This week we are continuing our series about the importance of investing in others, especially younger generations. Last week we talked about beginning that investment by making sure our faith and relationship with God is something worth passing on to others. We took a close look at Deuteronomy 6:4-6 which says:

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”

Today, we are going to be taking a look at the next verse in this passage. In verse 7, it says:

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

In many ways, last week was the “what “of investing in the coming generations. The “what” is faith and a relationship with God. Now we are starting to get into the how, or maybe more specifically the when, of this investing. How do we invest in others, especially in the next generations? How do I make time for that in my busy schedule? When do I teach? Do I need to be in a classroom or teaching a Bible lesson? Do I force people to sit and listen?

This verse helps us to answer all of those questions and more. The direction we see in Deuteronomy 6:7 is that we talk about and teach these things all the time as we go about our day together in relationship. The verse says that they were to talk about these things with their sons when they were sitting in the house, when they were out walking somewhere, when they were going to bed at night, and when they woke up in the morning. That pretty much covers all day wherever they were. 

As you read that verse, you might be saying that’s great but I don’t have kids or maybe that your kids are grown and out of the house. That’s alright because the principles that we see in this verse still apply to each and every one of our lives no matter what stage of life we are in or what circumstances we face. At the time Moses was speaking to the men of Israel, their primary relationships were with their families, specifically their sons. Our lives and culture today look different at times, but the command to share our faith with others and the principles for how to do it are still valid. 

While it is imperative that parents teach their children about God, we can and should do the same with anyone we are walking alongside in life. As this verse demonstrates it’s not necessarily something that we need to go out of our way to make time for and it doesn’t have to be some formal Bible lesson, not that there is anything wrong with that at times. Instead, this verse is challenging us to make the most of every moment. There are teachable moments happening all around us everyday, everywhere we are, and in everyday conversations. We need to begin to ask God for wisdom and sensitivity to recognize these moments. Whether it’s a child or senior adult or anyone in between, there are moments that come up in conversations and sharing life together where we can teach, remind, encourage, or talk about who God is, His commands, or how we love Him or trust Him. God will provide moments each and everyday. It’s our job to recognize them and be faithful to follow through with them. 

So, who will you be with today when you’re sitting in your house, school, office, or a waiting room? Who will be with you when you’re out for a walk, driving around, or on a bus? Who will you be on the phone with, FaceTiming or texting with? As you go about your day, wherever you go or whatever you do recognize who God has placed in your life. Then keep your ears and eyes open for the opportunities He is giving you to use the normal everyday things of life to talk about Him and His principles as you share His love with those around you.

Today's post begins with a Scripture passage from Matthew 25:14-30.

​As I read this passage recently two words caught my attention in a way I’d never really noticed before. Those words were “afraid” and “entrusted”.

The third servant in the story was was clearly operating out of a mindset of fear. He was afraid and he hid what was given to him. Sounds a lot like Adam and Eve who found themselves hiding after sin entered the world.

Why was this third servant living in this place of fear? You might say that that wasn’t his fault, because he wasn’t given as much so in a way it would be easier for him to lose everything. The second servant really didn’t have much more than the third servant though, and yet he approached things very differently.

I don’t know that I’ve ever really questioned that difference too much. Two were good stewards. The third one wasn’t. We should be like the first two. Seems simple enough, but why did the third guy make such a different decision?

He was afraid. He wanted to protect what he had because he was afraid of losing it. It seems like his focus was on what would happen to him if he lost what belonged to the master.

But the word that seems pretty important here is a word used by both of the first two servants. They both used the word “entrusted”. They both refer to the money the master gave them as having been “entrusted” to them. This word is nowhere to be found in the third servant’s explanation.

Their next words seem to shed just a little more light on the mindset difference. The first two servants both say to their master “See, I have gained…more talents” while the third servant says “See, you have what is yours.” The first two viewed what they had been given as theirs to do something with. They saw that they had been trusted to make use of the money in a way that honored their master. The third servant couldn’t seem to see past the fact that the money ultimately didn’t belong to him and that something bad might happen to him if he did anything with it.

Toward the end of this passage the master says: “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance”. Sometimes that seems kind of harsh. How are people supposed to get anything if only those who have get more? But then that word abundance caught my eye. It reminded me of John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The third servant didn’t seem to recognize what he had been given. He only saw what he had to lose. Sometimes it is so easy for the “thief” to get us to focus on what we don’t have or what we could lose and we end up losing sight of what we have been given and how we have been trusted. It’s the difference between living with a scarcity mindset that tells us that there will never be enough, and living the abundant life that God wants us to live.

We each have to choose what we are going to focus on. Will we focus on protecting what we’ve been given, being too afraid to lose it to the point we won’t accept and use it. Or will we focus on what we’ve been given, what we’ve been trusted with, and do something with it to honor the One who entrusted it. The choice is yours today. What have you been trusted with? Will you open your eyes and recognize it and begin to use it to honor God?