Matthew 6:24
You cannot be the slave of two masters!
You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
CBS
News has been running a story* about Fred Vautour, a Boston College
janitor who took advantage of a policy that allows children of BC
employees to attend the school tuition-free…provided they are accepted.
All five of Vautour’s children have done exactly that…his youngest,
Alicia, graduated recently with a nursing degree.
Vautour worked
the overnight shift for Boston College …cleaning Robsham Theater, which
has a 567-seat auditorium, classrooms, a dance studio, and a smaller
“black box” theater. Each child had to meet the stringent admissions
requirements for BC – and obviously Fred and his wife, Debra, have some
smart kids! – but in the end, the college’s generous policy for
employees whittled annual tuition from $66,000 per student down to about
$3000!
Since 1998, Vautour has performed these janitorial duties
to provide for his family. He said the thought of five college degrees
kept him motivated. And while the total monetary value of these five
diplomas is nearly $700,000…the dollar amount is not what appears to
have been Vautour’s primary focus. My opinion is that Fred saw the
mission God had given him - to nurture the lives of five children…and he
made this his focus.
Fred and Debra obviously invested in
their kids far beyond the impact of actual dollars. They clearly
encouraged their children to develop into bright, motivated, dedicated
young adults with a desire to become productive and successful. In
another article about this family, I learned that Fred coached Little
League…and Debra was a stay-at-home mom when the children were younger.
Fred’s annual income was approximately $60,000. This doesn’t fit the
definition of “money-hungry” in my book!
I share this family’s
story to say to you that when we focus on completing the mission God
gives us, He blesses us in ways we cannot imagine. This doesn’t mean
that all of our children will go to college virtually tuition-free. But
when we concentrate our efforts on obtaining material wealth – or
personal accolades and recognition, we can’t possibly give God the time
and attention He deserves.
We can idolize a myriad of
things…from possessions, to our personal appearance, to relationships
with other human beings and/or a hunger to be surrounded by the
attention of others. All of this robs God of our attention and
dedication. OR…we can go about our daily business, serving God as He has
designed – even as an overnight janitor and father of five who is
providing for the needs of his family (both short and long-term!). One
demonstrates, at the very least, a division of loyalties – which
short-changes God. The other represents a single-mindedness of
purpose…to hear God’s voice and follow only Him…even if He says to scrub
bathrooms and mop floors for the next 20 years!
Take a good look
at your daily living and determine who you are serving. Have you
allowed the love of money - or another desire/aspiration – to distract
you and divert your attention from God? Will this be the day that you
re-align your priorities and put the focus back on Him, where it
belongs? Don’t you think it should be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
* http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boston-college-janitor-sends-all-five-kids-to-college-for-free/
Showing posts with label serving God or serving ourselves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label serving God or serving ourselves. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 7, 2015
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
A friend posted an aerial photo on Facebook of the home of a well-known televangelist. Her caption was, “Room for a refugee or two? Too far out of your comfort zone? I just can't relate to you, Mr. XYZ.” I get it…I truly do. It’s hard for us to believe those who want to tell us what God’s word says to those who are struggling, hurting and downtrodden, while they live in “McMansions” and fly around the country on luxury jets – all while calling on us to “give until it hurts” at the altars of their churches.
Please open your heart and mind to what I am about to say. This is not for us to judge. We don’t have to listen to these people or follow their teachings. We do not have to attend the churches in which they lead. But we cannot condemn them or make any judgments about how they conduct their own lives. There are two reasons for this that come to mind, and I will try to explain both of them.
The first is a no-brainer…Jesus tells us not to judge others. It’s scriptural, and that should be all that we need to know. But there is another thing to consider...we do not know how God might be using this person. Almost two decades ago, I found myself compelled to watch the teaching/preaching of a certain televangelist. I began to study his sermons…to dig deeply into my Bible and to discover what God had to say to me. I started watching other televangelists and Bible scholars and reading their books and commentaries.
I learned a lot about my relationship with God and what the scriptures have to say…I was reawakened to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I was also prayerfully cautious to sift through what these people were saying and find God’s truth. I did not buy what they were “selling” hook, line and sinker. And yes, I was disappointed when some of them began to take an ugly turn…to ask for millions of dollars for new jets…to be arrested for domestic violence…to be investigated by the federal government for alleged violations of “possible misuse of donations.”
