Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts

Why Do We Give?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 9:50 PM

I shared in a message on October 5, 2014, the importance of generosity in our lives. But there's so much more that could be said. So, below is a longer list of reasons why giving is good for us. See what you think...
The Apostle Paul: “I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.” (Philippians 4:17 Message)

1. Giving is good for us because it proves what is really important to us. That which you value most in life is that which you can never give away. It’s easy to give away stuff that doesn’t matter to us. But what happens when it is important to us.
I've played a little bridge and 42. Sometimes, in playing a hand of bridge or 42, someone is winning all the tricks. At first it’s easy to throw off cards or dominoes because you know you can’t win with them. But as your opponent keeps winning it becomes harder and harder to throw off. Finally, you get down to the last two or three and it gets really hard to decide which to throw off, knowing that one of them may be the very one to stop your opponent. Eventually you get down to that last one, that given all you know, offers you the best            chance to stop your opponent and save your game.

What’s that last thing in your life that you would hold onto until the very end? Whatever that is, that is your real god. Is it the Lord God, or something or someone else?

The Bible tells us the First Commandment, from Genesis 20:3, is: “You must not have any other gods except me.” God tells us this because He knows no other god can ultimately save us. Every other god offers promises but never ultimately fulfills them.

Money is not a bad thing, and we need it to operate in this world, but money will not save you. Yet, many, many folks seemed to have placed it at the top of their lists.

Jack Benny, the comedian who always acted the part of a miser, told of the time he was held up. The robber stuck a gun to his back and said, “Your money or your life.” After a long pause the robber repeated his threat to which Benny replied, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking!”

Jack Benny was, of course, kidding, but a lot of folks aren’t. God is telling you and me that He will not tolerate money being your god, work being your god, pleasure being your god, or even family. When you put family ahead of God, you have made it an idol. And the truth is, you and your family will suffer if that is the case because we weren’t created to live that way—we’re misusing the product. It doesn’t mean family and work aren’t important, but what is most important? What will you hold until the very end—that has the power to save you?

If you can’t give financially to God’s work, God can’t be very high on your list, can He? God doesn’t ask for everything He’s given you, but He does ask and expect a tithe, which is 10%. If God is first, He should receive His 10% first. We all know we can make room for those things that really matter to us, so is God first in your life? If He is, among other things, your checkbook and credit card statement should show it.

Proverbs 3:9 (Message): “Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best.”

Does God get His 10% first, or only if there’s anything left after everything else you want and need to do. Don’t misunderstand me—God wants you to have food, clothing and shelter. But, do we have too much food, or too expensive food, like eating out too often? Do we have more clothing and things than we really need? Is our home reasonable, or did we build or buy or rent too much home?

To be faithful in this area should require sacrifice on our parts, but then we always sacrifice for those things that matter most to us. And lest we forget, God sacrificed His Son on the cross for us, so He certainly understands sacrifice.

If you have recently become a believer, you may be stuck with some choices you made earlier in your life. God knows where you are, and while He understands, He still wants your life to express your priorities. The question for you is what can you do, now and in the near future, to move your life in the right direction?

If you’ve been an active, practicing believer for a while, and your life and finances do not demonstrate God as first in your life, you will have more to answer for. So, are you making adjustments in your life that are allowing you to move in that direction? God honors our efforts to move in the right direction so that every area of our life reflects His priority in our lives.

I might add that I heard a recent survey that indicated that 95% of people who tithe did it cold turkey, without working up to it. At Gateway we offer the 90-Tithing Challenge, because God says in Malachi 3 that in this one circumstance we can test the LORD. If He says you can, then so do we - consider giving it a try.

C.S. Lewis said, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.”

2. Giving is good for us because it demonstrates our obedience.
Malachi 3:10 (NLT): “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…”

There are many other passages in the Old Testament that demonstrate that God expects us to give the tithe, a tenth of our income. And in the New Testament Jesus affirms it as the norm, though he really sets a higher standard. I could go on here, but the Scriptures are clear here.

3. Giving is good for us because it is an expression of thanks to God.
Psalm 116:12 (NLT): “What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?”

