When I was younger I would go to the YMCA to exercise. However, the weight room always intimidated me. I would see these big, buff guys in there stacking on the weights, bench pressing them and then cheering each other on. The question people would always ask is, “How much can you bench?” I would just shrug and then they would toss out a number. I looked up the World Record in bench pressing. It’s held by Julius Maddox who bench pressed 782 pounds. He trains four times a week strengthening his arms, back and shoulders. Jimmy, you and I have the same body with the same capabilities, but he has increased his capacity through weigh training. Without increasing our capacity, you and I could never handle that kind of weight.
In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of two bothers. The younger brother didn’t want to wait until his father’s death to inherit his portion of the family wealth, so he asked for it early. He went out and spent it all on momentary pleasures. He left nothing for the future. The other brother stayed home and continued to work for the father, learning the family business. Because the younger brother hadn’t increased his capacity to understand money, nor did he work to earn it, he didn’t appreciate it. He went through it all much like most lottery winners today. There’s a difference in a person’s capacity to handle wealth when it’s handed to them and when they’ve worked for it. There are ways to increase your capacity in just about every area of life.
In Matthew 25 we read the Parable of the Talents. Two men were able to increase their master’s money, while one didn’t. To the two who found ways to increase, He said in verse 21, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” Like the Prodigal Son, many of us pray for greater responsibilities or blessings, but we haven’t been faithful in the little things where we are now, nor have we increased our capacity to handle more. Just like we couldn’t bench press as much as Julius Maddox, we can’t handle more of God’s blessings until we’ve learned to handle what we’ve been given today. Rather than seeking God for more, seek growing your capacity for the moment you’re in. When you’ve shown that you can increase what He’s given you, He’ll give you more.
Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 