The fragrance filled the room. The sweet and rich scent tantalized each nostril. An entire jar of expensive perfume was used to anoint the feet of Jesus. She used her long hair as a towel. As she caressed His feet, the conversation started. Why did she waste the whole jar on His feet. Some thought that the jar of perfume should have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Efficiency and efficacy were more important in some minds. Let's be practical.
The adorning of Jesus is thought to be an extravagant when resources are poured out to Him is ways thought to be impractical. But interestingly, Jesus had a different opinion. He praised Mary's action here in John. He made note that the poor would always be with them. He also noted that He would soon be gone. Her action was an acceptable tribute to Him. Soon He would be headed to the cross and the grave.
I've thought a lot about Mary's reaction and Jesus' response. I confess, I've always leaned to the practical side of things. Ministry has always taken priority over extravagance. I struggle with elaborate buildings and furnishings that serve no particular purpose except for aesthetics. I know the importance of nice looking and functional facilities. However, I can't help but think how much ministry could be done for 3 or 6 or 12 million in buildings and furnishing.
When we remodeled a Wal-Mart building for our facility in 2000, I was proud that we saved about 3-5 million versus building a brand new building. Yet that year as I sat in an ancient open air coliseum in Israel, I couldn't help but note that is was built so that one could whisper on stage and be heard anywhere in the 10,000 plus seat arena. We just spent $25,000 plus on a sound system for 1,000 seat auditorium and we were still having trouble balancing the sound. Why couldn't my architect do that?
The question in my own mind is how often do I really bestow extravagance on Jesus? Ministry needs never go away. If I focus all my giving to just needs, do I lose real motivation. Should I be focusing a portion of my effort just on using my resources express my love and appreciation to Jesus? If I don't take time give of myself, my resources on just Him alone, what happens to my spirit?
God, I want to lavish you with my gifts, my love, my being.
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Daily Reflections on Mt. 10:1-26 (Faith Can Be Scary)
It must have been a weird experience for the disciples. Jesus takes His 12, gives them incredible power and sends them out two by two. He tells them to take nothing with them and go from town to town preaching the Good News. Can't imagine the conversation between each set of two along the way. At this point they really hadn't had a lot of training. The only one apparently who had had much formal education was Judas. Yet Jesus sent them off.
What a faith building experience for the disciples. No cell phone. No internet. No GPS device. No credit or debit cards. Not a lot of cash. No car. No reservations. No contacts. I'm sure the first town they hit they must have felt a little awkward. I wonder if maybe they started with a little miracle first, you know just trying to get the hang of it. Maybe they tried out a few prayer combo's first. I wonder how long it took them before they tried the big miracle or casting out their first demon.
I'm sure that the greater success they had, the bolder their preaching and miracle performance got. My guess is the local cafe was buzzing a few days after they came to town. After a few miracles, they probably didn't have to worry about a place to stay or where they were going to get their next hot meal. Oh sure, I bet they had their detractors, after all Jesus warned them that they would. But I would also bet the local paper gave them plenty of positive press.
When Jesus sent the 12 out, it wasn't initially so much to get the word out as it was to prepare the 12 and build their faith. They needed to experience this. They needed to gain a little confidence. It wasn't long before their timidness gave way to boldness and excitement as they witnessed God's power at work through them. He taught them not to rely on their own power or plans, but to look to God's power, direction and teaching.
Throughout the Bible God calls for leaps of faith. He gives assignments of great importance and gives His messenger little resources in their hands. But it's always enough. Sometimes it's only a staff. Sometimes it's only a few stones and a sling. Sometimes it's a handful of men with trumpets and lanterns to defeat a vast army. Sometimes it's only the ability to interpret dreams. It's about faith.
Answering God's call with no resources is a scary place to be. We like everything figured out, planned out, resources in hand before we ever start. We have to see it on paper and have proof that it's gonna work before we start or we won't start. But that's not faith, that's sight. Living by faith means taking a risk. It's means placing ourselves in a vulnerable position, letting go of what we know and putting ourselves in God's hands.
God, I confess, the older I get, the more I want assurances. Taking risks gets harder and harder. Living by faith doesn't get any easier. I want to follow you. Show me your power. Grant me success as I exercise faith in following your lead for my life and ministry.
What a faith building experience for the disciples. No cell phone. No internet. No GPS device. No credit or debit cards. Not a lot of cash. No car. No reservations. No contacts. I'm sure the first town they hit they must have felt a little awkward. I wonder if maybe they started with a little miracle first, you know just trying to get the hang of it. Maybe they tried out a few prayer combo's first. I wonder how long it took them before they tried the big miracle or casting out their first demon.
I'm sure that the greater success they had, the bolder their preaching and miracle performance got. My guess is the local cafe was buzzing a few days after they came to town. After a few miracles, they probably didn't have to worry about a place to stay or where they were going to get their next hot meal. Oh sure, I bet they had their detractors, after all Jesus warned them that they would. But I would also bet the local paper gave them plenty of positive press.
When Jesus sent the 12 out, it wasn't initially so much to get the word out as it was to prepare the 12 and build their faith. They needed to experience this. They needed to gain a little confidence. It wasn't long before their timidness gave way to boldness and excitement as they witnessed God's power at work through them. He taught them not to rely on their own power or plans, but to look to God's power, direction and teaching.
Throughout the Bible God calls for leaps of faith. He gives assignments of great importance and gives His messenger little resources in their hands. But it's always enough. Sometimes it's only a staff. Sometimes it's only a few stones and a sling. Sometimes it's a handful of men with trumpets and lanterns to defeat a vast army. Sometimes it's only the ability to interpret dreams. It's about faith.
