Coffee With The Lord

Wow… What a Savior!!! The Lord Jesus Christ!!! I read Colossians 1:16-23 again this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” and it left me in awe of who Jesus really is…

He reveals God… accurately, fully and completely!

He was creator… involved in creating everything that exists!

He is eternal… He existed before time, was revealed in time, and now exists beyond time!

He is sustainer of everything in the universe!

He is the supreme of “his body” – His redeemed people – the Church!

He is preeminent over everything!

He is the cosmic reconciler over everything that has experienced the impact of sin … the cosmos, creation itself, and fallen humanity!

Here it is in the inspired words of Scripture… a passage that every Christian should memorize…

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.” (Colossians 1:15–23 ESV)

I’m married to a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, Christian lady… and a scrupulous manager of money! Her husband? Not so much. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m careful… I’m conservative… I don’t throw money around indiscriminately… And I’ve never, as a leader of any organization or entity that I’ve been responsible for, “busted” (or violated) a budget. But Sharon, my wife? There’s only a couple of words to describe her… scrupulous and conservative! It’s because of her carefulness and wisdom with finances that, despite very modest incomes, we’re in a relatively solid financial position as we have entered retirement.

Is it appropriate for a Christian to be “scrupulous” with finances? (Notice that I didn’t say “stingy” – (Christians should NOT be stingy – they should be generous – but they SHOULD be “scrupulous” and wise with possessions and finances.) We are called to be “stewards” (i.e. we are to be wise managers of what belongs to Another – to God!) Authentic believers – Christians, if you please – do not see themselves as “owners” – they “possess” what God has entrusted to them, and are called upon to “steward” it wisely. Here is what the Bible declares… “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 New Living Translation)

So is “Scrupulous stewardship” an appropriate way to think about how Christians should manage their finances and possessions? This is what I read in the Bible this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”… (See what you think).

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:10–13 ESV)

So today, I honor Sharon, my wife, and her approach to money… And I want to be more like her! “Scrupulous stewardship?” I believe it’s the way to go – I’m not the owner of anything, God is – of everything! I’m to be a careful steward of all He has entrusted to me! I’m to manage what has been entrusted to me in a way that honors Him… God honoring, generous, but scrupulous.

Issues… I had BIG ones, beyond what any underling could solve! These kind of issues demanded the involvement and intervention of “the head guy” – and by that I mean “the person at the top” – and that required approved access! He’s the kind of person who has the power and authority to do ANYTHING – know what I mean? But you don’t just want into his office suite, give your name to the receptionist, and walk into His personal office and start making demands!

Fortunately, I knew His Son… Had been personally introduced to Him by a friend. His Son told me, if I ever needed access – if I ever needed an audience with His Father – He’d be my go between! Believe it or not, He even offered to personally help make my case if my appeal was a legitimate one.

Hey, I’ve got to tell you, I never want to abuse that privilege! I never want take advantage of my relationship with His Son (my friend) in inappropriate ways! But Wow! What a privilege!!! On more than one occasion I’ve approached the Father with the Son being my advocate! Let me tell you, it made all the difference in the world! In fact, the Father told me, because of my relationship with His Son, I could have access anytime I needed to, and He assured me I’d be treated like one of His other children!

Just a parable based upon the clear teaching of Scripture… (If you doubt me check out these Scriptures: Matthew 19:26; Luke 18:27; 1 John 2:1; 5:14-15; Romans 8:34; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:12-14; Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 2:18-19; Hebrews 4:14-16 and many others.)