![]() Character I am more and more persuaded from my experience that in proportion to the strength of our private life with God will be the force of our character and the power of our work for God among men. - Charles Spurgeon
0 Comments
![]() Skin In The Game by Jason Cruise If you have been following Christ for any amount of time, then surely by now you have confronted the brutal reality that you serve a God who is continually calling you to take risks in all matters of life as it relates to your faith. In the Parable of the Talents, the master makes what appears to be a risky move by allowing his servants not only to take large portions of his money, but also to be entrusted to manage his land while he's away on the journey. Land and money. The two greatest possessions a master could own. (fyi. a talent was equivalent to one year's salary) Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. - Matthew 25:14-18 The servants surely must have felt over-exposed. I know I would have. I'd have felt an immediate sense of panic to know that, for the first time, I've been called up to the big leagues. Even though two servants made successful investments and one did not, surely all three felt, as we say, in over their head. The next time ... and there will be a next time ... when God calls you to stretch beyond your borders remember this simple truth: though you may feel incredibly vulnerable and ripe for failure, do not believe the lie of the enemy that you are the one taking the risk. There will never be a time, my brothers, when you are the one with the greatest amount of skin in the game. Be obedient and enjoy the journey, the risk was never in your court in the first place. For God so love the world that He gave His only son ... ![]() Neglect. by Jason Cruise I found myself getting mad at this kid. He knew the exact location of every button I have that is labeled "Push For Instantaneous Negative Response." I could tell you the context of the situation, but then it would reveal too much about this kid, and you might discover that it's your kid, and then you'll stop reading The Man Minute. So, let's just assume, with absolute certainty, that it's definitely somebody else's kid. Later that night I realized that I could not burden this boy with shouldering 100% of the blame. Sure, when he gets older, the blame will be all his, but for now, he's only, by my best estimate, 30% to blame for his consistently obnoxious behavior. The blame really goes to his mom and dad. They chalk it up to his constant "attitude." I chalk it up to parents who are guilty of child abuse. That's right. Child neglect is what's going on here. His parents are neglecting to show real love, for real love loves too much to withhold discipline. Real love has boundaries. Real love cares enough to actually parent instead of just be a professional provider of things like toys, video games, rides to and from ball games, and food. To be candid, I grieve a bit when I think of this boy's future. I grieve over the way he's going to treat his wife, or the way he's going to be talked about in the office. Most of all I grieve for his mom and dad, for in a few short years, they are about to reap every single seed they've sown. Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death. - Proverbs 19:18 |
Jason CruiseJason Cruise is the founder of Mission. Mission was created to "vindicate the fatherless" in a country known as Moldova. To learn more go to www.themissionvision.net Jason is a well known speaker traveling across the country sharing his love for Christ at wildgame dinners and conferences. Jason has created many valuable resources for the outdoorsmen to take them deeper into their walk with their Creator. These items include DVD's, Bibles, and Bible studies. Archives
July 2014
Categories |