Don’t Bury Your Treasure

slide-10-burying-treasure[1]

Matthew 24:14-30 (NIV), “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Every job interview I have ever had they asked me my strong points and I always said, “I am a fast learner.” But, I am sure that God would disagree. I am reading through the bible in chronological order and am now in the New Testament. So I read this parable in a few different versions, and in a few different books. The wording wasn’t exactly the same, but in all of them the “wicked servant” didn’t use his talent. He hid it, or as in this version in Matthew he buried it. As I was fasting and praying this week, one of the petitions I lifted up to the lord was that my published books would sell. I had seen little or no sells month after month even though my books were going pretty steady for quite some time. I rebuked delay, I commanded them to sell, I thanked God for the finances, and that the books would be a blessing to those who read them. When I got around to thanking Him for my talent…this verse popped in my head and God spoke into my heart, “don’t bury your treasure.”

You would think the light would have come on then. In my defense I hadn’t eaten any food for some days and my mind was a little foggy. I did think that that would make good teaching on my blog so I stopped by the table in my prayer walk and wrote down “DON’T BURY YOUR TREASURE,” and continued to pray. It wasn’t until two days later as I was pondering my lesson for Ladies Bible study that the light came on. So maybe I am not always a fast learner but thank God He has patience with us.

My books pretty much stopped selling when I stopped writing on a consistent basis. I even ran into a parent of one of my past students and she asked me how the writing was going. I was honest and said I hadn’t done much and pointed to my beautiful nine month old grandson who I have been watching every day while his parents are at work. Finally I see that all my prayers, begging, frustrations were for nothing. My books weren’t selling not because Satan was withholding, or because God wasn’t blessing, it wasn’t because I was self published and I wasn’t doing enough marketing, it was because I had buried my talent.

It is so important that we use what God has given us, for His Glory!

II Timothy 1:6 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), “Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

Paul had to remind Timothy to “stir up” the gift that God had placed in Timothy’s life. He didn’t say, “Ask God to fan the flames and get you going again.” It is something each one of us has to do for ourselves. We have already been given the talents, the gifts, the character traits that God needed in us so that we could do what He has asked us to do. He put them there. Now it is our job to use them and when things seem to settle on the bottom we have to stir up the pot. He chose what He placed in us. It’s amazing that our simple mortal bodies can contain such wonderful gifts. When we see someone who can really sing or play an instrument we can’t help but acknowledge that they got that gift from a loving Father, even if they aren’t using the gift for Him, He is still the one who put it there.

II Corinthians 4:7 (NIV), “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Even some of the most wicked, worldly entertainers us the words, “I give God the glory” when accepting their awards and we know they are not in relationship with Him. How much more should we be using our gifts and talents to honor and glorify Him. If we are using them to glorify ourselves, we have stolen His glory. Those that I mentioned above may be doing lip service, but they haven’t truly glorified God, their messed up lives have a louder messages. Their pride and arrogant lifestyle negate the few words they speak at awards night. A vessel of honor doesn’t allow its contents to be used for dishonorable things.
It doesn’t matter if we’ve been given one, two, or many talents, what matters is what we do with what we have.
Charles H. Spurgeon in one of his sermons on the subject had this to say,

“You say, when such a man dies, who stood in the midst of the church, a triumphant for the truth, the angels will crowd to heaven’s gates to see him, for he has been a mighty hero, and done much for his Master. A Calvin or a Luther, with what plaudits shall they be received! — men with talents, who have been faithful to their trust. Yes, but know ye not, that there is many a humble village pastor whose flock scarcely numbers fifty, who toils for them as for his life, who spends hours in praying for their welfare, who uses all the little ability he has in his endeavor to win them to Christ; and do ye imagine that his entry into heaven shall be less triumphant than the entry of such a man as Luther? If so, ye know not how God dealeth with his people. He giveth them rewards, not according to the greatness of the goods with which they were entrusted, but according to their fidelity thereunto, and he that hath been faithful to the least, shall be as much rewarded, as he that hath been faithful in much … Ah! if there be degrees in glory, they will not be distributed according to our talents, but according to our faithfulness in using them.”

Having talents and gifts and not using them at all is like burying your treasure. It isn’t benefiting you and it certainly isn’t brining glory to God. How foolish would we think the next Publisher’s Clearinghouse winner, if they took their winnings and just buried it somewhere to rot away. Or think of those people who “hoard” things. If you’ve ever watched the show you know what happens…it spoils, it smells, it ruins, and rots.

