Living the Word Applications:

In trial, let your faith radiate by recognizing God’s sovereign causes. God is sovereign over the natural calamities that come into our lives and He is sovereign over the people in our lives. Recognize that He may allow them into your life to try your faith. Think about the people in your life. Do you have some difficult people in your life? Recognize God’s sovereign allowing of them into your life as a cause to test your faith and let your faith radiate as you are around them. Treat them with kindness, love, and patience even as they treat you harshly. Hang tough!

In trial, let your faith radiate by being real with your emotions v. 20. In verse 20, Job got real with his emotions. I think some of us have the impression that showing emotion during trial is a sign of weakness of faith. Baloney! Some of us think that we have to be strong and not show emotion, but I believe that can make our faith seem brittle and intangible to people. Job’s show of emotion makes his faith real because the Scripture says, “In all this, Job did not sin.” Big boys do cry.

In trial, let your faith radiate by making yourself worship the Lord. In the same way that Job made himself worship the Lord, make yourself worship the Lord. Why? Worshipping the Lord in trial will strengthen your faith. Romans 4 recounts the story I told you earlier about Abraham being promised a child at 100 years of age. This was a test of Abraham’s faith in God and his faith grew strong in worship. Verse 20 reads, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Abraham’s faith grew strong as he worshipped God by giving glory to God. Making yourself worship God in trial will strengthen your faith because you will take your eyes off your circumstances and put your eyes on a glorious God who can do all things.

The Sovereign Lord wanted to prove Job’s faith…but not to Himself, but to Job. Folks, we live in a world that is looking for any reason to criticize your faith, but in trial or tragedy your faith can shine in an undeniable way, perhaps like no other way. It is through the proving of our faith in trial that our faith becomes real to other people.

A Grief Observed is a non-fiction reflection from author and theologian C.S. Lewis on the process of grieving for his wife, who died of cancer after three years of marriage. He kept a journal throughout the months immediately following and very candidly described his resulting anger and bewilderment at God, his observations of his impressions of life and his world without her, and his process of moving in and out of stages of grieving and remembering her. He ultimately came to a revolutionary redefinition of his own characterization of God, and gained the ability to live gratefully for the gift of a true love. You may want to revisit his life story in Shadowlands as we continue through this series on His Sovereignty Over Us.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Job Also Demonstrated Submission By:

Real Worship v. 20, 21.

²⁰ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. ²¹ He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” NLT

Job responded to all his losses by falling on his face and worshipping the Lord because he recognized the sovereign working of God in it. I want you to be sure to observe the authenticity of Job’s sorrow. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground. These are all outward demonstrations of inward pain and sorrow. So his faith was not one of convenience or ease, but was authentic in its response of grief, but even more so in his worship. He didn’t respond angrily toward God, but with reverent worship. The literal translation of the word “worship” is he caused himself to worship. Any of you who have suffered significant and tragic losses know that it is not easy to do. I want to be like Job when suffering comes.

D. Spence-Jones says of Job’s response of worship, “That, whether suffering or rejoicing, saints should imitate the piety of Job, recognize God’s hand in everything, and “in everything give thanks.”[i]

Radiant Faith v. 20-22.

²⁰ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. ²¹ He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

²² In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Remember Job’s faith was under attack by Satan to see if he would deny God. Satan accused Job of being faithful to God only because God has blessed him with riches and a wonderful family. God knew how Job would react and He wanted Job to know…even as Abraham did, how much faith he really had.

Job did not deny God as Satan projected. Job worshiped God and his faith in God shined radiantly through this tragedy. One of the reason’s God allows trials into our lives is that trials provide the necessary proof of our faith to us. Isn’t that what this trial for Job was all about? Satan wanted to attack Job’s faith to disprove it, but God allowed the trial to prove Job’s faith. It is easy for us to have faith while the situations in life are great, but when trial hits, it becomes a lot more difficult. Holding strong in faith during trial demonstrates a radiant faith.   I like the way Arthur John Gossip said it. An old Scottish preacher on the death of his beloved wife: Those of you who live in the light can believe if you want to, but those of us who live in the dark must, we have no choice. God help us be like that.