We have life, family, a place to live and places to work. We have talents and gifts. When we failed Him and turned from Him, He remained faithful to us. He sent us Son to teach us and love us and die for us. Through him we have forgiveness of our sins and eternal salvation. And we have the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, to remind us God is always with us and He is working in our lives to change us into the very image and likeness of Jesus himself. God has prepared an eternal home for each of us who believe Him and put our faith and trust in Him.

Frankly, you and I can’t outgive God and we can’t thank God enough. But, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, and continue to do so on a regular basis. Through our worship, our prayers, our service, our gifts, and our witness we express our thanks to God.

4. Giving is good for us because it teaches us dependence on God.

How many of us ever do anything that depends on God in order for it to be a success? Many never do and wonder why they never experience God’s miracles.

But when Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt into the wilderness, they quickly discovered they could not survive without God’s help. There were way too many of them to survive on what they could find out there. But each morning they found enough manna—a bread-like substance—for that day. If they gathered more than they needed, it spoiled by the next day. The only exception was the day before the Sabbath, when they were allowed to collect two days worth of manna, since they were not to work on the Sabbath. In these cases, the manna never spoiled on the Sabbath. (Exodus 16)

What did the Hebrews learn from this—absolute dependence on God. And a few thousand years later, God wants nothing less from us. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11—part of the Lord’s Prayer) In other words, “Lord, give us what we need for today.” Yet, how many of us depend on God for what we need today?

When we give the tithe, it’s not necessarily easy. For some it becomes a real sacrifice, and we sometimes wonder, “How in the world will this work out.” And frankly, we often don’t know. But it is precisely at that point that God can really begin to work in our life. Because when we can’t do it ourselves, but we are attempting to do what God wants us to do, then we have to put it in His hands and trust Him. And it is amazing how it always seems to work out.

In my own life in the mid to late 1980s, I attended seminary, while making only thirteen thousand dollars a year by working in a church part-time. But I tithed. And…I paid for my seminary education, which cost well over twenty thousand dollars, bought my first Macintosh computer, married Susan and bought her a small diamond ring, and paid for all our living expenses, without incurring any debt! I honestly don’t know how that happened, except that it was the hand of God leading us and providing for us.

When we give, when we tithe, we are placing ourselves at God’s mercy. We have to depend on Him, and it will mean that we may not always get what we want, but we will always have what we need. I promise you that God has given every one of us enough to tithe—depend on it!

5. Giving is good for us because it teaches us how to be content.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT): “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Paul was content. Did he have lots of things—apparently not. In fact, he indicates there were times he went without. All of this from a man who probably had a very privileged upbringing, who was used to having everything he wanted.

People tend to think that having more money, more things, living in the right house, having the right job, etc. will make them happy. Happiness is just around the corner, and if we can just find the right thing, we’ll have it. 

But Paul said he was happy, regardless of what he had or didn’t have. His happiness, his contentment was based on Christ, not on anything in this world. And once that was settled, Paul discovered he really didn’t need very much.

We get the idea that we need a great deal, when it actually turns out we want a great deal. And there is a big difference between our true needs and our wants. One survey showed that 82% of Americans believe “most of us buy and consume far more than we need.”

Giving helps to keep everything in perspective, because it reminds us we aren’t putting our trust in money and things, but in the Lord. So, we can give easily and freely because those are not things that bring ultimate happiness and contentment into our lives.

6. Giving is good for us because it is a way God blesses us and brings us His joy.
Scripture is full of promises here:

Malachi 3:10 (NLT): “'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT): “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”

Jesus: “'Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’” (Luke 6:38 NLT)

This doesn’t mean God necessarily blesses us financially when we give (as some like to promise). It means, simply, that we are blessed and filled with joy. Giving gives me some of the greatest joys of living. I can’t tell you how God will bless you in giving, but I guarantee He does.

One caution, however: if you are giving in order to receive, don’t expect blessings. God blesses giving done for the right reasons. There’s no guarantee you will be blessed when you give simply to receive. Your attitude is the key here.

7. Giving is good for us because it is a way we provide a living for pastors and staff God has called to ministry.

This is certainly a little awkward to talk about and I won’t spend much time here, but if I am going to be faithful to the Bible, I have to mention this. In the Old Testament, the Levites were the Hebrew tribe set apart by God to lead the spiritual affairs of the nation, not unlike pastors and church staff today.

