Hammer on Anvil '

To begin today's blog,  let's look at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The first part of the chapter is the parable of the foolish virgins who are not prepared to meet the Bridegroom when He comes. Then Jesus says:

It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: “Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.”

The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: “Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.”

The servant given one thousand said, “Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.”

The master was furious. “That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.”

“Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.”

Yikes. It's hard to read these words without asking yourself, Am I one of the "play-it-safe" servants? And I must confess that yes, I have spent a great deal of my Christian life playing it safe.  

Addressing the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, J.I. Packer says the following:

“For what Christ has given us to use must be put to use; it is not enough simply to hide it away. We may apply this to our stewardship of the gospel. The truth about salvation has been made known to us, not for us simply to preserve (though we must certainly do that), but also, and primarily, for us to spread. The light is not meant to be hidden under the bushel. It is meant to shine; and it is our business to see that it shines. He who does not devote himself to evangelism in every way that he can is not, therefore, playing the part of a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ.”

Yikes again. If we hide our light under a bushel, if we do not devote ourselves to sharing Jesus in every way we can, we are like the "play-it-safe" whom the master throws into utter darkness. And I don't think this applies only to sharing our faith. God has given each of us gifts for the sole purpose of furthering His kingdom. If we don't utilize those gifts, we are not faithful servants.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about when I say we have all been given gifts, read 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. They both mention different spiritual gifts and how they are to be used to build up the Body of Christ. Peter tells us, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10).

I'd like to challenge you today to meditate on the parable of the talents. Which of the three servants best describes you and your walk with God right now?

We all stand in need of improvement. If you've never even thought of yourself as having any spiritual gifts, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes. Ask Him how you can be of service to Him and the people He has placed strategically in your sphere of influence. I guarantee He will use you. All He needs is a vessel yielded completely to Him.

It's 11:26pm Thursday evening. I am just now beginning my Friday post.

Oy.

I don't really know where to begin. Life has been so crazy lately. Satan is on full attack of my family and while most days we are held afloat by prayer and God's mercy...some days we're just bobbing for air. The beauty of it all is that the more crap satan throws at me and my family, the more drawn I am to my Savior. This wasn't always the case with me in the past...I've had my tantrums, my fits, my complete withdrawals and depressions. And by His grace, they have all prepared my heart for such a time as this (Esther).

Thank you, Jesus, that you never give up on me.


The Bible says that in this world we will have troubles. Yeah you right. You have probably seen troubles of your own...maybe you have some now. Yet even though we will live a life in this fallen world where we will experience loss, sickness, rejection, pain, heartache, and sorrow...Jesus offers joy.

What? Joy in my suffering? That's crazy talk.

It is...no doubt...crazy sauce. But my Jesus is a little crazy like that. He takes what you think you know and flips it on its head. I love that about Jesus.

My Jesus has joy.  In every tempting from satan, in every persecution, in every circumstance, Jesus persevered. Jesus, who for the joy of redeeming a lost people to the Father endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

And he graciously offers that same joy to us, his friends.

John 15:9-13 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

So on this busy, exhausting, worrisome, complicated day...I choose joy.

Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Being a parent has taught me a lot about the character of people and big things in life, but what it has taught about the Heavenly Father is life-changing.

God wants a personal, unique relationship with you. He doesn't want you to be Beth Moore or Billy Graham; He already has relationship with those people. He wants a relationship with you.

Last week I had the honor of going to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis preform at MSU. I admire Macklemore's words and the album "The Heist" has brought more truth into my life than the last 10 years of "Christian" albums combined.

Now, before you get all hot and bothered about me saying God spoke to me through a "secular" artist, hear me out. God made a burning bush (Exodus 3) and an abused donkey (Numbers 22) speak His message. He says He will make the very rocks cry out to praise Him if we don't (Luke 19), so what makes you think God can't use Macklemore's words to speak truth into my life?

Heavy burdens. We are all called upon to carry them at different times in our lives. What may seem like a light burden to us may seem like a crushing one to others. And what we might deem a crushing burden may have others scratching their heads and saying, "What's the big deal?"

One of the most solid and steadfastly faithful people I know is Scott. He and his wife, Jodie, have a teenaged son who has had cerebral palsy from birth. Scott, though fairly small in stature, has to lift Connor and carry him around. He takes him to school and to regular doctor appointments. I get worn out caring for my two preschool-aged granddaughters four days a week; I can't imagine how exhausted Scott and Jodie must be after working their jobs and doing all the other things they do to care for Connor on a daily basis. Scott's daughter, Lindsay, shot some video that shows what an average day is like for their family. Grab the tissues before you watch.



I wanted to share this video because it really helps me put my life in perspective, and I'm hoping it will do the same for you. When you feel like the earth is opening up and swallowing you, and you are tempted to despair because your stress level has hit maximum, remember Proverbs 18:10: "The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe." When you run to the Lord and find shelter in His presence, He will help you put your circumstances in perspective. You may see, as I have numerous times, that your "trials" aren't so bad after all.

We have a dear friend who is only in her 30s and is fighting breast cancer. A friend of our niece's is barely 40 and has been diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. Besides these situations that are very close to home, I try to remember and intercede for world concerns: our president and others who lead our country; young children being forced into sex trafficking; survivors of terrorist attacks like the one in Boston last week; Christians who are being persecuted and tortured and killed for their faith; young kids in inner city neighborhoods who are left to fend for themselves and end up in gangs; children who are physically and verbally and sexually abused. The list goes on and on.

Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." By now you might be thinking, How am I supposed to have a joyful heart when you just mentioned all these horrible things that happen in the world? Excellent question. The answer is that when you truly intercede and gain the mind of Christ about the ones for whom you pray, He will take the burden and help you carry it. That's precisely what Matthew 11:29-30 means. Verse 28 is familiar to most of us, how we need to come to Jesus if we are burdened, and He will give us rest. But it's not complete without the next two verses: "Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

See, it's not us carrying the burden alone. A yoke is meant for TWO. One ox wouldn't be able to carry a yoke without the other ox. In the same way, we are not meant to carry burdens without being yoked to Jesus. If the weight you carry seems more than you can bear, it is probably because you haven't yoked yourself to Jesus.

If you are feeling particularly burdened right now, dear friends, cast your cares upon the Lord. He really does care for you (1 Peter 5:7).  And if you have a burden you would like to share with me, feel free to do so. I would love to pray with and for you.