Monday, April 4, 2011

Do You Hear Yourself?

My new favorite show is "Hard Time" on NatGeo.  I've occasionally wondered whether God has a purpose for piquing my interest in prisons.  Maybe prison ministry.  Hopefully not prison in general.  But I guess one is His choice, and the other would be left entirely up to me.  Anyway.  I hear so many of these guys talking tough, posturing, trying to maintain an illusion of control.  My favorite is the guy freshly released from prison, in his early thirties, ninety-three dollars in his pocket and riding shotgun to his new accommodations at mommy and daddy's house.  Still he brags, "I made myself who I am today; I am responsible for everything I have right now."  Oh, the irony.
9.3 million or ninety-three cents, I pray no one will ever hear me brag I have achieved anything in life!  If you do, stop me in my tracks IMMEDIATELY!  All I have "earned" by a temporal sort of definition, all I was ever given, was given at God's discretion and by His grace.  Understand, that as human beings who have thumbed our noses as the very One Who breathed into us the breath of life, and determined to do this thing on our own, we are entitled to do nothing but go it ALONE -- in a most desolate sort of way, a way that leads to certain death.
In spite of this, God gives.  Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue recently gave an interview in which he states, "I'm so blessed, and I don't know why."  Well, I do.  But it doesn't come without a price.
"See, I knew there had to be a catch," you say.
Well, here it is: You have to put it to God use -- not a typo, not "good use" -- God use.  He gives to us as stewards.  Think about that.  Although you are controlling, managing, distributing, allocating -- you are doing it for someone else; you are a servant of the master.  Or in this case, The Master.  It does not belong to you.  Though you may allot some for you salary, even that you can't take with you.  The gain itself -- money, brains, good looks, athleticism, musical talent, even great health -- is temporal; the stewardship is of an eternal nature.
I pray today that not only do I humbly give due thanks to The Giver of Good Gifts, but I recognize and with all my energy fulfill my responsibility as His steward.
And, having said that -- Scott and some of my friends have been on my case for several months now about "stepping things up" -- writing a book, getting published, following my dream and my calling.  I know I need to be a better steward of my talent.  So, there it is -- my committment to taking my own advice.              

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