Charles Spurgeon wrote these words…

There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials. Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of his children’s graces, to make them shine the better. for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised?[ii]

[i] Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Job (p. 13). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

[ii]Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Job Learned to Demonstrate Submission By:

Resignation to the situation v. 21. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked shall I return.” There was nothing he could do to alter the situation. It reminds me of the sign at the airport, [Beware of Low Flying Aircraft] …what can you do? Duck? Take off your hat? All of the things that he possessed and lost he did not have when he came into this world and he would not have them when he left this world. He was resigned to the situation as it was. Once again, you never saw a hearse pulling a UHaul trailer.

My bride has a saying that I like. It’s called Is-ness. Sometimes there are no obvious reasons or causes. As she says, it just “IS.”

For me, that takes matters out of my hands.

Recognition of ownership v. 21. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” Job recognized that the Lord was the owner of everything he possessed, even his children belonged to the Lord, and therefore it was the Lord’s to take away. The Lord reserves the rights to everything we have. While the loss of the livestock and other possessions may have been a little easier, the loss of the children had to have been a lot more difficult. You are not supposed to outlive your children…ask my grandparents. This is tough for any parent to handle. In fact, it was not the news of the loss of possessions that resulted in brokenness, but the news of the death of his children.

As I write this, I think about our friends whose son-in-law murdered his wife and sister, or about Jeff and his wife who are on pins and needles right now over the life of their son-in-law who was in a terrible car wreck last week, or about our son and daughter-in-law who experienced two miscarriages before the birth of their daughter, or the daughter of our good friends from KY who lost multiple pregnancies…and the list could go on and on. You can add stories to this list, and some of them will probably be yours…and all will break your heart.

Here’s something about Job’s story that gives me comfort as I think about all the people and things that God sometimes permits or takes away.

The story of Job ends with God blessing him.

¹⁰ When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! ¹¹ Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.

¹² So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³ He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. Job 42:10-13

Here’s the story I overlooked for years. God doubled all the things He gave Job back after these trials, but He only gave him 10 more children. Can you find comfort in knowing that God already had the first 10 with Him in heaven and Job could both enjoy the 10 on earth with his eyes on heaven when he’d be reunited with his other 10. So comfort others with these words.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Why Do We Suffer Trials?

Cause #1: People v. 13-15; 17. Both the Sabeans and the Chaldeans attacked Job and stole his possessions and killed his servants. Sometimes God will use other people to test you. We are around people every day unless you decide to move to the wilderness and move completely off the grid. You get involved in a car wreck. A road rage incident results in shots fired. You just happen to be in the bank when it is robbed. You are struck by a car crossing the street. Somebody breaks into your home and steals your possessions…and the list goes on.

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” …¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Job 1:13-15,17

Cause #2: Natural Calamities v. 16, 18-19. It was the fire of God from heaven that consumed his sheep and his servants and it was a violent wind that destroyed the house where his children were and it took their life.

¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ^{… 18} While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Job 1:16, 18-19

Pay Attention, folks…God is sovereignly and in control of ALL natural calamities. He sent fire from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He sent a strong east wind to split the Red Sea so the children of Israel could pass through on dry ground. He created the Genesis flood. He brought on hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. He can and will use natural calamities to test our faith as well…whenever He wishes

So how does Job respond to this news? Let’s read on….

²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job 1:20-22

Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv is in the middle of a series entitled God Didn’t Say That. http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/god-never-said-that/. I encourage you to take time to listen to this series as we continue to examine this business of suffering. Last week pastor told us that if we were truly submitted to God’s will for our lives then when tragedy or trials strike we will be better equipped to handle it because we recognize the sovereign working of God in it.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FbC, Dr. Dick Ivey

The Book of Job

The book of Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Job. It is the one place in Scripture where we get a window into the sovereign workings in heaven that allows tragedy into the life a man. The entire book is a struggle with trying to find the answer to Job’s suffering, but in the end there are no easy answers and Job demonstrates for us how we are to respond. It is not the easy response, but it is the right response. Let’s set the stage for the week with Chapter 1 of Job.

