Hill Thread

Matthew 25:25
“I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.”

If you weren’t afraid of failing, what would you attempt today?

In Matthew 25:14-30, a wealthy businessman entrusted his entire estate to 3 key workers. He gave the first worker 5 talents, the second worker 2 talents, and the third worker 1 talent.

A talent is believed to be worth about 1 year’s salary. Knowing that helps us understand exactly how marvelous of an opportunity this was for the workers. It was a defining moment in their lives that gave them the chance to:
1. test their skills
2. practice good judgement
3. profit from their investment

Two of the workers accomplished all three of these things, but the third was afraid of failing his master. In his fear, he decided t play it safe and bury the money he was given. Playing it safe got him called wicked and lazy. (Matthew 25:26)

Fear of failure always makes us play it safe. Without the courage to start, we are already finished. Everyone will either overcome their fears or give into them.

Refuse to let fear stop you from making God a return on His investment. His investment is YOU. How we use the gifts that Go has given us is a matter of utmost importance. We all could use a little reckless faith.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

1 John 3:16-20
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

John 15:9-15
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

True love requires sacrifice. It’s true. To truly give of your love, you must be willing to sacrifice for it. According to the dictionary, the word sacrifice means “destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else”. In Other words, to give up something.

Sacrifice, that’s kind of a hard word for most of us. Really, it’s a word we don’t like to use all that often. We don’t want to sacrifice much, not money, not time, not our possessions, and not our lives. To truly understand what sacrifice is, and what it would look like in our lives, we have to consider what God sacrificed for us. Stop and think for a moment. Stop and just thank Jesus for being the ultimate sacrifice for us. Without Christ, we are nothing (John 15:6). He paid it all so we could be free. Take time right now to praise and worship Him for His most excellent sacrifice.

One of my favorite songs from Third Day is Offering. Here are a couple lyrics that penetrate my heart:

“Who am I that You should suffer
Your very life to set me free
The only thing that I can give You
Is the life You gave to me

This is my offering, dear Lord
This is my offering to You, God
And I will give You my life
For it’s all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me”

Have you sacrificed your life and they way the world tells you to live? Have you declared to God that you will live your life in obedience to Him who died for you?

Related Text:
2 Corinthians 5:15
“And Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Philippians 3:20
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Imagine for a moment that you are standing in a room with about 10 of your closest friends. You have shared good times and escaped death with these companions. You have spent the last three years with these people on a journey of learning, teaching, and service. But the person whom you have been following during this time was just arrested and put to death. You’re terrified that soldiers will knock down the door at any moment and arrest and kill you as well.

Then, all of a sudden, Jesus is standing before you, wounds and all. He tells you that He must leave you to be with God in heaven, but will return for you. You begin thinking about all that He taught you, all that He instructed you to do. You remember all of His instructions about love and forgiveness and obedience. You see Him ascend into heaven, and you begin counting the days, waiting for Him to return. You’re excited about His return, and you travel to the ends of the earth living your life to tell others about Him. Nothing else matters except spreading this news!

I know that we are hundreds and hundreds of years removed from the time when Jesus walked on this earth with His disciples. But what if we lived our lives truly believing that He could return at any moment.

Jesus describes it this way in Mark 13. He says it is like a master leaving his household for a journey, and leaving his servants in charge with certain instructions. The servants do not know when the master will return, but they will stay on alert and continue to be obedient, fulfilling the master’s instructions until the day of his return.

If we took Jesus at His word and lived our lives 100% believing He could return at any moment, how would our lives be different? Would we be concerned with a better job or a better car, or a bigger house? Sure, we can always find reasons to be concerned about stuff like that and convince ourselves that it’s very important. But when was the last time you were concerned about being obedient to God? When was the last time you were more concerned about your neighbor who doesn’t know Jesus than about getting the new slimmer LED tv and upgrading to HD? Don’t get defensive, but please humbly realize that stuff has a way of taking our focus away form Jesus.

So many of us have lost our intensity to live for God. Or, maybe we never had any intensity. Maybe the reason we’re lost our passion is because we’re so far removed from the time Jesus walked on this earth.I beg you to take inventory of your life. Recognize why you do what you do. Are you living in obedience to God? Live like children of God, live as though you are a citizen of heaven and heirs to God’s promise with Christ! Return to God, and live your life for Him who died for you. (2 Corinthians 5:15)

Related Text:
Philippians 3 (entire chapter, it’s great!!)

