Passing the Buck Part 2

Passing the Buck Part 2

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Gal 2:20

It is easy to get caught up in living the way of the world. Back in the 1980's, Ivan Boesky, a man later sentenced to prison for securities fraud, embodied that philosophy. Time Magazine featured him on their front cover, when he was at his height, with the title Making Millions with Your Money. His life motto was "he who dies with the most toys wins." I remember, as a young man, seeing a painting that depicted this motto. It showed a beautiful home on a beach front with a four stall garage filled with expensive cars. Just like so many Americans, I envied these people, aspired to embody their mottos and was focused on myself and material happiness. I did not care about my neighbor as Jesus commanded. (Matthew 19:19)

To see life as Christ and start living for him, giving for him as loving our neighbor as ourselves, our hearts need to be transformed to the image of Jesus Christ. We can't do this alone, but as believers we don't need to; we have the Holy Spirit. Scott Rodin says in The Transformation of the Godly Steward: Promise, Problems and Process, "Transformation is holistic, requiring our whole being: heart, soul, strength, and mind. If the Holy Spirit is the transforming agent, then every miniscule particle of our being will be affected by His work in us."

He goes on to say, "It calls us to die to the old nature, to the lies we have been told and believed about our vocation." The key point is what he says next, "Transformation involves nothing less than the complete abandonment of our thrones and the dismantling of our earthly kingdoms. It is a transformation from the struggle of two-kingdom living to the joy of one-kingdom service." We cannot live for two kingdoms.

Scott Rodin quotes in his article "Just as Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us, He desires that we learn to be givers in our everyday lives in response to His generosity." Scott says, "When you are freely giving a treasure beyond all value, how can you receive it but with joy, thanksgiving, and praise?" How can we have this unbelievable gift of salvation given to us by God and not have a desire to give back to Him for all He has done for us? Moving away from the self-centered view and becoming more God centered. It is realizing as Scott states "in the end, godly stewardship is all about lordship." This transformation he says "gives us no greater freedom that is available to humankind than that of a godly steward." We are free! We are free to live for him, we are free to give to Him, we are free! We don't wait for someone else to give, because we see this as one of the purposes in our lives. To give generously as God has given to us.

I have the privilege of meeting many different people and I'm blessed by their examples of living for Him and not themselves. I met one such couple recently. The first and last thing they said to me was, "We only want to live to give all we have to God." They have been faithful stewards their whole life, giving all along. As they acquired more they gave more. As they gave, God gave. They recently came into a sizeable inheritance and, as always, they gave. They retired from work and gave of their lives by serving as short term missionaries in a foreign country and are planning to go again in a couple of weeks. They give not because they can or because of tax benefits but for their love of Jesus! Tears come to their eyes when they talk about what Christ has done for them and how unworthy they feel for what He continues to do for them. They will never pass the buck to anyone else. They joyfully take the responsibility God has given them and continue to live, continue to serve and continue to give.

Quote - "Our possessions are meaningless to the One who created and owns everything. But our hearts are His treasure." Howard Dayton This devotional was written by Bernie Bostwick, Vice-President of Ambassador Advisors. Please check out Bob Kauffman's statement on the current financial crisis that is impacting our nation. You can read it on our America's KESWICK website: www.americaskeswick.org

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 25; Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4

Great Quote: "If you don't live it, you don't believe it." Paul Harvey