“Reassign Your Resources”

Many people develop this separation of minister and the rest of us mentality. But when I read my Bible we are all ministers.  In II Cor. 3:6 Paul calls us ministers of the new covenant.  Peter refers to us as a Kingdom of Priests (I Pet. 3:9).  The question I want to pose to you this morning: How does your life count?  It’s not that somehow the position we hold or the title attached to our name matters most to God. What matters is that we are living in a way that honors him.

Consider 2 stories that Jesus told

We all know a Good Samaritan story - someone who stops to help someone at a point of need.

We’ve all met needs.

Here’s how the Good Samaritan did it

v  He sympathized with the person’s needs.

(God) comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2Cor 1:4)

v  He was willing to get messy.

He got his hands dirty, and he got involved.

v  He was willing to be inconvenienced.

Another thing he did was he actually gave up his transportation.

v  He provides love and money.

Not just money, because most people need relationship more than they need cash.

“Who was the man’s neighbor?” Jesus asked. It was the person who did something.

The one-talent guy failed (Here’s Why)

Ø  He didn’t take any risks.

“Safety first” was his motto.

Ø  Lack of effort

His master called him lazy and wicked

Laziness is the failure to do what needs to be done when it needs doing, not just physical laziness.

The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers; the diligent walk down a smooth road.
(Prov. 15:19)

Ø  He saw fear as his only option.

“I was afraid of you,” he said to the master (Matthew 25:25).

Who knows, but maybe God will be standing at the gate saying to you, “Well done!

You have used what you had, you looked outside yourself, you met needs, and you lived a life on loan with honor and nobility.”

And the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21).