In the first 5 verses of Job, we discover that Job had a great life. He was devoted to God, a family man having 7 sons and 3 daughters, extremely prosperous owning 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and numerous servants. Life really couldn’t get any better for Job, but unbeknownst to him there was a conversation taking place in the heavenly realms that would dramatically alter his life situation in the matter of a day. Let’s pick up the narrative in verse 6…

⁶Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Stop right there for a moment. I want you to notice that the Lord is in complete control of this entire conversation and it was the Lord who brought up the name of Job and it was the Lord who actually put the limits on what Satan was allowed to do in testing Job. I also want you to observe that the trials that Job experienced were a result of His faithful devotion to the Lord and not in spite of it. Because he was so faithful to God it brought on the trial. Lastly, I want you to realize Satan wants to attack Job’s faith. Satan also wants to attack your faith in the Lord and the Lord is willing to let him.

Like Abraham and Isaac, God didn’t need to know how much faith Job had, but it was important for Job to know and with that knowledge to serve as an object lesson to his friends and, by extension, to us today. Here, God lifts His hand away from Job’s health and life.

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

written by one of our partners in ministry Dr. Dick Ivey

No Easy Answers

Three stories to begin our week. One is about an old farmer who was born in a half-dugout (the back half was dug into a hill and the front made of mud bricks) near Buffalo Gap, Texas in the late 19^th century. He was an inveterate inventor and dreamer. He raised sheep, farmed wheat and cotton, sold furniture and rural real estate and ran a dry cleaners to feed his family of 5. In his lifetime, his oldest son was a US Navy Ace in WWII and later killed in a tragic plane crash. His oldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and was a guinea pig for Wadley Blood Center in Dallas for years seeking a cure. She died prematurely in her 40s. His youngest son’s wife had one of the very first open heart surgeries back in the 1940s. It shortened her life and she died while her daughter was just a toddler.

In the middle of the Great Depression, he owned a dry cleaners shop in Megargel, TX where today the population is less than 250. He invented the foot treadle for the steam press, an invention that revolutionized pressing clothes. His partner stole the invention and patented it.

One night a terrible fire broke out in the local bar. It quickly spread to other businesses and as the owner raced to save his shop, he soon discovered that there was no way to do so. In desperation he grabbed the clothing he was cleaning and began throwing it out in the street before going back to try to put out the fire. Not only did the fire consume the shop, the fires burned all the clothes in the street that were not stolen by the fine citizens of Megargel. His middle son overheard his dad say, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” That man was my grandfather. No easy answers. Bad things happen to good people.

The second story is about a missionary family with three wonderful children. The youngest was just 17 months old when he fell in the bathtub and drowned. Can you imagine the grief and the pain? No easy answers. Bad things happen to good people.

The third story is about my friend from childhood, Elmer Gray. Elmer and my Dad worked together on a church staff in CA back in the 1950s. Elmer and his wife had a child late in life after their other children were grown. Little Johnny was the apple of their eyes. One evening after church, Johnny fell in the bathroom of their home, hit his head and did not survive. During the funeral that my Dad and I conducted, we were following the family car to the cemetery when Elmer turned around and gave a wink and a nod to my Dad. He understood that “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” No easy answers. Bad things happen to good people.

Why in the world do tragedies like this happen to the people of God?

That brings me to the story of Abraham and Isaac. Perhaps there is a clue here before we begin unpacking the story of Job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvsm3dQGLmc. When God instructed Abraham to take his only son – the son of Promise – up the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice to Him, do you suppose He did that so that He (God) could know how much faith Abraham had?

I don’t think so. I think this was so that God could allow Abraham to know how much faith Abraham had.

I do not know what unexpected and painful event may enter your life this week, this year. I do know that God is not absent from any of it, and as we began this series, let’s be reminded that God does whatever He pleases, with whomever He chooses, whenever He wishes. He IS God and we are not.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey

Be Patient for Your Reward

Faithfully serve and be patient for your reward. The Master, Jesus, will return but we must be faithful by being patient for our reward.

