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Use it or lose it! I hear that from Obama a lot these days in response to the oil companies sitting on a bunch of land that isn’t being used for drilling for oil. Obama says use the land or the government is gonna take it back.

Is there something you have been given, such as a talent that you aren’t using? Did you think that you could just hang onto it and keep it in your back pocket forever?

Luke 8:16-18: 16“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

This is a parable that Jesus tells to his disciples as a way of letting them know that they are to share the truth (the light) with the world, not keep it for themselves. However, in general terms we can think of the light as the talent or gift that God has entrusted us with. Should we keep that talent or gift hidden so that no one else can know it? If so, why did he give it to you in the first place?

Maybe it’s something you know needs to be shared, but you are scared or feel you aren’t good enough yet. Well, in verse 18 we see that whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has, will be taken away from him. If you work on the talent or gift to make yourself better, God will honor that commitment and continue to lead you to improvement and confidence. If you don’t apply yourself, then some day you may want to only to realize that it has been lost.

Have you ever been in a place where you want to kick yourself for not doing something you think you should have? I hear this a lot with people that wanted to play music when they were younger, but as they got older they don’t have the time or the patience to develop the talent and always end up wondering what it could have been like had they just played when they had the chance.

Some of you know that you can sing well if you just tried, but you keep to yourself because you think others won’t appreciate your voice. Some of you have a gift to connect and relate with strangers, but you won’t share the gospel with another because you are afraid that they may reject you because you stumble in your words. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect so practice! Everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s never at the top.

Take a risk! Be bold! Thank God for giving you that special gift or talent and commit it to him and share it with the world. You were given the talent or gift for a reason and it shouldn’t be kept hidden. Have the faith in knowing that God wants you to share it with others so that he may be glorified. Sometimes you only get one opportunity and then it’s too late. Don’t let this pass you by. Have faith and enjoy the experience. You’ll feel much better for trying and you’ll probably please and bless a bunch more people than just yourself

Title: Why did Lazarus Have to Die?: A Test of Faith, Part 1

Scripture: John 11:1-16

1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

7Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”

9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”

11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

1. What experiences can we look back upon to affirm our faith?
John 11:2- This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

Our study begins and ends with two people that we know had times of great faith and not-so-great faith. Mary, as we will find out next week, fails the faith test when she condemns Jesus for not being there in time to save her brother Lazarus from death. Yet, as referenced in John 11:2, we come to know that Mary lavished expensive perfumed oil on Jesus’ feet to the dismay of Judas and others in the room.

Mary has a chance to be a little lackluster in her faith, yet through her experience with Jesus in John 11 we can understand why her faith stands out so strongly in John 12 when she is rebuked by Judas, yet praised by Jesus. We must reflect on times when we relied on our faith and God honored that by seeing us through the difficult time and made us stronger by having gone through the trial.

2. Is it faith if we demand it to be on our timing and not wait on God’s timing?
John 11:6- Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Imagine if you asked God to answer a prayer, yet didn’t see any response. Would you give up? Would get angry? Here we see Jesus explicitly stating that he knew Lazarus was sick, yet he did not go to visit him for two more days. God works on his timing and we are not in a position to try and bring him down to our level. We must be patient and trust in the Lord as his might and his power can only be glorified when he works within the heavenly realms, and not our earthly ways.

3. When God calls upon our faith, how do we respond?
John 11:12-13- His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

How many times have we heard God’s voice, yet responded in an incorrect or inappropriate manner? In John 11 Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem (through Bethany, which is just 2 miles away) for the Passover and his death on the cross. Therefore by this time the disciples had walked with Jesus for 3 years, yet when he says Lazarus is asleep, they don’t realize he meant Lazarus was dead. They question Jesus and wonder why he would want to wake up Lazarus when sleep may do him so good. When God calls us to respond in faith, do we act in faith or do we hear what we want to hear and then question his motives?

