Giving Back to God
Good Morning Friends,
I am always looking for opportunities to nudge others to experience new ways to serve God. Sometimes I will prompt others to experience the multiplying effect of God’s love by giving a specific person a $20 bill with the contingency that they must give it away within the next week and tell me about the experience later. The whole exercise is very practical and most always includes the process of analyzing what has been blocking them from giving more. The hope is that in the process they discover a right thinking about Giving Back to God.
Scripture: “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)
Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
John 6:3-12 (NRSV)
Message: Today we look at a Parable of Jesus. It is not as famous at the Parable of the Prodigal Son nor as tender as the Parable of the Lost Sheep or as comforting for truly helpless people as the one about Lazarus and the Rich Man, but it is I think one of the most practical ones Jesus ever told. It applies more to how we live our lives today and how God acts and reacts to us and how we act and react to Him with the joy we have been given. At the core of the Parable Jesus understood that we have a lot of hang-ups about money and emotions. So today we look at how to open the gifts we have been given. Here we hopefully realize the tragedy of never fully unpacking the gifts. Here we hopefully face the reality that we too often hide money as we hide our gifts instead of investing them in kingdom service.
The $20 exercise in regifting is to make clear the fact that we are responsible for what we have been given to experience. Friends, throughout the scriptures Jesus challenges us to invest and reinvest in the Kingdom. He honors those who do but does not honor those who are afraid and bury their talents in the ground. If one is faithful, God entrust us with more. God always honors when we invest for the right reasons. Today learn the joy of reinvesting what He has invested in us. Here stewardship becomes the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals. So remember that what we have is not ours. Know that what we are given is what we can handle. Understand that we must invest in others for a day of accountability is coming. Realize that what we do with what we have reveals our view of God and that others are watching. Appreciate that what we have we must use or what we have we will lose. Grasp this reality…that who you know makes all the difference.
Pray for those who are afraid to share what they have been given. Pray we realize that Jesus is the Master at multiplication. Pray we realize we are His servants. Pray we realize He owns everything. Pray we realize we ultimately own nothing. Pray we realize we depend upon Him. Pray we realize that if He were not generous and gracious we would not be able to live. Pray we realize there is an accounting. Pray we realize that if we have been blessed with five talent but only use three we have explaining to do as well. Pray we experience the abundant life. Pray we roll up our sleeves and get busy. Pray we understand the power and purpose of giving back.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 