I hate the “P” word and I do my best not to say it aloud lest God hear me say it. Here’s why, I know how you get Patience, and I’d rather talk about Progress, Prosperity, Purpose…not patience, and yet, here it is:

²My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

In the book of James, there are: 5 chapters, 108 verses…and out of these 108 verses, this little book of the bible contains 54 Imperatives and much of it talks about patience and persistence.
This shows that this is a very practical book that will help guide us in daily living. The Book of James is the very first New Testament Book written. They didn’t have any other New Testament Books of the Bible available to them. They were living approx. 10-15 years after the death/burial/resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, all these people want to know is “how do the scriptures & the resurrected life of Jesus Christ relate to my life – practically?” What do we do now?

Life was tough for the 1st Century readers of this little book because they are getting persecuted during this time. In fact, if you want to read about the various persecutions that were going on during this time, all you have to do is read Acts chapters 8-12.

These people were literally running for their lives!!! Their anxieties were HIGH! Fear is on high alert! They were gripped with insecurity, gripped with fear, gripped with confusion on how to live! Sound familiar! They definitely needed Patience, Wisdom, and Faith to guide them through their lives! So, what to do in the midst of life’s trials? What to do in the midst of life’s pains?

In the Book of James, James likens “patience” to the idea of “being content as you endure” through what God wants us to go through in our lives. Sometimes in life, people become impatient and they miss out on the fullest blessing that God intended. In America, especially, we have a consumer mindset – “I want it now! I want it fast! And if I don’t get it from you…I will go to someone else who will serve me now & fast!” It’s the fast food philosophy of life! And because this is the way we live now, we lack the ability (or desire) to “be content as you endure.”

But because God is all-wise, all-powerful, and never-changing, He knows what is best for us…and having everything NOW is not the best thing!

FOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRIALS OF LIFE

1) Life’s Not Easy Just becoming a believer in Jesus Christ doesn’t make life any easier.

2) Our Trials Have A Purpose: producing patience, our trials can bring people to Jesus.

3) You Don’t Have to Worry: count it all joy (v2)

4) You Can Count on God!

God does not hold you accountable for being successful…just faithful to the end.

written by one of our partners in ministry Dr. Dick Ivey.

Take a Risk and Invest in Eternity

The Master rebuked the lazy servant for his laziness and ld each of them that they should have at least taken the risk of putting it in the bank.

Step out of your comfort zone and take a risk by investing in eternity with what God has given you. Understand that when you take a risk and invest in eternity, it is no risk at all, as hard as that may be to believe initially.

This is the only 100% fully guaranteed return available to us, because you are storing up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moth and rust don’t destroy and thieves can’t steal. Give; serve in this church and in this world with the spiritual gifts and abilities God has given you.

I love the wisdom of the ages about lots of stuff, and the stuff of risk taking is captured in some of these randomly selected quotes for this week. Perhaps some of them will speak to your heart also.

•  James B Conant : “ Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. “
•  Shirley Anita Chisholm : “ You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas. “
•  Alfred A Montapert : “ Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress. “
•  Plato : “ Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. “
•  Paul Tillich: “He who risks and falls can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.”
•  Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. That is to have succeeded.
•  Søren Kierkegaard: “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.”
•  Pablo Picasso: “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
•  Tim McMahon: “Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.” 

All of that to say this: Every one of us would shout a big AMEN if I asked you if you thought it was a good idea for us to win the world for Jesus Christ…am I right?

 That’s a bit like the mosquito at the nudist colony. I know what to do, just not where to start.

 Would you today stop long enough to decide just one simple risk you are willing to make and commit to yourself and one other person and before God to take that risk? Will you?

written by one of our partners in ministry Dr. Dick Ivey

Don’t Be Afraid of Failure

The third servant was afraid of failure so he didn’t do anything with what he had been given. Craig Blomberg says of the third servant… “His tragic error lay in allowing himself to be paralyzed by fear.”[i] Christ follower we can’t be paralyzed by fear. A healthy fear of the Lord should motivate us to be faithful with what the Lord has given us.