But here’s the thing…God used these people to speak to me – and to countless others. And while they may have taken a wrong turn, haven’t we all? Except for His grace, couldn’t others criticize us just as much for our own hypocritical words and actions?
So what does this all mean for us as faith-filled Christians? Are we to turn a blind eye to hypocrites and those who claim the name of Jesus to support their own selfish desires and agendas? For me, the answer is that we must let God do the judging. And just as importantly, we must make sure that our own thoughts, words and actions are above board at all times. We must not fall into the devil’s trap of saying and doing one thing while acting in another manner. We must be certain that we are about the LORD’s business…and busy minding that instead of someone else’s.
We must be careful about who we follow and remember that we are all mere mortals…sinful, vulnerable, and capable of falling into the traps of the devil at any given moment. We must make sure that we are truly “Godly” in our daily living…and not merely giving others the appearance that we are “religious.”
It’s time to check our words and actions to see where we are truly showing up for Jesus…and where we are simply making a show. I pray that God will use you and me to further His kingdom…in spite of our own sins and shortcomings…and that He will grant us wisdom and restraint to always reflect His teachings - and not our own agendas. I also pray that God will grant me humility…that I may let Him make the judgment on others - and render their verdict as He deems appropriate.
©2015 Debbie Robus
“Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
A friend posted an aerial photo on Facebook of the home of a well-known televangelist. Her caption was, “Room for a refugee or two? Too far out of your comfort zone? I just can't relate to you, Mr. XYZ.” I get it…I truly do. It’s hard for us to believe those who want to tell us what God’s word says to those who are struggling, hurting and downtrodden, while they live in “McMansions” and fly around the country on luxury jets – all while calling on us to “give until it hurts” at the altars of their churches.
Please open your heart and mind to what I am about to say. This is not for us to judge. We don’t have to listen to these people or follow their teachings. We do not have to attend the churches in which they lead. But we cannot condemn them or make any judgments about how they conduct their own lives. There are two reasons for this that come to mind, and I will try to explain both of them.
The first is a no-brainer…Jesus tells us not to judge others. It’s scriptural, and that should be all that we need to know. But there is another thing to consider...we do not know how God might be using this person. Almost two decades ago, I found myself compelled to watch the teaching/preaching of a certain televangelist. I began to study his sermons…to dig deeply into my Bible and to discover what God had to say to me. I started watching other televangelists and Bible scholars and reading their books and commentaries.
I learned a lot about my relationship with God and what the scriptures have to say…I was reawakened to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I was also prayerfully cautious to sift through what these people were saying and find God’s truth. I did not buy what they were “selling” hook, line and sinker. And yes, I was disappointed when some of them began to take an ugly turn…to ask for millions of dollars for new jets…to be arrested for domestic violence…to be investigated by the federal government for alleged violations of “possible misuse of donations.”
But here’s the thing…God used these people to speak to me – and to countless others. And while they may have taken a wrong turn, haven’t we all? Except for His grace, couldn’t others criticize us just as much for our own hypocritical words and actions?
So what does this all mean for us as faith-filled Christians? Are we to turn a blind eye to hypocrites and those who claim the name of Jesus to support their own selfish desires and agendas? For me, the answer is that we must let God do the judging. And just as importantly, we must make sure that our own thoughts, words and actions are above board at all times. We must not fall into the devil’s trap of saying and doing one thing while acting in another manner. We must be certain that we are about the LORD’s business…and busy minding that instead of someone else’s.
We must be careful about who we follow and remember that we are all mere mortals…sinful, vulnerable, and capable of falling into the traps of the devil at any given moment. We must make sure that we are truly “Godly” in our daily living…and not merely giving others the appearance that we are “religious.”
It’s time to check our words and actions to see where we are truly showing up for Jesus…and where we are simply making a show. I pray that God will use you and me to further His kingdom…in spite of our own sins and shortcomings…and that He will grant us wisdom and restraint to always reflect His teachings - and not our own agendas. I also pray that God will grant me humility…that I may let Him make the judgment on others - and render their verdict as He deems appropriate.
©2015 Debbie Robus
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