The LORD said to Aaron, the first high priest, “'As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.’” (Numbers 18:21 NLT) 
However, those who serve as pastors and staff are not exempt from tithing.
Numbers 18:25-26 (NLT): “The LORD also told Moses, 'Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the LORD as a sacred offering.’”
Susan and I have tithed and given offerings beyond the tithe our entire married life, and we've been grateful God has allowed us to give back a portion of what He first gave us.

8. Giving is good for us because it provides the resources to share and spread the Gospel.

Paul thanked the Philippians for helping him when he needed it as he spread the Gospel (Philippians 4:14).

The church is the only institution that exists for the sake of its non-members. We aren’t a club, but a mission, and Jesus gave us our mission to make disciples. And as in giving, it is in the actual giving of ourselves in mission and ministry that we are blessed and fulfilled.

But, it takes financial resources to accomplish this, and in calling for the tithe, God provided the resources needed to share and spread the Gospel. Your gifts make ministry with our children possible, touching hundreds of children and youth in an ongoing basis regularly.

But folks, that can only be the starting point because we know that by the time youth reach high school the majority of them are not involved in any church. That means fewer youth who have had Jesus Christ help shape their values and who can forward to eternity with him. We need to be asking ourselves, “What will it take to minister to hundreds more children and youth?”

We know that probably two-thirds of the adults in our area have either no church home or are not active in their church. Jesus Christ cares about those folks, and he wants us to help make them disciples. People are hurting in this world more than ever more, and we know Jesus Christ has answers. 

People are hurting in this world more than ever, and we know Jesus Christ doesn't just have answers—he is the answer! How do we effectively reach out to people struggling with losses through death and divorce, people struggling with illness and family issues, and much more? We need to be helping people locally, but also in missions to other places and countries, to share the Gospel in word and deed.

All of this requires resources—staff, materials, facilities, and more. When you and I give, we are providing the resources to make these things, and more, possible. God wants us to be obedient and gratefully join Jesus Christ in his mission to the people of this world that he died for.

Oswald Smith said, “It’s not how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God’s money will I keep for myself.”

God blesses us to give, to be generous people. I hope you think on this and talk with God and see where He leads you. You might just discover that God's ways bring more blessings than you imagined!

Membership Update - Exercising Stewardship (October)

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Monday, October 25, 2010 at 5:24 PM

This month I'm wrapping up my Membership Series for our Gateway members (and anyone else). I began this series in May, and each month I've added more to this series, explaining what we call our GUIDE. The GUIDE (part of our Membership Covenant) is a tool we use here at Gateway that not only describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, but also lists biblical practices and disciplines that help guide us in our spiritual journey.

This month I conclude by examining the "E" of GUIDE: Exercising Stewardship. I'm defining stewardship as the process of managing that which belongs to another. Modern-day examples in the business world include bankers and managers.

The biblical idea of stewardship is rooted in the belief that God created all there is, and it is all His. Because God is the Owner, He has rights, while we, the "renters" or "stewards" have responsibilities.
“‘You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.’” (Revelation 4:11 NLT2)
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 NLT2)
The implications of this belief underlie much of how Christ followers are called to live their lives. It calls us to care for the earth, because it is God's, and we have been entrusted with the care of the planet and all that is on it. To that end, Gateway has begun recycling. Our church family has really helped us here as we've sought to learn what that means and looks like here.

Another implication of this belief is that our lives are gifts from God to be used for His purposes. Christ followers have been bought for a price - our lives are no longer ours but belong to God to be used for His purposes and His glory. We were created to love God and love our neighbors. We were created to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Quite simply, we were created to do good for God's sake and glory.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT2)
But perhaps the most difficult implication for us to accept is how we use the resources we have. The Bible tells us that everything we have, all our resources and even our ability to produce those resources, belong to God. Yet, our sinful nature too often grabs these resources for ourselves as means of security and greed and idolatry. We may not do this consciously, but we do it none the less. 