Answering God's call with no resources is a scary place to be. We like everything figured out, planned out, resources in hand before we ever start. We have to see it on paper and have proof that it's gonna work before we start or we won't start. But that's not faith, that's sight. Living by faith means taking a risk. It's means placing ourselves in a vulnerable position, letting go of what we know and putting ourselves in God's hands.
God, I confess, the older I get, the more I want assurances. Taking risks gets harder and harder. Living by faith doesn't get any easier. I want to follow you. Show me your power. Grant me success as I exercise faith in following your lead for my life and ministry.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Daily Reflections on Ex. 20:8-11 (Work and Rest)
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. Work, work, work. If you want to get anywhere in life you have to work for it. You're not here enough. You sales aren't high enough. You're not making your production quota. We need you to work overtime and it's mandatory.
Work is a necessary part of life. The Apostle Paul said if you don't work, you don't get to eat. King Solomon talks about work as a necessary part of life that brings identity, purpose, meaning and satisfaction. However, for many, life is nothing more than getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, watching TV and going to bed. Work, and often the daily commute, consumes our energies each day. When we do get home, we're beat, worn out, frustrated and unfulfilled. Another typical day at the ol' grindstone.
We like our car, our house, our boat, our bike, our stuff, so we work. We work to get our stuff and then in the end, we're too tired to enjoy our stuff. Then we work even harder to get more stuff, or bigger, better stuff that consumes even more of our time and energy that give us even less time to enjoy our stuff. Or, we have to pay someone else to take care of our stuff. Are we nuts?
Whether you love your job or hate your job, the bottom line is we all have to expend a great deal of effort on our job. After days, weeks, months, years of doing the same basic thing everyday, many become complacent with life, friends, family and, oh yes, work. We're so bored and tired that we don't enjoy life or the relationships around us. Some try to numb themselves each evening or on the weekends with booze or various recreational drugs. Others try to keep that edge through a caffeine buzz or even meth.
God says we all need renewal on a weekly basis. He says we need to put down the Blackberry, the laptop, the cell phone, the tools, the dust rag and mop and REST. Really rest. Work as hard as you want for six days, but one day you need to stop and smell the roses. We need to simply reflect, observe, relish, enjoy, celebrate life and the people in your life. We need a day each week to kick back and chill. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Having raised a household of young ladies, I've learned that you have to give the hot water heater time to recovery. If you keep draining the tank, the hot water heater keeps working, but just continues to produce cool or at best tepid water. But, if you give it a rest and time to catch up, you can enjoy a nice hot shower. If we keep pressing and pressing without rest, we can't give out what we're capable of producing. We're less effective when we don't give ourselves some time for renewal. Our attitude suffers, our relationships suffer, our productivity suffers, our creativity suffers when we don't stop for a sabbath, for a time of refreshing.
God, I'm guilty. I'm a workaholic. I don't know when to stop until you make me lie down in green pastures. But to be honest, I feel guilty not working. Allow me the solitude I need. Meet me in my times of rest. Give me the refreshment I need to have the best perspective possible and to really enjoy life as you intended.
Work is a necessary part of life. The Apostle Paul said if you don't work, you don't get to eat. King Solomon talks about work as a necessary part of life that brings identity, purpose, meaning and satisfaction. However, for many, life is nothing more than getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, watching TV and going to bed. Work, and often the daily commute, consumes our energies each day. When we do get home, we're beat, worn out, frustrated and unfulfilled. Another typical day at the ol' grindstone.
We like our car, our house, our boat, our bike, our stuff, so we work. We work to get our stuff and then in the end, we're too tired to enjoy our stuff. Then we work even harder to get more stuff, or bigger, better stuff that consumes even more of our time and energy that give us even less time to enjoy our stuff. Or, we have to pay someone else to take care of our stuff. Are we nuts?
Whether you love your job or hate your job, the bottom line is we all have to expend a great deal of effort on our job. After days, weeks, months, years of doing the same basic thing everyday, many become complacent with life, friends, family and, oh yes, work. We're so bored and tired that we don't enjoy life or the relationships around us. Some try to numb themselves each evening or on the weekends with booze or various recreational drugs. Others try to keep that edge through a caffeine buzz or even meth.
God says we all need renewal on a weekly basis. He says we need to put down the Blackberry, the laptop, the cell phone, the tools, the dust rag and mop and REST. Really rest. Work as hard as you want for six days, but one day you need to stop and smell the roses. We need to simply reflect, observe, relish, enjoy, celebrate life and the people in your life. We need a day each week to kick back and chill. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Having raised a household of young ladies, I've learned that you have to give the hot water heater time to recovery. If you keep draining the tank, the hot water heater keeps working, but just continues to produce cool or at best tepid water. But, if you give it a rest and time to catch up, you can enjoy a nice hot shower. If we keep pressing and pressing without rest, we can't give out what we're capable of producing. We're less effective when we don't give ourselves some time for renewal. Our attitude suffers, our relationships suffer, our productivity suffers, our creativity suffers when we don't stop for a sabbath, for a time of refreshing.
God, I'm guilty. I'm a workaholic. I don't know when to stop until you make me lie down in green pastures. But to be honest, I feel guilty not working. Allow me the solitude I need. Meet me in my times of rest. Give me the refreshment I need to have the best perspective possible and to really enjoy life as you intended.
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