At church on Wednesdays we’re going through John Ortberg’s
book, “If
You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.” It’s a good
book that challenges us to trust God, use the gifts he has given us and risk.
The study comes with a video of him teaching and last week he ended with a challenge to the class. His question, “What’s going to happen when you get to heaven and God asks you how you used your talents?”
He was referring to what the NIV calls the Parable of the Bags of Gold. It’s where a ruler gives five bags to one servant, two to another and one to the last. The first two invest, make the ruler money and get rewarded. Fear causes the third to bury his, nothing is earned and the ruler throws him out.
Ortberg’s insinuation was; use your gifts or God will be pissed when you meet him. Ortberg is a good guy and brilliant communicator, but the question made me sad because it wasn't motivational.
A quick look at the faces in the room told me most were thinking the same thing, “I suck! I haven’t used my talents like I should. I haven’t been dedicated enough. I haven’t given enough. I’m going to get to heaven and God will say, ‘Well you sure don’t deserve it, but come on in anyway… you loser.’”
I have been uniquely gifted. God has been so patient with me as I blundered through life trying to figure out what any of it was good for. He’s been gentile with me as I've wasted years caring more about my stuff than his. He’s been forgiving when I've used my gifting for my own edification instead of his.
Why? Heck, I don’t know. It bewilders me, but for some reason he LOVES me. I mean, really and truly loves me, not some kind of, “What have you done for me lately?” love. It’s this love for me that draws me to him. It makes me want to be closer to him.
And when I get close I can hear him say, “Why don’t we go do this together?” And I begin to think, “Now that sounds cool!”
God loves you for you; not because of anything you can do for him. Does he want you using your gifts? Yes. But not because he's a task master who needs you to get stuff done. It's because he knows how much fun it will be to work with you and through you and how much joy it will give you.
You've got sacks of gold, if you choose to invest them in the Kingdom, it's your life that will be the richer.
The study comes with a video of him teaching and last week he ended with a challenge to the class. His question, “What’s going to happen when you get to heaven and God asks you how you used your talents?”
He was referring to what the NIV calls the Parable of the Bags of Gold. It’s where a ruler gives five bags to one servant, two to another and one to the last. The first two invest, make the ruler money and get rewarded. Fear causes the third to bury his, nothing is earned and the ruler throws him out.
Ortberg’s insinuation was; use your gifts or God will be pissed when you meet him. Ortberg is a good guy and brilliant communicator, but the question made me sad because it wasn't motivational.
A quick look at the faces in the room told me most were thinking the same thing, “I suck! I haven’t used my talents like I should. I haven’t been dedicated enough. I haven’t given enough. I’m going to get to heaven and God will say, ‘Well you sure don’t deserve it, but come on in anyway… you loser.’”
I have been uniquely gifted. God has been so patient with me as I blundered through life trying to figure out what any of it was good for. He’s been gentile with me as I've wasted years caring more about my stuff than his. He’s been forgiving when I've used my gifting for my own edification instead of his.
Why? Heck, I don’t know. It bewilders me, but for some reason he LOVES me. I mean, really and truly loves me, not some kind of, “What have you done for me lately?” love. It’s this love for me that draws me to him. It makes me want to be closer to him.
And when I get close I can hear him say, “Why don’t we go do this together?” And I begin to think, “Now that sounds cool!”
God loves you for you; not because of anything you can do for him. Does he want you using your gifts? Yes. But not because he's a task master who needs you to get stuff done. It's because he knows how much fun it will be to work with you and through you and how much joy it will give you.
You've got sacks of gold, if you choose to invest them in the Kingdom, it's your life that will be the richer.
Thanks for sharing. I needed this reminder of His great Love!
ReplyDeleteBlessings from BKK!
We all do. :-)
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