“…What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT2)
“If you start thinking to yourselves, ‘I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!’—well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth….” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 Message)
Out of gratitude and obedience God calls us and invites us to exercise faithful stewardship of all He has entrusted to us. But perhaps even more importantly, God calls us to give back a portion of all we've received - the tithe, or 10% of our income - as a concrete statement of faith in God and His provision for our lives. God understands this is a challenge for us, so in this one instance He allows us to test Him.
“‘Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! ‘But you ask, “What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?” You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” (Malachi 3:8-10 NLT2)
For all these reasons, we believe it's important to exercise stewardship in our lives as testimonies of faith and faith-building tools. I encourage you to be good stewards of our earth by recycling. I encourage you to be good stewards of your life by using it to bless others and by serving. And I encourage you to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to you by tithing. And to help you do that, we've set up our 90-Day Challenge. The details about it are below if you'd like to take God at His Word and discover how trustworthy He really is.

As member of Gateway, stewardship is an important part of our spiritual journeys. I hope you will allow God to encourage you in this area. It has the potential to grow your faith like few disciplines do. Susan and I have tithed (and given above) for over 25 years. I've discovered time and time again God is faithful, and I've been blessed - not necessarily with more resources, but with the experience of knowing I can put my whole faith in God through Jesus Christ. Stewardship has been a great guide for my life!
The 90-Day Challenge
I would like to test God's faithfulness by accepting the 90-Day Tithe Challenge. I agree that for the 90-day period, my household will contribute to God, through Gateway Community Church, a tithe equal to 10% of our income. At the end of the 90-day period, if I am not convinced of God's faithfulness to bless my life as a result of my obedience to His Word, then I will be entitled to request a refund, up to the full amount of contributions made during that 90-day period.
To begin, I will mark my first tithe “90-Day Challenge” or contact Elsa Salinas: esalinas@gateway-community.org or (281) 286-1515. (Gateway must be told you are beginning this challenge for this refund offer to be in effect.)

Membership Update - May 2010

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 9:16 PM

Welcome to your journey and our first Membership Update. We believe membership at Gateway is a partnership you choose to make with us to help you on your spiritual journey. Being a member means, in part, that you want your church to encourage you and help you be accountable to the faith entrusted to us by Jesus Christ.
Earlier this year several of us on the staff here at Gateway realized we needed to offer more that was unique to our members to help them on their journey. A significant part of this needs to be a growing role of accountability. When I say that, I don't mean becoming legalistic, but regularly reminding all of us in settings beyond Sunday morning about the importance of the commitment we've made to Jesus Christ. Starting with this Update I’ll be posting monthly updates (early each month - and perhaps additional ones from time to time as circumstances warrant) on my blog to help and encourage you on this journey.
This month we're sending out an email to all our 2010 members, as well as those who were members in 2009 but haven't reaffirmed membership in 2010. We've already heard that some folks just haven't gotten around to formally reaffirming their membership, so this will serve as a reminder.  However, starting in June, this monthly email reminder will only go out to those who have let us know their desire to reaffirm membership in 2010. These blog entries remain accessible to everyone, but only our currently affirmed members will receive an email reminder linking to them.
This month I want to begin with a simple reminder. At Gateway we believe God has given us the mission of “leading everyday people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.” To help us know what a “fully devoted follower” looks like, and also, therefore, how to get there, we use the GUIDE.
The GUIDE (which we spell out in our Membership Covenant) is an acronym for the biblical disciplines and practices below that God has given us to help guide us in our spiritual growth. All of these areas generally serve more than one purpose in God’s Kingdom, but they all serve as means of grace to help us experience and grow in God’s grace. Also, it’s important to understand that all spiritual growth is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit – we’re just preparing ourselves for when the Spirit does move so we can respond to Him and grow.