Maybe you don’t see any talent in yourself. Sometimes, like my writing, it just needs to be developed. Other times you may be overlooking your talent or gift because it isn’t as obvious as musical ability or artistic ability. A good example is my husband. He is mechanically inclined and can fix just about anything. He has not only used this talent (just one of his many) to keep our own cars and appliances in working order, he has helped countless others with similar issues. He has used this talent to bless others. Or think of someone you know who loves children, maybe they aren’t great at teaching, but they sure know how to hug, and rock, and play with the little ones. Often you find them volunteering in nursery or working at a daycare. Then there are those who use their talents to provide for their families, or to earn a lot of money and distribute to the poor, or give into the Church. There are many ways to use our talents that glorify the Lord. One is not better than another. My husband’s mechanical talent isn’t less than Aaron Roger’s talent in sports, or Adam Levin’s singing talent. They are all supposed to be used for good, and they are all important to God’s plan.

So what is your talent?

What are you going to do with it?

Blog Tour for “Uncommon Blue” – YA Dystopian Fiction

51ukT7Lu74L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_[1]

The Book:
In Telesphore, the glowing color of a person’s palm determines their place in society, and touching hands with another mixes the colors permanently. When sixteen-year-old Bruno accidentally kills a royal soldier, he goes from favored to fugitive. Now Bruno’s only chance at survival is to become someone else. That means a haircut, a change of wardrobe, and most important, getting rid of his once cherished Blue. Now he’s visiting parts of town he never knew existed, and making friends with people he would’ve crossed the street to avoid only weeks ago. At the last minute, Bruno’s parents arrange a deal to clear his name and get his life back. All Bruno has to do is abandon those in the Red slums that look to him as a leader and let an innocent Green boy die in his place.

My Review:
I was given a copy of “Uncommon Blue” by the author, R.C.Hancock in exchange for an honest review. I love dystopian, think Hunger Games, The Giver, and Divergent. This one has a twist and I enjoyed the read. Great storyline of sacrifice and friendship. Good characters, geared for YA. I can recommend for Jr. High and up. I am 50 and I really liked it. There is a clear finish to the story but it is definitely open for more, and I hope that is the author’s plan. I give it 4+ stars. I really liked it!

Missing Lights

christmas_tree_blue_twinkle_gif[1]

My Christmas tree has been up for about a week. I was pretty proud of myself, I did all homemade decorations this year, brown paper bag, and felt hearts, applesauce and cinnamon ornaments, newspaper paper chain, and some green and red handprints of my grandchildren. Something happened between the day I finished and now, a strand of lights has a short so sometimes they are on, and sometimes they are off (no, those were not homemade). My husband mentioned that I had a bald spot from the front window, and it is very noticeable from the living room as well. I was pretty bummed, but not enough to take everything off and start over with a new strand.

I got to thinking how we are like those lights. It takes everyone in the strand to light up to make the tree beautiful. With modern technology, the days are over that when one light burnt out the whole strand, but you can still notice that one dark spot on the tree. With a whole strand shorting out, there are huge dark spots. You can’t notice as much with the lights on, but when I shut off the lights and it is dark outside, my favorite time to look at the tree, there they are…

One light not shining is sad, many lights not shining is darkness.

Matthew 5:16 (NIV), “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), “You are the light of the world. You cannot hide a city that has been built upon a mountain.”

Just like each one of those little white sparkling lights on my tree, each one of us is important.

Let your light shine!

Mary Did You Know?

mary-jesus-114[1]

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Mary Did You Know” so over the years I have pondered that very question and thought about what it must have been like to be the mother of “Immanuel,” God with us.

In the book of Luke we are introduced to this young woman named Mary. She is engaged to Joseph. Gabriel, an angel of the Lord visits her and shares these words, “Greetings to you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, His kingdom will never end. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you so the Holy One born to you will be called the Son of God.”

In the book of Matthew, her fiance, Joseph, also gets a visit from Gabriel. He had been trying to figure out a way to call off the engagement without bringing shame to Mary. The angel¬ tells Joseph, “Don’t put Mary away. What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

The name Jesus in Hebrew means “Savior.”

