Coffee With The Lord

Here’s a bit of a different “Coffee with the Lord” post today… The subject? “Fiscal responsibility” or “stewardship” – the responsibility of followers of Christ regarding the management of the resources they have (property, capital, investments, and personal finances) in a God-honoring way.

What prompted a reflection on “fiscal responsibility” or “stewardship” you ask? Reading the parable of Jesus entitled the “Dishonest Manager” found in Luke 16:1-13. (I urge you to take a few minutes and read it and reflect on teaching Jesus provided there.)

Here’s what Jesus said after giving the parable…

“…The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 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.” (From Luke 16:8–13 ESV)

Hey, the wisdom and skill with which we handle the resources God has given us and allowed us to have matters! Everything we possess comes from Him (cp. Psalm 24:1) God expects us to be “wise stewards” of those resources – all of them! We are accountable – not to a “dishonest manager,” but to a loving, holy God!

After reading Luke 16:1-13 today during my time of “coffee with the Lord” I jotted this in the margin of my Bible…

“EVERY FOLLOWER OF JESUS NEEDS TO LEARN TO BE A WISE STEWARD OF THEIR MATERIAL RESOURCES!”

Now think about that! Rich or poor, plenty or lacking, privileged or underprivileged – we are accountable as stewards for what we have been granted. Personally, before God, I must demonstrate wise stewardship. I must not only sustain (or keep) what I have been granted – I must seek to invest it and increase it “for the glory of God” and the benefit of God’s kingdom. And I would add that the “Church” has a responsibility to teach “wise stewardship” and effective “fiscal management” to those who are seeking to follow Jesus.

Believe me, I want to hear my Lord speak these words to me personally: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master!’ (Matthew 25:21 & 23)

Ever try to do something really nice and extra special for someone and they act like they’re too busy – they give you all kinds of flimsy excuses – they act like they really “couldn’t care less”? It’s frustrating!! It’s insulting and rude!! It can kind of “tick you off”!!

There’s a story like that in the Bible. Jesus had been invited to eat at the house of an important religious leader. During the meal, someone at the meal remarked, “Blessed (enviably privileged) is the person who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Now to process this story, you really have to understand all that the word “banquet” or “feast” represented in ancient Semitic culture – a very special, celebratory event! And you also have to have some understanding of Jesus’ use of the term “the Kingdom of God or Heaven” from a Biblical point of view.

Just let me say, we’re not talking about “meat and ‘tators” here – not even “prime rib and key lime pie”! (“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14.17-18 ESV) We’re talking here about an incredible spiritual reality! One that will have its ultimate glorious consummation in the future, but also one that can be experienced and entered into “this side of heaven” when an individual accepts God’s invitation to participate in it through Christ Jesus. Hey it is both a present and a future reality!

So here’s the story Jesus told that day in the Pharisee’s house when he was invited for dinner…

“A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses! One said… Another said… And another said… The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he returned and reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. None of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet!’” (Luke 14:16-24 NLT)

Now it seems to me there are a couple of lessons for me from this story (probably more)…

I NEVER, I mean NEVER, want to treat God’s invitation to enter Kingdom blessing lightly, or offer flimsy excuses – I want to give His invitation and offer my highest priority! I want to say “YES”! I want to embrace God’s best for my life in Christ Jesus! I want all God offers me! Don’t you?!

I realize that there have been a lot of people who have rejected God’s offer in Christ Jesus! I admit, I don’t understand that! But I’m not going to let that keep me from urging others – in fact, anyone else who will listen – to accept it! I intend to “go out quickly into the streets and alleys and bring in…” anyone who will accept God’s offer in Christ Jesus! … I intend to… “go out to the roads and country lanes and compel others to come in, so that His house will be full.”

Hey the invitation is out there… Jesus says, “Come! Everything is now ready!”

Godly leaders, with “great hearts” demonstrate a passionate concern for the spiritual welfare of other Christians everywhere. They long for fellow Christians to understand God’s will for their lives and to live in a way that honors and pleases the Lord. This principle should be expressed in the life of every Christian! It was clearly modeled in Paul’s intercessory prayer for the believers in Colossae (Colossians 1:9-14).

Furthermore, how should a Christian pray for Christians elsewhere in the world that they have never met? How should we pray for missionaries working in places and situations foreign to us? Paul, the great apostle to the gentiles, shows us how in these opening verses of Colossians. In them, we have an opportunity to listen in on an apostolic prayer of Paul for a church he had not founded or visited as well as many Christians that he had never met personally.

So in what ways can Paul’s intercessory prayer for the Colossians serve as a guide for our intercession? This passage establishes a pattern for those who would intercede for fellow Christians, including those they have never met – missionaries, evangelists and fellow Christians in other parts of the world. There are sincere, faithful servants of the Lord around the world who are facing challenges today beyond our imagination or understanding! Paul’s prayer provides a healthy pattern for Spirit led and prompted intercession.

Using Paul’s intercession as a guide, we should pray that…

1. They fully understand God’s will for their lives (1:9b).

2. They honor and please the Lord in every way (1:10).

3. They continually bear good fruit (1:10b).

4. They come to know God better every day (1:10c).

5. That the Lord empowers them to stand firm under pressure (1:11).

6. That their lives overflow with thanksgiving and joy (1:12-14).

I would like to offer a tribute to my parents who are now with the Lord, two of the most effective intercessors I know. Mom and Dad believed that battles were won and spiritual progress was made through prayer. They would pray daily and fervently until spiritual battles were won. I remember vividly, a particular prayer project they tackled. Satan was trying to destroy a marriage. I remember my Mom clinching her delicate feminine fists, setting her jaw and hearing her say “Satan will not get this one!” And he didn’t either.

Until my parents died they would still receive telephone calls requesting prayer from everywhere. Mornings in their modest home were dedicated entirely to prayer ministry. Name after name, prayer project after prayer project, missionary after missionary, minister after minister, and nation after nation were all part of their prayers on any given day.

Mom and Dad’s impact upon the world was not their skill as preachers or theologians. Their impact, however, as godly people of prayer would be difficult to calculate! They served as a model for the prayer ministry of hundreds of Christians, including their sons!