Triple "T"

I think it is safe to assume that everyone enjoys receiving gifts. Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, baby showers, or weddings, it's almost as much fun anticipating what is inside the box as we rip open the wrapping paper and bows, as it is to actually take the gift out of the box. Gifts symbolize a tangible expression of our love that we share with family and friends. We hit the mark when we are able to find that truly perfect gift that meets the needs of the recipient and fills their heart with joy. Today's title, "Triple T" is all about three gifts that God, out of His enduring love, gives each of us. Each person's gifts are unique to them, but the three gifts are in and of themselves the same; time, talent, and treasure. Let's take a look at how we accept God's gifts and what His expectations are for us.

According to the Book of Ecclesiastes we are each given an appointed time in life. "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens:  a time to be born and a time to die" Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. The gift in this case is not the length of life that God has selected for us, but more so what we do with the time we have been appointed. How do you spend your time? What percentage of your day is spent working? How much do you invest in serving others? What do you do in your spare time? Is that all about "me time", or do you willingly give your time to helping others who need your support? 

The second "T" represents talents. Many times, we refer to specific talents as gifts from God, i.e. "God given talent", which is highly appropriate especially when you put it in context of our discussion today. Again, God has given you and I certain talents that He expects us to use for His benefit and glory. I imagine you have an idea of your talents, but nevertheless there are many individuals that feel they have no significant talent in their body or mind. If you can identify your "God given" talents, my question would have to be how are you using the unique talents that God has given you to benefit the Kingdom of God? Again, the talents you have been given are to be utilized now not later down the road. 

The last of the "Triple T's" is treasure. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus shared that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." That is so true, what we treasure is where we will spend our time and direct our talent. The question is what do we treasure? Are our treasures found in earthly possessions or do we seek out treasure that won't rust or rot as Jesus describes in Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Family, friends, our faith, and God's promise of eternal life in Heaven are treasures that we should be investing our time and talent into, not material items or worldly wealth that is only there for a time and has no eternal value at all. 

When I think of the Triple "Ts" I am reminded of the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. The application of this parable to today's message is seamlessly intertwined. In the story, a businessman is preparing to travel for some time, so while he is going to be gone the man assigns a certain amount of his wealth or "talents" as certain currencies were referred to in the ancient world, to three of his servants. One receives five talents, another three, and the last receives one talent. When the businessman returns he inquires of his servants about the status of the assigned wealth. The first two invested their talents and doubled the value of what they had been entrusted with by their master. The third servant presented the businessman with the same one talent that he had been given. When asked why he only had the same one talent to present, the servant replied that he was afraid he might lose it and he didn't want to disappoint his master. Wrong answer. The master took the talent and gave it to the servant that had doubled the five talents, adding to his wealth. In other words, God doesn't give us "talents", time, or treasure to sit on and waste, instead He has given us what we need to serve Him and it is our job to use the Triple "Ts" to fulfill our purpose in this life God has given us to live. 

In conclusion today, it may be obvious, but none of our time, talents, or treasures are limitless. Matter of fact, they are all finite. There will be a time when our time on this earth comes to an end. Just as we saw in the parable of the talents, our talents are to be used not set on a shelf waiting for the right time to be used, and what we treasure must align with how we spend our time and energy. In other words, the investment into what we treasure determines the return on that investment. Ask yourself about how you spend your time each day. Analyze your talents and see if you are investing them in the lives of others, or are you only focused on building your personal savings account. And at the end of the day, it is important to remember that "where your heart is there too will be where and what you treasure". Make a sound investment and receive God's reward for the life He gave you to live!

Coach Carter

 

Like Father, Like Son

 Happy Father's Day! In America and around the world this day has been set aside to show our honor and gratitude to fathers for all they do and have done to raise their families. The sacrificial love of a father knows no boundaries and has no limits. I am grateful for the years that I had my dad, and I am thankful that I can look back and see the myriad life lessons he taught me through the life he lived and the sacrifices he made. Thank you dad!

 

Throughout my childhood and on into the teen years and early adulthood I made many mistakes and loads of bad choices, some of which I most certainly did not deserve forgiveness for from Joe E. Carter. Regardless of the mess I made, my father was there to help me sort out what needed to be done to correct a wrong, or clean up my mess. It would have been easy for him to turn his back on me, but he never did. I'm certain many of you could share similar memories of how your own father was there when you needed him most. Precious memories for sure. But, what about those fathers and sons who have taken a stance of bitter judgement or grievous betrayal? When the actions of the son warrant consequences, do we pass judgement or do we give the same kind of forgiveness that was shared with each of us?

