Dangerous Questions (1)

We're starting a short blog series today I'm calling "Dangerous Questions."  The questions are only dangerous because if we really pay attention to them, they could change us deeply.

The purpose?  Most of us will live our lives with assumptions or beliefs that don't serve God or even us particularly well.  Assumptions that place limits on how God can use us.  So in this series we'll simply ask questions that challenge those beliefs and assumptions. 

Today's question:  What if you viewed all you had (your time, energy and resources) as things entrusted to you by God for which you had to give an account?

Last night, for example, I watched tv for 2.5 hours.  Great use of time?  Not really.  Nothing wrong with tv, but 2.5 hours?  Really.... Well what if I believed that the time entrusted to me belonged to God, not me?  How would I use it differently?  How would I have used it to add value to the lives around me?  How would my day have been different?

Apply that to what's sitting in my bank account.  What claim does God have on the money not only that I give back to the Kingdom, but to the money I use for monthly cash flow?  How is my leadership a stewardship?  How is my time best used if it really doesn't belong to me?

The easiest way to get your head into this space is to imagine you entrusting an investment adviser with $1000 for you to invest (remember we talked about this a few times at Connexus?).  Imagine you come back six months later and

• The adviser has no idea what happened to the money or where it went.
• The adviser says you lost 'approximately' 10% but isn't sure exactly how much and is not interested in answering your questions.
• The adviser used your money to take a trip to Cuba.

We understand this scenario because the assumption is that the money belongs to us, not to the adviser.  The problem is that the adviser acted like the money was his when it wasn't.

If our lives belong to God, why do we resent God's incursion into 'our' lives to give an account for 'our' time, 'our' money and 'our' energy because we assume it's 'ours'.

What if it's not?  What if it's His?  How would your day be different?

Comments

[Donald]

Another great post Carey. Syncs right up with Resourcefulness this month. Not just working for God, or with God, but working as though what we have IS God's...bought and paid for. In His grace, we don't get fired, or arrested, like that investor surely would. That kinda love motivates one to get the best return on what He has invested in us.

[Jason Poeffel]

Carey - Very interesting post. I have been thinking about the same things lately. What should I be doing with my time? Do I waste it? Should I have talked with the guy in line at starbucks yesterday? What would have happened if I would have been courageous? I too, have been thinking about my money. Is my house too big? Do I waste money? Sometimes it seems like I find my security in my bank account, rather than my relationship with Jesus. As you can see, I have a lot of questions, and I think I am coming up very short when it comes to application. The good news is - God is working.

[Richard Yeomans]

Since we had the series on pray I can't get out of my head about "your will be done" part. It has impacted me in a very new way. I find myself thinking about everything I'm doing and how God would want me to act.

[kt]

Your post reminded me so much of a book I read last year by Randy Alcorn. It was called Money, Possessions, and Eternity.