Responsibility: Peak Performance

Just last weekend, I got a new phone. I didn't need a new one until the sales person convinced me that I did! I was dazzled by all the incredible features that would be at my fingertips, with download speed far superior to what I had on my existing phone. My connectivity would be enhanced, and I would experience far fewer dropped calls. I'll be the first to admit - I didn't know how handicapped I was! Frankly, my "old" phone could pretty much do what the new one does. I don't notice that things download faster, and since I wasn't really experiencing dropped calls, I guess I don't see much improvement! What hooked me was the possibilities of what I could do if I utilized this piece of technological wizardry to its full potential. Like my old phone, this new one has functions that are truly amazing, but unless I take the time to learn how to use them and perfect my use of them, my phone will simply remain a very powerful, but under-utilized tool.

Those of us who call ourselves Christians are too often not unlike these very powerful pocket-sized computers we carry around - we are designed for "greater works" (John 14:12), but we aren't fulfilling our potential. We know that we have access to connectivity that will empower us to carry out our mission (John 14:13,15-17, 26; John 15:5,7), but we don't always take the time to learn how to access that source to put it to use. 

As our kids at church wind down their focus on responsibility, they are asked to consider, "What in the world am I doing to show others God's goodness." That's a question most of us should ask ourselves, and I have certainly been giving it lots of thought. In fact, God has been making sure I have been reflecting on my own response to the responsibility he's given us as Christians.

In Matthew 5, Jesus doesn't hold back. He tells us what our attitudes should be - the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) - and then follows those by placing on our shoulders the responsibility to be "salt and light" to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). I like his illustration - people don't buy lamps just to hide the light they provide. In other words, we want to get the full potential and peak performance from the lamp. 

Even though I have heard and read these verses many times in my life, I was drawn to the phrasing of the verse about salt - "...but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned..." (Matthew 5:13). What caught my attention was the "it" in the phrase "how shall it be seasoned." I wondered could the "it" refer to the "earth," meaning those who don't know the Lord. Supposing that relationship in wording exists, I was convicted of the responsibility I am shirking when I fail to be "salt and light." If we as Christians fail in tapping into and utilizing the resources we've been given so that we operate to our fullest potential, we are not accomplishing our commission. We may function on a basic level, but we are far from the dynamic power-tool God designed us to be.

I have been reflecting lately on the notion that as Christians we have one priority - to serve God by serving others, thus making disciples. When we allow the Holy Spirit to activate that service through us, we bring honor and glory to Him. Others will "...see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). 

God must have known that we really aren't very good at multitasking. He asked one thing of us, and he promised to take care of the rest. Jesus knew the people hearing his "Sermon on the Mount," and all that followed, must have been a bit skeptical. Just as we are, they were most concerned with the day-to-day realities, not with learning how to be "salt and light." But here's what he promises: "...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:32-33). 

For me, putting first things first is going to be a discipline, an act of faith, but if I believe that God is who he claims to be, then I must trust that if I allow him to use me in service to others, he will make sure that I have whatever he knows I need. I have a responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to activate fully the functions I've been given to do the work to which I've been called. I want to be working at peak performance! 

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much...." Luke 16:10

Heavenly Father, on paper, the responsibility seems so simple. Putting it into action isn't when I take on jobs you haven't given me to do! Please help me to keep my priorities straight and trust you to take care of everything! Help me to be "salt and light." I want to be counted faithful. In your name, amen.

Responsibility: Encouraging Words

My grandmother used to tell a joke: "Why did the buffalo run off the cliff?" Answer: "He heard a discouraging word." For those of you who are still wondering what a buffalo and discouraging words have to do with each other, think lyrics to "Home on the Range." Jay Leno she wasn't, but you get the point. Words have the power to influence people! We can encourage them or we can destroy them with what we say.

We are responsible for how we use our words. As our children at church wind up this segment of the study of responsibility, they are being asked, "What in the world are you doing to encourage others with your words." The Bible is pretty clear in any number of places about what we are and are not to do with our ability to string sounds together to make words that communicate ideas. Ephesians 4:29 says this: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I am particularly concerned with what we say to and about children and young people. Whether we care to believe it or not, a word that we say in carelessness, anger, frustration, impatience, or thoughtlessness can and does leave a deep imprint on a child. As parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and Christians, we have a spiritual imperative to encourage them (Matthew 18:6). My prayer is that we seek the direction of the Holy Spirit to determine the right words to say that will influence the children and young people in our care to become who God has created each of them to be. We have the responsibility to speak hope and truth into their lives. It is from us that they learn who God is. 

How we speak to each other is critical to our Christian example. It isn't a matter of how we are feeling at the moment. We are explicitly reminded throughout the New Testament to encourage and comfort one another. Hebrews 3:13 says we are to "...exhort (encourage) one another..." daily so we aren't hardened by sin's deceit. Later in Hebrews 10:24-25, we are instructed, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

I don't always feel like being nice to people. My human nature isn't always tuned into using the power of my words to help others. Far too often, I'm focused on me, myself, and I; encouraging others is the last thing on my mind. Yet, I do not want to be the one who utters the discouraging word that may contribute more to someone's burden or lifetime of "mistaken identity." I don't want to just be too lazy and self-absorbed to miss an opportunity to lift someone up. My prayer is that I will daily realize that the Holy Spirit is living in me, and if he is in me, then I should be showing the fruit of his presence (Galatians 5:22-23). That fruit should then be in use, edifying and lifting up those around me.