Don’t Fear Mistakes, Just Learn From Them

Peter Barron Stark (the author of The Only Leadership Book You’ll Ever Need) tells what may be an Urban Legend, but it illustrates a point about not fearing to make mistakes.

Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, believed in building a culture that embraced failure and making mistakes. In fact, one of Watson’s most famous quotes is, “The way to succeed is to double your error rate.” So what does make a great leader? Some may believe that great leaders make fewer mistakes than average leaders. Actually, the opposite is true. Great leaders make mistakes in how they handle people and situations, but what sets them apart is that they learn from those mistakes.

Do you and the leaders at your organization recognize mistakes for what they are–a great opportunity for your team to learn and grow? Although Thomas Watson died in 1956, his legend of embracing failure and mistakes lives on. You may have heard the story of a 1940’s IBM employee who made a mistake that cost the company about one million dollars. Knowing that he was about to be fired, the employee typed up his letter of resignation, and handed it to Watson. Watson responded: “Fire you? I’ve just invested one million dollars in your education, and you think I’m going to fire you?”

To paraphrase John C. Maxwell: “A person must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

Do you take risks, make mistakes, publicly own your mistakes, and determine a plan for what you will do differently?

Where and what are the risk barriers you are afraid to make?

• Are you afraid to step out on faith and give more of your money to Kingdom causes? Why not take a risk…it doesn’t have to be a big risk. Will you advance your giving this year by at least 1%? If you make $60,000 a year, that is $11.53 more per week. If you make $100,000 a year, that is $19.23 more per week. Will you take the risk?
• Do you have a neighbor, child, in-law, family member, neighbor, co-worker, someone you see regularly in the service industries with which you have never mentioned the name of Jesus or our church? Will you take that risk?
• What are you passionate about? What gives you energy? One thing we are passionate about is cooking and of course eating! So how can we use this passion to reveal God to others? The answer for me is biblical, hospitality and food. There are several times in the old and new testaments where God shows up in settings of hospitality and food. In Genesis 18, Abraham asks Sarah to prepare a meal for strangers who later are revealed as God. In Luke chapter 24 Jesus is invited into a home and reveals His presence to others during the meal. By inviting others into our home and sharing a meal we too can reveal God’s presence to those in need of His great love. Will you take that kind of risk?

Written by one of our partners in ministry Dr. Dick Ivey

Avoid Laziness With What God Has Given You

In each parable there was the dastardly third servant who did absolutely nothing with what the Master had given them. They committed a sin of omission. We often think of sins of commission, sins that we actively commit, but this was a sin of omission. They committed a sin of omission by being lazy and doing nothing with the resources and responsibilities given to them. Through this laziness, they actually gave evidence that they were not authentic servants of the Master. Avoid laziness by identifying your Spiritual gifts, skills and abilities and get involved.

Friends of ours have the http://www.despair.com website. They print multiple posters with sayings like these. The two unfaithful servants serve in the parables as warnings to us about refusing to take seriously the commands of God to us to use our talents and resources.

Remember that in the Scriptures there are only two days mentioned…Today and THAT day. We must do today what we can for Jesus’ sake or we will not be ready or THAT day.

As matter of perspective, go to your local Dollar Store and buy 4,680 marbles and two jars that will hold them all. Calculate the number of weeks you have lived and put that many marbles in one jar. In my case, I’ve lived 3,867 weeks. If I live to be 90, I only have 813 weeks left. If I only live until 80, I’m down to 293 weeks. What is the value of each day? What will you trade off for this day?

My Dad began his life as a dirt-poor child of the Great Depression. He had what we call the Scarlett O’Hara disease, ”I’m never going to be hungry again.” (for those of you who remember Gone With The Wind).

He worked hard to create wealth and stability for our family and was very successful by the time he was 25 years old. Then World War II came along and his life turned upside down. He was running away from the Lord…busy with lots of other stuff, but lazy toward God’s call to him to service.

When I nearly died and Dad fell on his face before God to surrender his life to service, the focus of our family changed. Dad left a lucrative business after the war, entered Seminary and spent the next 60+ years following his motto, “Only one life, t’will soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last”

16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:16