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Sunday, 05 September 2010
Pastor's Blog
The SON
Friday, 17 April 2009 15:10

Pastor MohanThis is great!  It may be you know the story but still take a moment to read it, it will make your day and the ending will surprise you.

"Take my Son" A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.  They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war.  He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.  The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.


About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.  He often talked about you and your love for art.  The young man held out the package and said,  'I know this isn't much.  I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."  The father opened the package.  It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.  He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting.  The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.  He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.  'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me.  It's a gift.'
The father hung the portrait over his mantle.  Everytime visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.  The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son.  The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.  Who will bid for this picture?'  There was silence.  Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings.  Skip this one.'
But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice said angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued.  'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'  Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room.  It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son.  'I'll give $10 for the painting..'  Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.  'We have $10, who will bid $20?'  'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'  The crowd was becoming angry.  They didn't want the picture of the son.  They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.  The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'  A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'  The auctioneer laid down his gavel.  'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'  'What about the paintings?'  'I am sorry.  When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.  I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.  Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.  Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.  The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His Son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross.  Much like the auctioneer, His message today is:  'The son, the son, who'll take the son?' Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.  FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...  THAT'S LOVE!
Please send this to ten people and back to the one who sent it to you. Do whatever you like, but remember that maybe 'one' of the people you might have taken the time to send this to may be just the person who needs to hear this message.  You have a choice to make.'
God Bless.
TEST
 
Afraid to Fail
"To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance." Matthew 25:29a (NLT)

Devotion:

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a story of a master who divided his money (unequally) into the care of three servants while he went on a trip.  "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.  The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.  But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money" (Matthew 25:16-18, NLT).  When the master returned, he praised and rewarded the two servants who had multiplied his money.

Jesus continues the story:
"Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, 'Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.' "But the master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn't plant and gathered crops I didn't cultivate, why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.' "Then he ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.  To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance.  But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away." (vs. 24-30)

I was surprised when I first read this parable that the master called that servant "wicked and lazy."  After all, it doesn't say he was an axe murderer or a freeloader, right?  It seems he just played it extra safe with his portion of money.  Does that really make him "wicked and lazy? Maybe I could understand the "lazy" label because he just buried it and left it there.  That doesn't take much effort compared to opening a savings account or investing in stocks, mutual funds or real estate.  Plus, if you invest it, you need to manage it to minimize your losses should there be a stock market crash or mortgage loan crisis.  Yes, it is easier to stash money under a mattress than try to navigate the financial world of investments.

However, what really threw me was the label "wicked" applied to him.  I don't know much about investing and I've made some financial mistakes before, but does that make me wicked in God's eyes?  Since I trust whatever Jesus says is true, I asked Him to show me why this man was deemed wicked. I realized the overall topic of this parable is personal responsibility for use of our assets.  By "assets," I refer to the things God has entrusted to us like our money, time, talents, mind, body, family, etc. The clear message is that God wants us to manage these things with excellence and if we do, we will be rewarded.  If we fail to, we may be penalized.

The master, who represents God in this parable, was chastising this servant because his "asset management style" required little effort, and even less faith.  What made him "wicked" was believing the whispers of the Wicked One telling him that his master was too fickle to please and would surely punish him if he tried and fails.

What displeased the master was the servant's failure to bother to try when given the assignment. Taking responsibility for, and seeking to be productive with our assets feels risky -- much like navigating the world of finance can -- but that should not cause us to bury our heads in the sand.  I now see that this servant let Satan back him into a corner, with fear of failure and skewed notions of God, and immobilized what could've been used to glorify God and increase His Kingdom.

So today, I purpose to use my all in service of God when He gives me an assignment, no matter how risky it feels.  Otherwise, I am denying the amazing grace of God available to me and rendering useless the gifts my Master has given me.  So let's learn from this servant by refusing to remain immobilized when we're afraid to fail.

Dear Lord, help me manage my time, talent, money, body and relationships in ways that please You, and grow Your Kingdom.  Deliver me from fear of failure.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.