July 13, 2008 Sermon Notes

Pastor Matt Anderson – July 13, 2008
“How to Use What You Have”
U Picked It series, part two

 

The Story: The parable of the talents (Matthew 25.14-30, The Message)

 

The Issue: Management/stewardship

 

The Question: What are you doing with what you’ve been given?

 

What?

Money

Time

Abilities

 

How?

Don’t compare.

Leverage it for good.

 

Why?

We will be held accountable for how we’ve used or buried our money, our time and, our abilities.

 

 

A morning thought…

Growing up on the farm offered many benefits that have impacted me for life. One was the ability to observe two beehives that my father had strategically placed in our small orchard behind our house. Once a year, the beekeeper would come, open the hive, and extract the trays filled with combs that yielded a sweet alfalfa-flavored, rich, golden honey.

Beyond the final product, I saw firsthand the complex system of activity to which bees have been given the responsibility of producing. The great queen bee at the center produces the offspring. The drones mate with the queen bee and ventilate the hive by their flapping wings. They keep the temperature as constant as possible. The worker bees are out in the fields gathering pollen for hives while fertilizing the surrounding gardens, trees, and crops. We, like the bees, have been called to produce, through lives of obedience, using the gifts and talents we have been given by God.

“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’  various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God Himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, The Message).

—George R. Skramstad, 2008