03/26/2024
Using Your Blessings to Bless Others
Sunday I talked about this passage from Luke 19:28-40:
Jesus sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it.
I made the point that ultimately Jesus doesn’t want our most precious possessions. Jesus wants us—our bad as well as our good. Jesus wants to free us from our brokenness and guilt but in order to do that we need to be able to untie those things from our lives and turn over the reins to him.
But it’s important that you don’t get me wrong. When I said that’s not what Jesus wants from you, I didn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t want your car, home, pans, phone, and TV. He still has need of those things, it’s just that he is waiting for you to offer them up in his name and out of the incredible grace he’s shown to you. Nothing would please him more than to see you pass that grace onto others.
You can use your car when the Lord has need of it. There are always folks who would love a ride to worship Sunday mornings. There are always friends who need to be picked up from doctor appointments, driven to the airport, or who are looking for a pick up truck.
You can always offer your home as an act of hospitality for a small group, to get to know those who are new to the church, to invite neighbors in for dessert and to welcome them to the neighborhood.
You can use those pans and that induction stove to create meals to be brought in for the recently hospitalized or for new parents or for single friends who might enjoy a serving of whatever great menu you’ve got planned for next weekend.
You can use that fancy iPhone to make calls for the church, to check in on those who’ve lost a loved one or who need to hear a friendly voice.
Oh yes, the Lord does have need of it too. Our generous God would not have given you those gifts in abundance if God didn’t expect them to become pass through gifts in your grateful and appreciative hands.
May you hold onto what you’ve been given with a looseness that allows you to be God’s blessing to others.
Archived Posts
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
The Rest of the Story
I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message. He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer. His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well. I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family. The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have
Leftovers Continued…
It’s not just the fact that God is un-impressed by our leftovers, it actually goes deeper than that. In a sense, Jesus is passionately and purposely opposed to anything leftover. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to work diligently to make sure that in the end nothing at all is left over.
Less Stuff and Fewer Wants
Here’s a point I left off Sunday’s sermon due to time and length. In dealing with an Entitled mindset it is very helpful if you can Reduce Materialism and Consumerism.