Introduction
The other day I was preparing a Bible
study on the Parable of Ten Minas that we read in Luke 19: 11-27
A word in that passage drew my
attention during the study.
That was not a deep theological topic,
but that got my attention.
I was thinking and praying about it
for further guidance from God.
Luke 19:13 And he called ten servants of his, and gave
them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come. (American Standard Version)
I am talking about the word “Trade”
This message is for everyone, for all
people living a secular life or a religious life.
I am sure that
all those are in secular job or business and all those who are in our Lord’s
Ministry for the Kingdom will be blessed by this message.
In a sense, those who are in
our Lord’s Ministry are also Traders
They trade with the Gospel of the
Kingdom earning Souls for the Kingdom of God.
So, all secret wisdom of a trader
that is narrated hereafter is for all and every one, without mentioning it
always.
The Bible verse I read above is from
the story of a rich noble man who was travelling to a far place.
Before he started his journey he
entrusted his wealth to 10 of his servants and asked them to “Trade” till He
returned.
In King James Version, the word used
is “Occupy” for trading.
In some other versions, the word
“Trade” is used.
Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered
them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (KJV)
Luke 19:13 And He called his ten servants and delivered
ten minas, and said to them, Trade until I come back. (MKJV)
Luke 19:13 "So he called ten of
his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till
I come.' (NKJV)
Luke 19:13 And he called ten of his
servants and gave each of them a pound, instructing them to trade with the
money during his absence. (Weymouth’s
New Testament)
Luke 19:13 So he called ten of
his servants, and gave them ten minas [one apiece,
each equal to about a hundred days’ wages] and said to
them, ‘Do business [with this] until
I return.’ (Amplified Bible – AMP)
Many of the translators have used the
word, “TRADE”
That is, the rich noble man who was
travelling to a far place entrusted his wealth to his servants and asked them
to Trade.
The original Greek word used in this verse
is: pragmateuomai (prag-mat-yoo'-om-ahee)
That Greek word means:
to busy
oneself with
i.e. to trade
that you are occupied
That means the rich noble man in the
parable asked his servants to occupy themselves in trade so that they are busy
with it and goes for nothing else.
When I came to know this meaning of
the sentence, the Holy Spirit prompted me to concentrate on the word “Trade”.
From that day I have been pondering
over this phrase.
Slowly our Lord has imparted some
wisdom from the life of Traders.
His Ministry as
a Trade
I often used to talk about His
ministry as a Trade.
We are trading in Gospel for perishing
souls.
We are working for our Master and His
Kingdom.
We do not deal with earthly materials
but with eternal spiritual life.
So there is something for us to learn
from Traders.
When I say traders I mean traders of
the Bible time
Traders of the Bible time leave their
families, travel from place to place, cities to cities, buying and selling.
There was no internet connection,
email, telephone or not even postal service at that time.
Uncertainty was a part of their life
and occupation.
But they returned home rich with
money and other material things.
1. Choose the area
of trade
It is finding answers to two
questions:
1. What shall he
trade
2.
Where shall he trade
There are many traders around.
He may be seeing them coming and
going in his own city
They are trading in different
materials
Some trade with gold or silver, some
others with spices or precious stones and still some others with silk and
perfumes.
Some trade in cities, with rich
people
Some others trade in villages with
common people
Some trade with Kings and noble men
What is your area of trade?
This is an important question
A successful trade is not an accident
It is a choice
He weights his capacities, his
habits, his physical condition, his family etc.
He consider the inclination of his
mind and soul
Then he choose a trade.
Everybody is special and unique.
So choice is vital in your Trade
If you choose well you are won or
done.
2. Acquire
sufficient knowledge and expertise
It is the next important secret of a
successful tradesman
It is not a secret that, before he starts
the business all tradesmen acquire sufficient knowledge and expertise about his
chosen trade.
He has chosen a trade.
He needs sufficient knowledge in the
products he deals with
He must know from where he can buy
his goods and where he can sell.
He must be aware of the quality of
the product and how to distinguish good quality materials from lower quality
materials
He must have full knowledge of its
market price while buys and sells it.
He must be an expert in the goods he
trade with.
Otherwise he will be a loser.
Trading is no fools business.
3.
Investment/
employ yourself
The first employ in a trade is the
trader himself.
This is not because he has no
servants.
It is because it is his business.
None can substitute a trader.
The first investment in a trade is
the trader.
A trader invests his life in the
trade.
4.
Ready to take the
risk
Trading
was a risky
profession during Biblical time.
It
often demanded exhaustive journey through strange lands and treacherous ways.
A
trader carries with him precious things and money/ gold or silver in Biblical times.
There
was the risk of highway robbers and robbers in inns/hotels.
Not
only wealth but even their life was at stake.
Success
demands your life unto death.
Success
never lay in the ditches of valleys; it is always on the summit of mountains.
5.
Pay for yourself
You are the first employ in your trade
So pay for yourself
Do not consume everything you harvest
You need a part of the harvest for
future
So determine your wages
6.
Servant of the
master
During the Bible and later, the
Middle East had the slavery system.
But many slaves enjoyed a happy life
under merciful masters.
Good masters permitted their slaves
to do a trade or business independently.
A part of the profit will go to the
master.
For them the business belongs to the
master
There may be more than one slave
under the same master doing their chosen trade.
All under the same master are equal
though they may involve in different trades
No unhealthy competition was
warranted.
All business belongs to the master,
our God
We are servants employed under Him
All trades must be ruled according to
the rules and regulations of the Kingdom of God.
7.
Leave a Legacy
The trade should continue to the next
generation
There is a lot of investment in a
trade
Do not let it end with you
Leave a legacy
A successful legacy is the success of
a successful man.
No legacy means the empire goes with
you to the grave.
Lack of a successful legacy is
failure of many great men.
In Biblical times, the Jewish Rabbis
create disciples to leave a legacy
Every successful disciple is an exact
copy of his master.
If he continues to follow his master
in creating a legacy, the master will live long.
No comments:
Post a Comment