Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Apparently, the drunk driver liked our side of the road better than his side of the road. With our whole family aboard, our car was suddenly hit head-on. By God's grace, none of us was seriously injured, but our car went to car heaven, or wherever totaled cars go. I had a busy ministry schedule during the next few weeks, and our only car was gone. Then a friend called and offered to lend us his car while he was in Florida for the next six weeks. That was awesome! An hour later, he drove into our driveway with his brand new Cadillac Coupe DeVille. That was good news and bad news. The good news was that for the next six weeks I'd be driving my friend's brand new Cadillac. The bad news was that for the next six weeks I'd be driving my friend's brand new Cadillac! I've never driven so carefully in my life! I stayed well under the speed limit, I got the oil changed about three times a week, I didn't allow one scrap of food or drink in that vehicle. Hey, this was somebody else's treasure I was driving!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hijackers With Haloes."
When someone has trusted you with something of value, you take very good care of it. You never forget that it's his - not yours. That's a good reminder for all of us who are God's kids. He's entrusted some of what is His to each of us. He wants us to take good care of it, never forgetting whose it really is.
Jesus painted a word picture of this in his parable in Matthew 25:14, our word for today from the Word of God. He said His kingdom could be illustrated like this, "It will be like a man going on a journey, who called His servants and trusted His property to them." One of those servants was given five talents (which was worth about a thousand dollars) and Jesus said "he put his money to work and gained five more" for his master. When his master returned, he said, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." Another servant, who had been given one talent, did nothing with his master's money. He is punished because, as the master says, "You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
Jesus has entrusted some of His property to you, whether you've got a little or a lot. It's all His. I've got a friend who's really got this down. God has greatly blessed his business, and this man clearly knows why. He describes himself simply as a "recycler of God's money." I love that. As he gets money, he generously recycles it into the work of Christ on this planet. He's just a recycler. So am I. So are you. Sadly, though, many people have, in essence, hijacked what was supposed to be for God to use it for themselves: a God-given ability, some God-given good looks, a God-given personality, some God-given success or influence, and, yes, some God-given money or property. Can you imagine my friend who loaned me his Cadillac returning from Florida and my saying, "Sorry, I'm enjoying your car so much, I'm keeping it." How many times have we done that, though, with things God has entrusted to us?
Jesus told us to seek first His kingdom. Whose kingdom are you really building - His or yours? What stock are you investing the stuff of your life in? He told us to be sure we're putting it in the only bank that will never fail. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also" ( Matthew 6:19-21).
A friend of mine who derives great joy from giving to God's work had just received a major amount of money in his business. He told his accountant about several large gifts he wanted to give to ministries. His accountant said, "Why don't you give it in several smaller gifts over the next year?" My friend said, "I don't want Satan tempting me to spend it on something I want or my family wants. It's God's. Get that money out of here!"
That's a man who understands that what we have is just a trust from God. Maybe even a test from God. So don't keep it for yourself, whatever kind of treasure He's entrusted to you, don't hijack God's stuff! Remember, you're supposed to be a conduit for what God has given you, not its final destination!