NewDayvotional

From the pastor for the people

Archives for November 2015

What I Think I Own is Really on Loan

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God owns everything. I’m His money manager.

  • Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.”
  • Leviticus 25:23 identifies God as the owner of all the land.
  • Haggai 2:8 reveals that “the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”
  • Psalm 50:10, the Lord tells us: “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
  • And if you’re a Christian, God owns you too! 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “…You are not your own; you were bought at a price…”
  • This is why 1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “…everything in heaven and earth is yours, O Lord…” As creator of all things, God is owner of all things (Psalm 89:11).

The Bible could not be more clear…We are stewards (not owners) over that which belongs to God. We mistakenly think we’re owners because certain things are in our possession, but just because something’s in your possession doesn’t make it yours. For example, I recently borrowed a Stihl BR420 leaf blower from my dad. Was it in my possession? Yes. But was it mine? No! In the same way, are certain material possessions in your hand? Yes. Is a certain amount of wealth in your hand? Yes. But do these belong to you? No! You’ve only been entrusted by God to steward them for his divine purposes.

So if we want to hear “well done” on judgment day in regards to our treasure, we must affirm God’s full ownership of both us and everything entrusted to us. When we believe it’s ours, we get frivolous with it. When we believe it’s ours, we waste it on many foolish things. When we believe it’s ours, we don’t manage like we should. So it all begins with recognizing the true owner of your wealth. It’s God’s. Truly believing this changes our relationship with our financial resources.

Now once you’ve affirmed God’s ownership and your stewardship, the next logical step is to strive to be a faithful steward. First Corinthians 4:2 says, “…it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” NKJV How can we be faithful? By living by our next four principles. Check back Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Each day I’ll post another principle.

7 Principles from the Parable of the Talent

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There are at least seven principles we can pull from the Parable of the Talent. Take a look at the story and then I’ll list the principles:

Jesus said in Matthew 25:14-30, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

SEVEN PRINCIPLES

  1. The Principle of Ownership: Everything I have belongs to God. In v.14 Jesus said the kingdom can be compared to “…a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.”
  2. The Principle of Allocation: God has given me talents. In v.15 we read “To one he [the master] gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.”
  3. The Principle of Accountability: God expects me to use what I’ve been given. Verse 19 reads, “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”
  4. The Principle of Utilization: It’s wrong to bury what God gave me. We read in v.18 “But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” Then we read the master’s response in v.26 “…his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant…'”
  5. The Principle of Motivation: Fear keeps me from developing my talent. In v.25 the servant who buried his treasure told the master, “I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”
  6. The Principle of Application: If I don’t use it, I lose it. In v.28 the master orders his servants “…take the bag of gold from him [the one who buried what he’d been given] and give it to the one who has ten bags.”
  7. The Principle of Compensation: If I use my talents, God will reward me. Two of the three servants invested what the master gave them and got a return. Each was rewarded as a result. The master said the exact same thing to both the servant who turned five talents into ten and the servant who turned two talents into four. “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” vv.21,23

Who’s Who in the Parable of the Talents?

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A parable is a story with a spiritual truth. But in order to capture the truth Jesus is trying to share, one must first understand who’s who in the story. So first let me share the story, then I’ll tell you who’s who to help you better comprehend the point Jesus is trying to make. We begin with the story:

Jesus said in Matthew 25:14-30, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Ok. That’s the story. Now let’s look at who’s who.

  1. The man going on the journey represents Jesus. After coming to earth to die for our sins, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. He’s been away for a long time but will one day return. He will first return to rapture his church. Then seven years later He will return to the earth to rule and reign for a thousand years. As the man in the story went away and then returned, so Jesus has gone away and will one day return.
  2. The servants represent humanity. The two servants who did the master’s bidding were Christians. The one servant who buried his treasure wasn’t a Christian. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
  3. The talents represent whatever God has put in your hand. Before the man went away on his journey he distributed some of his wealth to each of his servants. It’s implied in the story that he expected the servants to invest what they were given and get a return. In the same way, to varying degrees God has given each of us opportunities, influence, wealth and spiritual gifts. These are the things God has placed in our hands. God expects us to leverage them in a way that bring Him glory and is good for his kingdom.
  4. The settling of accounts represents judgment day. One day the man who went on the journey returned to settle accounts with his servants. In the same way, one day Jesus will return and settle accounts with us. Romans 14:12 says that one day “…each of us shall give account of himself to God.” That is, Jesus will hold us accountable for how we used what we were given.

Now that you’ve read the story and know who’s who, you’re ready to see the point Jesus is trying to make, which is this: Until He returns we’re to invest our time, talent and treasure in a way that results in the glory of God and the good of His kingdom. We will one day give an account for how we did.

Five Time Management Tips Part 5

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The Bible gives us at least five tips for how we can manage our time in a God-honoring way. In this post we’ll at the fifth.

Tip #5: Observe a Sabbath Day’s rest. 

If you want to manage your time in a God-honoring way, taking a weekly Sabbath Day’s rest is a must! Now some people sadly have the wrong view of the Sabbath, which is why they don’t observe it. You see, some think the Sabbath is a duty instead of a delight. Some think it’s a burden, instead of a blessing. Some think it’s something they have to do instead of something they get to do. In case that’s you, let me help you out by sharing with you what the Sabbath was to those who originally were commanded to observe it.

