know. I expected that the Lord was getting ready to remind me of how much I have and have been blessed with and to be very generous during my stay. I was ready to start thinking about which clothes I would leave behind and how much I would put into the offering but that's not what God was wanting me to learn.

The more I meditated on this verse the more I began to think about what it means to have been given much. Yes it could absolutely be applied to finances, responsibilities, or status. But what about access? 

We do what we do here in the jungle because there are many who have never been given access to the Gospel. We are taking in 54 girls (more than ever) into the Ecuador Hope House this year because where they come from doesn't allow them access to an education and a safe home. Where I come from I am not only given access to hear the Gospel but I was given the incredible opportunity to attend a Christian university, go to a thriving church, study the bible in many small groups, read numerous books, and attend conferences all centered around the Gospel. 

To whom much is given, much is required. 

I once heard someone say "it's not fair that some people get to hear the gospel numerous times while there are many who have still never heard it once".

What are you doing with what you have been given? Be it your access to the Gospel, education, gifts, or talents, God wants to use it all for His Kingdom. Would you pray with us as we prepare to welcome in 54 girls to the Hope House this year, that God would prepare our hearts to serve and theirs to recieve?

- Corina