I’m going to quickly review the Guide below, and then in coming months I’ll spend more time in each of these areas.
G            Growing in my relationship with Christ – I will pursue a growing relationship with Christ through scripture, prayer and the spiritual disciplines. Spiritual growth is not an accident – it’s disciplining ourselves through spiritual disciplines and practices that help us to be prepared when the Holy Spirit works in and through us. As we prepare ourselves, God uses things we read, circumstances, speakers, programs, relationships, and even (actually, quite often) struggles to grow our relationship with Him.
U            Using spiritual gifts to serve – I will seek opportunities to serve my church family utilizing my gifts, talents, and time. Jesus explicitly said he came to serve and not be served. Serving is not only a way we live out the love of Christ, but it’s also a way His love grows in us and transforms us. As James says, “Faith without works is dead.” Serving is not an option for those committed to Jesus Christ - it is the crux of how we live out the Bible's command to "love our neighbors."
I              Involved in biblical community – I understand that membership means that I am part of the Gateway church family. As such, I will participate in biblical community through worship services, life groups, and ministry teams. To be a follower of Christ is to be a part of his body, and every part of the body is necessary and important. Community helps us grow and live out our place, as well as love one another.
D            Dedicated to reaching others – I will seek opportunities to develop relationships with everyday people, recognizing my role as an ambassador to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Every ONE matters to God, and He calls us to love them all and work for their good. Coming alongside those who don’t have a church home (and especially those who haven't put their faith in Jesus Christ), loving them, mentoring them, encouraging them, and inviting them to opportunities to experience Christ are part of every Christ follower’s spiritual growth journey and mission. This isn't a program but a lifestyle for Christ followers.
E             Exercising stewardship – I recognize that everything belongs to God, and with God’s help, I commit to follow biblical teaching on giving back to God in regards to my time and attention, as well as my biblical tithe. Stewardship is always a spiritual issue about how much we trust and follow Jesus Christ as well as the opportunity to express gratitude to God for all He has done for us through Jesus Christ. If we believe him and trust him, we’ll also do what he says and seek to be good stewards or managers with all he has entrusted to us, for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
To help you assess your growth in each of these areas, we provide an online assessment that you can download and use as you think through and plan your spiritual growth in the coming months and years. I'll also be sharing additional thoughts here in my blog for our journey with Christ.
Sometimes the hardest part in our spiritual journey is simply taking the next step. Use the GUIDE and the assessment and conversations with other Christ followers to figure out and take that next step. As my mother always said, “By the yard it’s hard; by the inch it’s a cinch!”

Does it Matter if I Don't Give Jesus My Best?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , | Posted On Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Jesus foretells the future through the bulk of Luke 21, talking about the end times and the importance of standing firm in our faith. His promise is that he will return to set things right and take care of those who have placed their faith in him. Jesus is vague about the timing of these events, and elsewhere he says that no one but God the Father actually knows when these things will occur.

But, the first few verses of this chapter really capture my attention. Jesus is commenting on the gift of the poor widow as she drops two small coins into the Temple collection box (21:2) - essentially, the offering. Jesus indicates this widow gave sacrificially, and in the eyes of God her gift counts so much more than those who just put in whatever was easy or convenient.

I've always loved this story because it reminds me that God is always more concerned about my motives and attitudes behind my words and actions. God is concerned about my heart! This widow gave sacrificially, from what little she had. Her love and devotion to God drove her to give. It didn't matter that to most folks her gift would appear to have little or no impact - to Jesus her gift was the greatest of the gifts.

Sometimes I feel like I don't have much to give to the work of the Kingdom. What can I do compared to folks who are really talented, or have lots of resources, or are really famous? Yet, God's not looking solely at what I offer, but what I offer in relation to what He has entrusted to me. My faithfulness and intent is what concerns God the most.

This excites me because it means I shouldn't compare what I can do to what others can do. Rather, I should just do my best, and trust that God will take it and use it and multiply it. The widow gave only two small coins, but God has used her story to inspire millions that whatever they do, if by faith they do the best they can, if they push their limits, if they live and give sacrificially, God will honor that.

As God seeks to do greater things in us this month, some of us may be tempted to give into the lie that there's not much God can do in and through me. Yet, this widow reminds us that if we seek God with our whole hearts and strive to be faithful to Him, we may end up discovering God does the greatest things precisely through those of us who thought we had the least to give (at least in worldly terms). By faith we come to realize that God is more interested in my availability than my ability. When we offer Jesus our best, he gives us - and the world around us - his best!

Challenges of Following Jesus

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Luke's chapter 19 is one of those chapters that is just full of great and important stuff. But, as I dug into this chapter, I discovered a common theme of following Jesus that speaks to me today.

