What if the President of the United States called my phone and gave me a top secret mission? What if he said, "Hey Jerry, I need a favor from you, I need you to deliver this mail cross country, unfortunately it cannot be flown due to its delicacy. can you do it?" I can only imagine that I would drop everything, no matter the task and the location and immediately begin positioning myself for my mission. I would make sure that I had a trustworthy vehicle to make the delivery successfully. The list of food and items I would consume in the time of my mission would be strictly to give me more energy and keep me alert. I would make sure to work out more thoroughly and consistently in order to be physically ready for anything that comes my way. My conversations would change, they would be filtered through the lens of my top secret mission. I would stay on top of my finances in order to use my money wisely. Even the way I relate to my friends would change. There would be no time for foolish talk, no time for pointless dates, no time to sit around and do nothing. The mission is on the plate and only I can deliver at this time. I would make sure that this mail would be guarded at all times until its point of arrival.
Alright, so thats a bit of an extreme case, but what if the President called me and said "Hey Jerry can you watch my daughter's pet turtle?" Even then, the fact that it is not just any person but the president asking me to do such a simple favor, I can imagine my immediate response would be to drop everything and take care of that turtle like no one has ever before. Knowing it was the turtle of the daughter of the United States changes everything.
In either of these two cases I have been entrusted with something and became a steward of what is not mine but belongs to the President. At that point I would want to be the best steward I absolutely can be.
The other day a good friend, Cody Abercrombie, said, "We are stewards of a king, not just a king, but The king."
I can't tell you how much these words have impacted me these past few days. God has entrusted me in this life to carry out his mission. He has given me a specific calling in order to enhance His kingdom. He has called me to be a steward of His creation........yet, I have failed so poorly.
Why is it that if the President calls me I respond with such urgency and with the calling from God I so arrogantly take advantage and manipulate my surroundings in order to fit the mission in my own desires? I do not treat the resources he has given me with such care, I do not stay focused on the mission, I do not place my time and energy in order to execute His mission. I do not strengthen myself spiritually and physically in order to be equipped for life's curve balls. I do not keep my finances on check, in order to use the money given to me, wisely. I do not filter my conversations through the lens of His mission. I do not treat my friendships as wholesome as I should. I do not treat women with the understanding that they are not just daughters of a king.....they are daughters of THE King. How saddening it is to think that I would more respectfully take care of the turtle of the daughter a President than I am to take care of the daughters of the King. I do not manage my home with patience and love, I do not discipline myself in the character of integrity in order to be without blame and shame. I do not lead to empower and equip..........the list goes on.
The point is this; the desires of my heart have reflected a self centered lifestyle rather than a God-centered one. Which, in turn reflects how I treat the things and the people God has placed in my life. My world view is filthy and tainted in a lifestyle that rots in its own aroma. .........
The wonderful news is this, God, a ruler is also God, a forgiver. Today, I choose repentance; today I choose forgiveness; today, I chose obedience.
I hope you do not read this and jump quick to judgment, rather, I hope you read this and perhaps relate to it and like myself seek out a heart of repentance.
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