The night Jesus was born in that animal shelter a great multitude of angels appear to the humble shepherds and tell them, “Unto you is born this day a Savior.” When they go to see the child, they share all that the angels told them with Mary and Joseph.
At the temple for Jesus’ dedication, two witnesses speak of who He was. Simeon had been promised by the Lord that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph bring their little one into the temple, he gathers the baby into his arms and says, “Now Lord, you can let Your bond servant depart in peace according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation. Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the Glory of Your people.”

He goes on to share with Mary, “Behold this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed- and a sword will pierce even your own soul.”

The other witness at the temple is the prophetess Anna, who lives at the temple, worshipping, fasting and praying continually. She speaks to the parents of redemption in Jerusalem.

Mary at all of these things spoken to her by Gabriel, her cousin Elizabeth, the Shepherds, the Wiremen, Simeon, and Anna, treasures them and ponders them in her heart.

So, back to our question: Mary (and Joseph) did you know? I would have to say, “yes” they did. Maybe not everything, God doesn’t work that way. He expects us to live by faith after all. But those two knew who Jesus was, knew He was Holy, knew He was “God with Us.” What an awesome and awful responsibility! Yes, an honor, and yes, Mary is blessed, but think about it. We are so paranoid, partially thanks to people like Sigmund Freud, that we are going to mess up our kids. That somehow we are going to not be strong enough, soft enough, give the right advice, give the right gifts, spend enough time, the list is long, and that they won’t be who they are supposed to be. What if you had been in Mary’s shoes?

Clearly, scripture tells us that she pondered these things in her heart. It doesn’t tell us that she worried, or fretted, or ended up being some psychotic overprotective parent. The only time we read about her experiencing any anxiety is when they left Jerusalem without Him and didn’t find Him for three days. Even Jesus at that time, age twelve, expected His parents to understand that He had work to do.
Why is important to know that Mary and Joseph had an understanding of who their little one was? Because we have all been given the same task, as parents, we have been given a child to raise. Granted they aren’t deity, though we sometimes think that way in our own hearts, but they each have a purpose and God has destined them for great things. Should that stress us out? No. We should “treasure it up and ponder it in our hearts” as Mary did. Why did God choose her? The only answer I have for that is that He knew she was the best person for that job.

Isn’t that why he chose you?

It isn’t a mistake that you have the children that you do. He chose you. You are the best person for the job.

Walk in faith. Trust God and be led by His Spirit.

Your children, just like Jesus, are destined for greatness!

Opportunity Prayer

Father, I pray that You help me to walk as You want me to, live the way You intended, and to build Your Kingdom with all boldness and zeal. That I not waste one minute, one penny, or one opportunity to serve You and others in love and gratitude.

I Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV), “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

Book Reviews for “Crazy Love”-Christian non-fiction, “Recipe Hacker”- recipe book, “Ex Patriot”- Dystopian Fiction

I am catching up on several books I read over the Thanksgiving week.

41A9ax+yXFL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_[1]

I really liked Francis Chan’s book, “Crazy Love.” I don’t know anything about the author, other than he has a bunch of video’s on YouTube, but I so enjoyed this book. It challenges us to be Christians who walk in crazy love, who take risks, forget about all the things that most Americans are striving for and to live for God. It challenges us to help others in small ways and in crazy ways, to be led by the Holy Spirit in our service to God, not our level of comfort. I can recommend for Jr. High and up. I give it 4 stars.

A1eC2cYi6RL[1]

I was given a copy of “Recipe Hacker” by the author in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this cookbook. It is filled with healthy recipes that contain no refined sugar, gluten, grains, or dairy. Though I don’t feel the need to follow this strict of a diet, I do believe in all things in moderation and a healthy balance. This book is great for the person like me, who wants to cut out part of the fatty, sugar filled foods, and add in more healthy alternatives, or for the person with gluten, or dairy intolerances. I give it 5 stars. The recipes are simple enough, and there are full color pictures for each dish. The author also includes some personal stories and healthy eating tips throughout. I love that she even included cinnamon rolls! This would make a great gift for a recipe book lover, or someone with restricted diets.

517UB3guM2L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_[1]

Expatriate is the last book in the “Forager” series. I read them all and loved the books. I was given the first two by the author and enjoyed them so much, I purchased this last one. A great YA dystopian series. There is no swearing and the only sexual contents is implied. There is fighting and violence in the stories. At this point in time, societies have built up in different ways in different walled cities. Our two main characters are trying to bring the truth to light about what is happening and what has happened by city officials. Though this series is done, I will definitely be reading more by this author. I can recommend for ages 14 and up.