First is the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Tax collectors were known for cheating people, but the Roman government backed them, so Jews hated them. Zacchaeus encounters Jesus, and Jesus invites himself over to Zacchaeus' home. The people complained, "…'(Jesus) has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,'…" (vs. 7). Yet, Jesus' love and acceptance led Zacchaeus to commit his life to Christ. He gave away half his wealth and gave back to those he cheated four times what he had taken. And at this point Jesus makes very clear that in spite of what others may think or say, this is exactly why he came: "'For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost.'" (vs. 10) In this brief verse, Jesus tells us his purpose for coming, and he gives a clear picture of our purpose, too, for those those of us who are committed to following him. As his followers, as the body of Christ, we, too, are here to seek and save those who are lost, who are disconnected from God. We're his hands and his feet and his voice in the world today. But, if we aren't reaching out to those who are lost, we've stopped following Jesus.

The second story is often called the Parable of the Talents as the Gospel of Matthew tells it. Here Luke tells us a slightly different version, but the message is much the same. The Master entrusts to his servants varying amounts of resources and tell them to invest it while he's gone. When the Master returns, one servant returns to his Master ten times what he started with. A second servant returns five times what he started with. In both cases the Masters rewards them by making them governors over cities. The third servant brings back only the original amount - he's done nothing with what his Master entrusted to him. The Master calls him a "wicked servant," and takes away even what he had. Jesus shows us that no matter how much he gives us - talents, abilities, resources, etc. - if we're following him, he expects us to use wisely that which he has entrusted to us for the purpose of advancing his kingdom. When we do nothing with what's been entrusted to us, we lose even what we had. But, when we do use what he has entrusted to us, he provides even more. There's a basic principle of management or stewardship here. As a follower of Christ, am I being faithful with that which God has entrusted to me? It's important, because some day I'm going to have to give an accounting, and if I haven't been faithful, I'm going to discover that I wasn't following Jesus and I'll end up somewhere else.

Next, we see the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on what is traditionally called Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. It's a great day of praise and celebration, but Jesus knows that many of the very people who are singing his praises on Sunday will be calling out for his crucifixion on Friday. Ultimately, talk is cheap. True faith is not demonstrated by what we say but by what we do. Talking the talk means nothing if we don't also walk the talk. That's a big challenge for all of us. Following Christ means following Christ. It means walking in his steps, even when it's uncomfortable or just plain hard. Until we're willing to follow wherever he leads us, even to the cross, our talk is cheap. I write this for myself, because I know I struggle here at times. I am learning that it is precisely when it's hard that following Christ both means the most and also grows me the most. That's not necessarily what I want to hear, but that's the reality.

In a quick final story in this chapter Jesus clears the Temple of thieves and money changers. Sometimes, following Jesus means confronting the wrongs and injustices of this world. That's seldom comfortable, but it's what Jesus did.

Very different stories, but in each one I learn more about what it means to follow Jesus. All these stories show that following Jesus isn't easy - in fact, it's a real challenge at times. But, until I'm walking in his footsteps, I'm not really following him, and I won't get to where he wants me to be. It's worth asking ourselves, "Who's footsteps am I walking in?"

Am I Using the Opportunities God Offers Me?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , | Posted On Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 12:01 AM

As a follower of Christ, am I taking advantage of the opportunities God sets before me? That's the question that came to my mind after I read Luke 16.

First, in the story of the shrewd manager, Jesus applauds his "shrewdness" for trying to take his future into his own hands. Jesus says the point is that non-Christians often are more shrewd than we are. Are we using the resources God has entrusted to us for the future, to help others, to make an eternal difference, or are we just simply living in the moment. He says what we do now really can make an eternal difference, if we're "shrewd" enough to recognize that.

Jesus is very clear that many of the ways of this world will not be honored in heaven. Faithfulness to Christ and obedience to his teachings may seem strange, even foolish, to many around us, but Jesus tells us these are the things that God honors and rejoices in. Are we using the opportunities we have to live for him, in spite of what others may think or say?

In his story about the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus tells us that we already have everything we need to live our lives in God-honoring ways. The rich man wanted to return and warn his brothers to change their lives, but Jesus says God's Word already offers all the warning anyone needs.

Throughout this chapter I kept feeling God saying to me: "Are you taking advantage of the opportunities I give you to use your resources wisely? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities I give you to live your life well and share the Good News to those who are disconnected from God?" When we get to heaven isn't the time to wish we had done some things differently. Now is the time to be faithful in our living, in our use of God's resources, in telling others about God's Good News of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we may discover that many great opportunities slipped right by us because we weren't watching.
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