The verses that follow Ephesians 4:29 admonish us to not grieve the Holy Spirit (v. 30) but to "...be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (v. 32). We can use our words responsibly to encourage if we seek to be filled with the Spirit- "...be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18-19). Jesus said, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34, 35). 

Let's fill our hearts to "abundance" with God's word, for our responsibility to others is clear - we are to use our words to encourage others.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much...." Luke 16:10a

Heavenly Father, I pray that "the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart" will be acceptable to you, and that I will use those words to encourage others and point them to you. In your name, amen.

 

Responsibility: Using What You're Given

This notion that responsibility is showing I can be trusted with what is expected of me is challenging me to take a very close look at whether or not I am as responsible as I believe myself to be. I think I am a responsible person; give me a task to do and I will get it done. On the other hand, I find myself not seeking out opportunities to be "responsible." At this point in my life, I have learned that when I consent to do something, that means I have to put time and effort into it that will take away from time and effort I want to put into doing what I want to do! So, when I took a look at the question confronting our kids at church this week - What in the world are you doing to use what God gave you - and read the story from the Bible that they will study - Matthew 25:14-29 - I had no choice but to try to answer that question for myself in light of what God says!

God's given each of us "talents" to use for his purposes. Some people are off the charts gifted, by this world's estimation, and the rest of us are just "normal." Whether we think we have what it takes to serve God like those Christians who serve as our icons of greatness or not is irrelevant to us being responsible to use what God has given us to fulfill his charge to follow him and make disciples (John 21:19, 22; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:47-49; John 20:21-22).

None of us can claim insignificance. God has equipped us to fulfill his Great Commission in exactly the way he sees fit. He knew when he created us precisely how, when, where, and with whom we would be used by him. He designed us specifically for the job. He didn't put us on earth to use talents belonging to someone else or not use our own because we believe them to be inadequate. He gives us what we need to complete our responsibilities as a disciple with success. The only sameness among us is the "what" to which we are called - we are to be servants, carrying the Gospel to the lost.

Here's what I know to be true - God will never ask us to do anything that he will not equip us to do. He may stretch us, pull us out of our comfort zone, and push us to take a risk, but he will NOT leave us hanging. When he called us to follow him and make disciples, he promised that we would be given the power to do the work (Mark 16:15-18; John 14:12,26; Acts 1:8).

When I stand before God, I want to hear him say he's pleased with how I used the talents he gave me. I want him to see, in the meantime, that he can trust me with more responsibility (Matthew 25:23). 

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much...."

Lord, we know that we don't have any excuses for not fulfilling the responsibility you have given us with the talents you have provided. Please cause us to become uncomfortable with our willingness to bury our talents and avoid our responsibility to follow you. Move us to seek the power and anointing of your Holy Spirit so that we will be faithful to serve. In your name, amen.

Responsibility: Taking Care of God's Creation

Our children at church will be asked some tough questions over the next two months as they learn about responsibility. During the month of June, all the questions begin like this: "What in the world are you doing to ...." First, I like this because already I know each individual is to be held accountable for something. The tendency to put responsibility onto someone else is removed from the equation. Second, the suggestion that there must be an action of some sort lets me know that no one will be able to simply know the truth; the expectation of taking action is explicit. Finally, establishing the world as the context for our "doing" makes a clear statement - we aren't called to ignore what's going on around us. Taking care of God's creation and his gifts - the World and all that's in it - is a responsibility we have been given to fulfill.

Genesis 1:26-29 explains that God decided to create man in his image and give man responsibility for the earth - all the animals, fish, birds, and plant life. He gave us meaningful work to accomplish. It's easy to see how we haven't always been as responsible as we should have been. Each generation has its own version of environmental awareness. The slogans that branded my generation were "Give a Hoot; Don't Pollute" and "Don't be a Litterbug." Today, we are rightfully concerned with catastrophic oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and waste management. People may go to the extremes of responsibility either way, from those who scoff at global warming and its ramifications, to those who radically protest the death of animals for any reason or purpose. I suggest that God created us in his image; therefore, he gave us the ability to exercise common sense and to genuinely care for what's been put into our keeping.

We can take our cues from Jesus on how best to care for God's creation, which does include our fellow human beings. In John 17, as Jesus was preparing for his crucifixion and ascension to Heaven, he prayed for those whom the Father had given him, the disciples and all who would come to claim Christ as their personal savior (John 17:6, 20). God had made Jesus responsible for all flesh (John 17:2) so we might know eternal life. Jesus gave to us all that the Father asked him to give, and he prayed that the Father would keep us from evil and make us one with them (John 17:8, 15, 21). At this particular moment in his life, Jesus could have chosen to shirk his responsibility, but instead, he sought the safekeeping of those for whom he was responsible, and then he fulfilled what he was sent to do by dying on the cross that we might have life everlasting. 

Maybe John 17 is an unusual example of what it means to "take care of God's creation," but I suspect we can gain insight into what it means when God makes us responsible. God gave us an incredible gift when he put us in the position of caretaker for his creation. We can choose to be reckless with the trust, or we can step up, be responsible, and treat God's creation with the care and respect it deserves. Someday, he will hold us accountable for how we answer the question, "What in the world are you doing to take care of what God made."

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much...." Luke 16:10a

Heavenly Father, thank you for sharing your creation with us. Please help us to remember our responsibility to all you have created and to care for it as you would expect. Thank you for giving us the wisdom and the strength to do what you have asked us to do. Amen.