4. Everyone has experienced doubts sometimes
John 11:16- Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Here Thomas shows a strong faith in Jesus exclaiming that all the disciples should go to Bethany and die with Lazarus so that they may have new life and that God may be glorified. However, most of us know the disciple Thomas as Doubting Thomas. This is the same Thomas that couldn’t believe Jesus had risen from the grave and now walked amongst his followers. His faith was very low at the time and he even challenged Jesus by saying the only way he would believe was if he could put his finger into the hole where the Roman soldier had pierced his side on the cross. Have you ever been so bold as to challenge Jesus when he called upon you? Has it made you feel guilty or ashamed? Jesus knows us and knows that we will have times when we doubt his call or fail to follow his voice. We are placed in this world and do our best to be godly in all things, yet we are incapable of perfection. God knows this and therefore doesn’t give us such experiences of stumbling in our faith so that he can make us feel guilty. He wants us to learn from the experience and help be able to better discern his voice and to respond without fear as we grow and mature in our relationship with God.

You are not alone when you doubt and it doesn’t make you any less of a Christian when you do. Remember, it’s not necessarily about the choices we make, but it’s how we handle them that mark who we are in Christ.

Something has my mind contemplating the change of seasons. It’s cold outside and leaves are dropping. It finally feels as if summer has left us and we are now into fall.

Living in Sacramento we experience very distinct seasons. Summer is hot and dry, fall is cool and breezy, winter is cold and rainy, and spring starts the cycle all over again with mild, sunny days and blooming flowers everywhere. I’ve talked to people about how I enjoyed my brief period living in the Los Angeles area. I spent about 6 months in Redondo Beach and loved it. It was generally around 70 degrees in the day, about 50 degrees at night and very little rain. I lived one block from the beach and used to walk there almost daily. No smog, no traffic, no glaring displays of wealth…for me it was great! Many people I talk to though have a different experience. They hate it because everyday is like the same to them. They need to experience changes in season. As I think about this I wonder how these people feel when they experience changes of season in their own personal lives. Not changes in weather, but changes in their lifestyle, finances, relationships, etc. It seems that many want to go through changing seasons of the weather, but not of their lives. We are creatures of habit and don’t like being made to feel uncomfortable.

As it gets colder outside, I have the luxury of being able to add another blanket to the bed or turning the heater on rather than feeling cold. I don’t need to complain as I have things I can do. What about in life though? When things get uncomfortable do we seek to change the situation for the better or do we complain about the situation? Think about it.

As fall is here I sense a season about to change in my life as well. Actually, this year has been filled with changes. Some things are being forced upon me that I’m not happy about, but through my faith I know that God has a solution if I open my eyes and ears and seek it rather than sit around and complain about it. Even with some potentially uncomfortable things about to happen and even with the weather turning colder and rain about to come I am having a positive outlook on the future. I’m willing to face the challenges and deal with them knowing that it will make for a brighter future and renew me and prepare me to blossom in much the same way the rain comes to prepare the flowers to be renewed when the spring sun comes and invites them to shine brightly under the warm skies.

Seasons change. This time I’m gonna be ready.

I couldn’t believe what I read on cnn.com today (click here for the full article). A flight attendant is suing Victoria Osteen because Osteen reportedly got upset and displayed some un-Christian like actions which caused the flight attendant to lose her faith. Seriously, a jury has been selected and the case is about to start trial. Apparently it was such a serious incident that the FAA fined Victoria Osteen $3000 for interfering with a crew member.

This is a crazy story in my opinion, but it opens up the question of whether the actions of a pastor can cause someone to lose their faith? I’m sure it’s happened where a pastor does something, such as secretly takes money from the church, and then people in the church leave their faith because of it. Should our faith reside in what our pastors do? I don’t think so! That is the glorious nature of living in Christ is that we are each called to have a unique purpose and that we may enjoy a direct, eternal relationship with him. In no other faith can one be so united with their god as Christianity is with our God.

Another thing this incident brings up is that none of us are above our own actions and that everything we do will have ramifications and can potentially cause harm to another. We are called to let Christ be the light of the world through us. Pastors in-particular are viewed under greater scrutiny and we need to be aware of that. While it may not be fair, it is the way things are and when we accept the role of pastor we must accept that it comes with this additional scrutiny. Thankfully, through Christ there is grace!