 

I know fathers and sons or daughters who have not spoken in years due to bad choices and mistakes that have created lasting scars in their family relationship. In some cases, the father is waiting on the prodigal son to return, willing to accept the son, but waiting on the son to make the first step home. In other cases, both father and son feel they are in the right and they are waiting on the other to admit their guilt and ask for the other's forgiveness. In either situation, the end result is an estranged relationship between father and son. Son messes up, father holds a grudge and will not forgive, son is hurt and gets offended, and suddenly the Berlin Wall has been cast between a father and son that played ball together in the backyard just a few years earlier. Unfortunately, I know of several situations like this that have gone on for years, creating a void of paternal tutelage and most importantly love. This fragmented relationship is heartbreaking in itself, but have you ever heard the old saying, "Like father, like son"? Meaning the ways of the father, many times become the same exact ways of the son. Grandfathers, who among you have a desire to see the relationship between your son and your grandson or granddaughter severed by the grudgement you created between you and your son? To me that would be even more heartbreaking. Yet just as the old saying goes, we teach our children through our actions not our words. If we are unwilling to forgive, how can we expect to teach our children to forgive? It is a cycle that should not be fostered and embellished, instead we should look to a Father and Son example that provide a model to follow. 

 

Two examples of forgiveness given when it was not earned or even deserved exemplify the template for us as fathers and mothers, sons or daughters. John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.", God loved a sin-laden world that had turned its back on Him. God loved us so much that He was willing to provide a pathway to forgiveness and life eternal with Him in Heaven, even if the cost of doing that meant that His only Son, Jesus, would ultimately become the purchase price for His forgiveness to be given. What an example of sacrificial love. Then just as "Like Father, like Son" Jesus followed the same precedent set by His Father and accepted the cross and asked His Father to forgive the very crowd that demanded He be crucified. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. The choice Jesus made to ask for forgiveness to those who persecuted Him, was made because His Father, our Heavenly Father chose first to forgive the world that had turned its back on Him.

I am blessed to have my daughter, son-in-law, son, and nephew/son. I am also blessed to have a positive nurturing relationship with all four. They each make mistakes, and God knows I have made my share of mishaps along the way. I am grateful that we have not allowed life to get in the way of our relationships. Sadly, that is not the case for everyone out there today. My charge to fathers, grandfathers, sons, and daughters is to not let the past dictate the future of your family's relationships. Your words will be heard, but your actions will speak volumes over any words you convey. Follow the example of the Father, and be the father that sets the example of how your son or daughter will engage in forgiving their own child. 

"Like the Father, like the Son!"

Coach Carter

Whatever You Do ...

 Last week we looked at "what" you are doing for Heaven's sake, as I thought about that question over the next several days, I was drawn back to one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," Colossians 3:23, basically says WHATEVER you do, give it all you got, and do it as if you are doing it for the Lord and not just for men to see you do it. I created Extreme Wrestling and later Extreme Volleyball with that scripture in mind. When I read whatever you do, work heartily, what I hear is "Go Extreme!!" Give it all you got, don't hold back, live each day as the gift it truly is, and whatever it is you are doing, do it as if God is sitting right there beside you, because He is!

 

So, where does this idea of giving it all you got apply? I believe the scripture itself answers that question in one simple word, "whatever". Whatever we do, do it as if we were doing it for God and not for the men and women, boys and girls that are the beneficiaries of all we do. Whatever we do, does that include the way we respond when we pass someone on the street? Certainly. How about when we are driving done the road and we get cut off by the car in the other lane? Definitely. How about when we are faced with taking a shortcut at work just to get a task or project completed? What do you think? Yes of course. When we are coaching, (remember you are always coaching), as you parent your children, as you date your spouse or possibly your spouse to be, when you play a sport, when you manicure your lawn, "whatever" you do pretty much sums up where this applies. 

 

Someone out there is thinking, "Man that is a great deal of pressure", to which I would reply it shouldn't be if in all we do, we keep in mind who we are doing it for and why we are doing it. If you know the expectations for your life then it makes it easier to fulfill your responsibilities. "Whatever" pretty much covers everything we do, but knowing how to do things "as for the Lord and not for men" gets a little tricky if you don't know the true expectation. Learning how to do whatever we do for God comes by developing a relationship with God. Reading His word, and actually studying the Word, gives us examples of men and women in the Bible who lived out their lives doing whatever they did for God. 