2 Chronicles 20:12
“We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

I don’t have a twelve step program, but here’s seven steps that have often helped me when seeking God’s guidance:

1. Clear the channel. Repent and receive forgiveness. Sin hinders communication with God. Confession and repentance show our willingness to set aside our selfishness and be open to God.

2. Be patient. “Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27: 14) “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3) Don’t give in to self-generated urgency. Wait for God to open doors and direct your path.

3. Be aware of and beware of external pressures. These usually result from our present circumstances, or from those who are trying to impose their agendas on us. Sift all advice through God’s Word.

4. Watch out for internal pressures. These can be triggered by fear or loss or exaggerated expectations. Don’t try to manifest God’s direction on your own.

5. Persist in prayer. “Pray all the time.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) God’s goal is to mold us into His Son’s likeness, and prayer is one of His tools. Prayer is not for God’s benefit, it is for our benefit, development, and maturity. He already knows what we should do; and as we persevere in prayer, He will reveal it to us at just the right moment.

6. Search the scriptures. Read, study, and digest God’s Word. It is and will always be an unfailing source of guidance and wisdom. It cuts through the clutter in your life and helps you to filter out what is not of God.

7. Wait for peace. “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.” (Colossians 3:15) Peace is the deciding factor after going through the other steps. Peace is the verification that we are making the right decision, don’t proceed without it and don’t lie to yourself about it. You’ll know when you have it.

Related Text:
Acts 17:11

1 Kings 18:43
“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
“There is nothing there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

As he prayed for rain, Elijah sensed something in his spirit that he wasn’t seeing with his eyes.  When he told his servant to look toward the sea, Elijah kept getting the same report over and over, “nothing”.  Then, “The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” (1 Kings 18:44)

When you pray (and we’re talking about a strong prayer life here), God will often show you the direction that His answer is going to come from.  But, first you have to:

1.  Stop being influenced by others who don’t share your vision.  ”Can two people walk together
without agreeing on the direction?” (Amos 3:3)  Allowing yourself to be influenced by those aren’t in sync with you spiritually can cost you dearly.

2.  Disregard conflicting voices.  Elijah tuned out everyone except God.  Learn to tune out the voices of fear, confusion, and doubt.  Look to God for your direction; He has given us guidance in the Holy Spirit, our counselor and guide.

Today, if there is a storm in your spirit, don’t ignore it.  Seek God’s direction and remove the outside influences that are not from God.  Know that God is with you and He will direct you.

Related Text:
Matthew 6:25-34

Romans 8:35, 38-39
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:16-19 (The Message)
13-16This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

To Love, to Be Loved
17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment— it is a sign of a person not yet fully formed in love.
19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

Unconditional love is the way God loves you and me. God’s love isn’t based on grades, personality, looks, money, past actions, present actions, future actions, friendships, athletic performance, business ethics, or anything.

READ it right there in one of the related texts, Deut. 7:7-8 (I basically says, God loves us because He loves us. Wow, wrap your head around that. The reason the Bible gives for God loving us is that it’s because He loves us!)

If God loved you for what you did, that would be called conditional love. But God’s love is unconditional because His love has no strings attached. Sure there are things that you and I do that God doesn’t like, but He will never keep His love from us!

NOTHING you or I do will separate us from God’s love. Believe it or not, there is no sin that is too gross, no language that is too bad, no action that’s too evil, and no thought that’s too wild to stop God from loving you! Wow, doesn’t that make you feel all warm and cozy, and want to crawl up in the lap of our Heavenly Father!

Digest this, God shows us unconditional love! Got it.

Reread Romans 8:35, 38-39 from the perspective as YOU showing God unconditional love. (I know, did your mind just melt!?!?)

Nothing that we go through, nothing that happens to us, no amount of pain we experience should cause us to stop loving God.

God loves us no matter what. Now throw that amazing love right back at Him, and love God no matter what you are going through.

Persevere!