Imagine with me how excited the Israelites must have been when they heard the news that they would get one day a week off to rest. When they got this command they were in the desert, having just left Egypt, where they were slaves, working about 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

  • Exodus 1:11 – They were oppressed with forced labor. Against their will they built cities for Pharaoh.
  • Exodus 1:13-14 – The Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
  • Exodus 2:11 – They were often beaten by their slave drivers.
  • Exodus 2:23 – The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out to God.
  • Exodus 3:7-9 – The Israelites work is described by God as misery, suffering and oppression.
  • And once Moses came and ordered Pharaoh to let God’s people go Pharaoh made the work even harder by ordering that the Israelites now collect their own straw to make the bricks, whereas before they were provided with it.

It was to this people, used to working these kinds of hours in these kinds of conditions that God said “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath (literally a cessation). On it you shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:9)

You see, the Sabbath was given as a gift! This is why God said in Exodus 16:29, “Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath…” It’s a gift! So it’s not “Do I have to?”, rather “I get to!” This is what Jesus was getting at when he said in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” In other words – the Sabbath wasn’t meant to be a duty, rather a delight. It wasn’t meant to be a burden, rather a blessing. So if the Sabbath is anything other than an absolute delight, you’re doing it wrong! It’s not an obligation, rather an opportunity to rest and relax and catch your breath and recharge and spend time with your family and friends, etc.

We’re so afraid that if we take a day off the world will fall apart – that we’ll fall behind – but quite the opposite is true. The Sabbath is a way to get ahead, not fall behind.

  • Did you know that when Google discovered the findings that 63 billion a year is lost in worker productivity due to workers being overtired they installed sleep pods throughout their offices so workers could take a 20 minute nap when needed? You see, when people don’t stop to rest (in order to be more productive), the exact opposite happens. Some think Google is advanced for taking this approach, but this concept of resting to be more productive is an ancient principle that’s been in the Bible for thousands of years. It’s called the Sabbath Day’s rest – and you ought to be observing one weekly!
  • Last year I was on vacation in PA when we stopped at a Cumberland Farm’s type place. While waiting in line to order a sandwich, I overheard the lady behind the counter apologizing to the man in front of me because she got his order wrong. While apologizing I heard her tell the man, “I haven’t had a day off in 9 days.” When it was my turn I placed my order with the same woman. When we got back in the car and started divided up the sandwiches my buffalo chicken grinder was labeled chicken salad…Well, that’s what happens when you don’t rest! Without rest the quality of your work suffers! God didn’t make us to go, go, go without taking a break. Friends – when all you do is go, go, go there’s this law of diminishing returns. That is, without rest, you yield less. Now personalize that and say it in your mind: Without rest, I yield less. 

Yes we need to budget our time and determine our priorities. Yes we need to learn to say no and regularly prune our schedules. But at the top of our list of ways to honor God with our time management needs to be the Sabbath. It’s the most important one, which is why I’ve saved this post for last!

Five Time Management Tips Part 4

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The Bible gives us at least five tips for how we can manage our time in a God-honoring way. In this post we’ll at the fourth.

Tip #4: Prune your schedule. 

Most of you are doing too many of the wrong things. And you’ll never get to the place where you’re excited about one day giving an account of your life to God until you cut out some of the superfluous activities from your life that are keeping you from making a bigger difference in this world for God.

Jesus put it this way in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser [the gardener] 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” According to Jesus, the key to bearing more fruit – that is, the key to making a greater difference with your life for eternity, is pruning. And of all the things that need pruning in our lives, at the top of the list is our schedule!

For five years I was part of this senior pastor coaching network led by a pastor named Nelson Searcy. One of the things Nelson would tell us over and over and over is: You are doing too many of the wrong things. You need to make a “stop doing” and “start doing” list. We would put on the “stop doing” list all the things we were doing but shouldn’t be doing and then we’d put on the “start doing” list all the right things we’d have time to do once we stopped doing the wrong things.

So I’d like to give you a homework assignment this week. I’d like each of you to create a “stop doing” list. We all have black holes where our time gets lost. It could be watching TV (the average American watches over 4 hours a day), it could be social media (some spend hours on Facebook or Instagram or whatever), it could be spending an inordinate time in front of the mirror, it could be YouTube (if some people spent as much time reading the Bible as they did watching YouTube videos their spiritual life would be at a whole next level). We all have our black holes. I want you to evaluate them this week to see what needs pruning. In the same way, we all have commitments we’ve made. Some of these we shouldn’t have made. I want you to evaluate all your commitments this week to see which ones you need to cut out of your life.

You should easily be able to spend an hour a day reading your Bible and praying. On Sunday you should easily be able to spend one hour attending service and then another hour serving at a different service. Throughout the week you should be able to easily spend two hours a week with your growth group. If you can’t do these things, that’s an indicator that you’re doing too many of the wrong things, so I want you to ask God this week “What do I need to stop doing?” Here’s why it’s so important that you do this: We are so, so busy now a days – but interestingly enough, people report feeling emptier than ever before. Friends – that’s the barrenness of busyness! Now a days people confuse activity with productivity. But there’s a big difference! We must remember that true productivity is the accomplishment of God given tasks and goals. When we do the right things by God, that’s productivity that leaves us feeling fulfilled. When we do the wrong things, that’s activity, which leaves us feeling empty.

  • Doing the right things is energizing! Doing the wrong things is draining.
  • Doing the right things is a blessing! Doing the wrong things is a burden.
  • Doing the right things is a privilege! Doing the wrong things is an obligation.

You can avoid the barrenness of busyness by periodically pruning your schedule!