Paul is my go-to as I look to live out this scripture in my own life. Matter of fact, Paul is the one who penned Colossians 3:23, letting the church in Colossae know that the expectation was that in all they did they were to do it as if they were doing it for God which in turn would impact the lives of others each day. Paul didn't just share that in a single setting, in the same chapter of Colossians, Paul also shares "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Paul says whatever you do in word or deed, and then he takes it another step and charges us to give thanks for God allowing us to have the opportunity to do it! 

 

Paul endured much after his conversion as a follower of Christ. Imprisoned, beaten, tortured, shipwrecked at sea, and eventually martyred, and in all he did he kept his eye on the prize. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day ..." II Timothy 4:7-8. Paul lived his life as if he wasn't living it for himself. He lived his life as we should strive to live out our own life. Paul lived his life in a manner that others could see God living in him and through all that he did each day of his life. For those who don't know God and do not have a personal relationship with God, someone has to be that living example, otherwise they may never see God, let alone seek Him and turn to Him. 

 

"Whatever you do" is a big request, but if we truly live for God then all we do will be done with the end in mind. Get to know God, spend time in His word, pray to Him often, and seek God's will in "whatever" you do! You are a difference maker in the lives of those you live and work with each day. "Go Extreme!!"

Coach Carter

 

What are You Doing?

 As I was driving to our daughter's house yesterday, I passed a church and about broke my neck as I read their message board. The message was a play on words which I felt was a perfect message for our time together today. The original saying that I remember hearing from my parents and grandmother goes like this, "For Heaven's sake, what in the world are you doing???" That question was normally invoked when I was doing something that was a little out of sorts for what was commonly accepted as the norm. The message on the church display flipped the question to read as follows, "What in the world are you doing for Heaven's sake?" As I read that question it resonated over and over in my mind, always landing back in my thoughts as what are we doing that is still out of sorts, that is being done to expand the Kingdom of God? 

 

In the original format of the question above, I was generally doing something I probably shouldn't have been doing and my mom was grasping for an explanation for what was going on. Almost like, "are you crazy or lost your mind, what are you doing? The surprise and shock of the moment dominated the reaction from my mom. That same shock and surprise should not be present as we reverse the question to the latter form provided above. 

 

"What in the world are you doing for Heaven's sake?", begs us to evaluate our life and determine whether we are spending our days doing things for the sake of expanding Heaven or are our decisions all centered on what is best for self? We will make thousands of decisions each day and many of those will be done in such a way that it truly isn't a situation where our decisions will only impact self. The choices we make will either have a positive influence on sharing our faith and trust in our Father, or unfortunately our decisions can create a negative impact on our living testimony of the goodness of God. So, the question above is valid and important, what are you doing for Heaven's sake?

 

Do you hold grudges? Are you treating others that aren't necessarily just like you as valuable and loved? Do you work hard or hardly work? Do you give love when it would be easier to walk on by and give nothing of yourself? Can others see faith lived out in your life through perseverance and resilience? Basically, are others that you interact with each day able to see God working in you and through you? 

I believe it is always important to remember that you may be the only example of God's love that a person encounters today. We are charged to go out and to make disciples of all that we come in contact with throughout our daily journey (Matthew 28:19), how are you accomplishing the command that Jesus set before us? In Galatians 2:20 Paul tells us that, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me". If our claim is that we live for Christ, then when we are asked what we are doing for Heaven's sake, the response should be evidenced by the words we speak and the actions we carry out in our daily walk. 

 

As we start a new week take a few minutes to ask yourself, "What in the world am I doing for Heaven's sake?" Do you live out each day only to benefit yourself, or is your life a living sacrifice in which you give without expecting something in return? Jesus gave His life for a world that turned its back on Him, why? It wasn't about Him and what He would endure. Jesus made the decision to give His life so that others could have a pathway to forgiveness and salvation. In what areas of your life could you sacrifice more? How can your life impact the lives of those you love, the people you work with, and all those that you encounter along life's journey? Live out the life God gave you to live and when you are faced with the question of what are you doing for the sake of Heaven, your life and the fruits thereof will bear the answer.

Coach Carter