Related Text:
Deuteronomy 7:7-11
John 3:16-19
Romans 5:8-11
Ephesians 2:4-10

John 15:13-15
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Friendship with God is maintained through continual study and meditation of God’s Word. It is impossible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what He says. We cannot love God unless we know Him, and knowing Him is possible only through spending time with Him in prayer and spending time in His Word. “He revealed Himself to Samuel through His word.” (1 Samuel 3:21)

Gos still uses the same method.

While we cannot literally spend time all day reading our Bibles. We have school and work and daily responsibilities that require our attention. But we can think about His Word throughout the day, recalling verses we have read or memorized, mulling them over in our minds, understanding how we can apply them to our daily lives. This is meditation. Meditation isn’t some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced thousands of years ago; it is focused thinking and it is a skill that anyone can accomplish.

Thinking about a problem over and over again is called worrying, thinking about God’s Word over and over again is called meditation. If you’ve ever worried about something, then you know how to meditate. simply change the focus from the problem to the solution. The more we spend time with God, the less we have to worry about. The more we meditate and study God’s Word, the more we will understand it.

To cultivate a friendship with God, start by practicing conversation with Him and continually meditating on His Word.

Related Text:
John 15:5-12
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Judges 7:17
“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do.”

Effective leaders understand that caring about workers is even more important than caring about work. They understand that happy people who feel cared about by the person leading them are more productive. Three things set effective leaders apart:

1. They are facilitators. They realize that nobody is ever what they ought to be until they are first doing what they ought to be doing ant that they way to accomplish their own goals is to help others reach theirs.

2. They are courteous. They never look down or talk down. They don’t have one set of manners for the important people and another set for the less important. To them, everyone is important because everyone has God-given potential. Servant-hearted leaders work hard to bring it out in the people they are leading.

3. Effective leaders are decisive. Joshua’s challenge cut to the chase: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) No waffling allowed! People need direction; therefore the good leader has to be decisive. Leaders are generally remembered for one of two thing: the problems they caused through indecision, or the problems they solved through clear direction. The effective leader sometimes has to go out on a limb, because that’s where the fruit is.

Think about this prayer:

“Lord, it is not easy being in the spotlight. It is lonely and scary and often the last place I want to be. This task is so far beyond me that there is nothing I can do but throw myself on You, asking for your strength and wisdom. Help me to exercise my authority with grace. Keep me strong. Give me courage and confidence. My desire is to lead with Your heart: give me the love it takes to lead well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Related Text:
John 15

Exodus 33:14
“God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.”

Knowing when to say “when” can save your life. Self-deceit is the hallmark of a person experiencing “The Martyr Syndrome.” This is a person who believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have to be involved in everything at their church and serve in every capacity. This just cannot be done, eventually you will succumb to stress and resentment.

If you’re going to survive, you’ve got to discover your own pace – not be driven by what people may or may not expect of you. Look out! Fatigue is dangerous; when it walks in, faith walks out. Furthermore, when we’ve burned out, we’re attacked by old enemies we’ve already conquered.

The person who is experiencing “The Martyr Syndrome” more often than not begins to forget why they are serving in the first place. They forget that Jesus is their focal point, and they get wrapped up in the “job” instead of being wrapped up in the one who died for them.

Step back, take a look at why you do what you do, and ask God to help you decide how to make the best impact for Him. Sometimes, doing more doesn’t do any good.

Nurtured and rested people are much more effective in every area. Their relationships with God are stronger; their families are happier; their health is better; they live longer than the martyrs. Why? Because they’ve truly found the place of rest.

Related Text:
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

We can see further than we can go because we are finite person working with an infinite God. Because His Spirit resides in each of us that belong to Him, there is more potential inside us that we have the life-span to realize. When we lay down our heads for the last time, we will still be dreaming dreams that we have never personally fulfilled.

So, does that mean we are failures? No!! There are things that we were meant to only begin or continue. Like an athlete handing the baton to the next runner, we can tell our successors to continue in the work of Jesus.

Like Moses, we stand atop the mountain we see the land we may never personally enter, for our vision will always show us more road than we can travel in a lifetime. Because of this, it is so important for us to communicate and be in relationships with other Christians. We cannot live this life alone, we need help. We are supposed to be a community of believers.