Friday 12 July 2013

Life is a trust. Life is a test. And life is a temporary assignment.



In creating the universe, God established laws and principles which can be discovered and understood by the human mind. We are discussing some of the principles here, and through science we know many of the laws of nature and how they work. These laws, which are perfectly consistent, give the universe order and patterns that enable it to maintain itself in balance and harmony. As creators we are free, but as we experience life in the phenomenal world we are bound by the laws of creation. Every person starts with basic assumptions in life. Assuming that Bible as a revelation from God to mankind, and as an objective guide for understanding life, let us consider some basic assumptions.

 All truth is God's truth. The truth of the Bible tells us that God created mankind as; Spirit, Soul, and Body (I Thess.5:23). This word strongly indicates that man is of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The spirit as our inmost part is the inner organ, possessing God-consciousness, that we may contact God (John 4:24; Rom 1:9). The soul is our very self (cf. Matt.16:26; Luke 9:25), a medium between our spirit and our body, possessing self-consciousness, that we may have our personality. The body as our external part is the outer organ, possessing world-consciousness, that we may contact the material world. In other words among the three parts of human nature the "spirit" is the highest part of man, that which assimilates him to God; renders him capable of spiritual. The Spirit is the life that we have from God, the Soul is our psyche (i.e. emotions, mind, will) or soul is the inferior part of his mental nature, the seat of the passions and desires, of the natural propensities. The "body" is the corporeal frame or our flesh.
The body contains the soul, and the soul is the vessel that contains the spirit. In the spirit, God as the Spirit dwells; in the soul, our self dwells; and in the body, the physical senses dwell. God sanctifies us, first, by taking possession of our spirit through regeneration (John 3:5-6); second, by spreading Himself as the life-giving Spirit from our spirit into our soul to saturate and transform our soul (Rom 12:2 2cor.3:18); and last, by enlivening our mortal body through our soul (Rom 8:11,13) and transfiguring our body by His life power (Phil 3:21). Therefore, the basic assumption must be, that God who created us, should know best how we operate in life, to give us the fullness we desire. Our Creator is wiser than we are. As a loving Father, he cares for us. Also, he did not intend for us to be independent of him.  Bible declares, “LORD, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them “(Jeremiah 10:23) as just as a small child needs the guidance of parents, we all need the guidance of God.

Biblical principles provide guidance that is a gift from God. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17, 18) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16).God’s laws and principles teach us the best way of life now and show us how we can gain everlasting rewards in the future. Since God created us, it is only right that we respond appreciatively to his guidance. He has given us this information in His revealed Word; the Bible. The Bible is to the person somewhat like the automobile instruction manual is to the car. It is the manual of operations to help us run the car efficiently. So, God has given us a spiritual manual of operations, so that we enjoy the fullness of life (John 10:10). The Bible is the genesis and sourcebook of understanding mankind, his life, his emotions/will, and his body.

Nothing that God does is wrong, unjust, improper, haphazard, without a good reason or purpose, unscrupulous, unjust, without a plan or purpose, disorganized, without adequate and able persons or creatures to assist and execute, improperly directed, and uncontrolled, and incidentally these are the basic management functions which are performed by God or under his control and plan. God's ways are perfect. As the bible says God's ways are excellent, perfect and marvelous, but man's ways are evil, immoral, imperfect and wrongful. As the Bible says excellent are His ways and the decisions he makes and the judgments he executes are perfect! God owns everything, but as your Lord, He checks to see if you can manage.  If you have been faithful over God’s property, He will give you more property of your own.  If you cannot be consistent in disciplining yourself to always be faithful in setting aside what God says is His, God may say that He cannot trust you with more. Leadership   requires accountability, discipline, honesty, diligence, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. All of these components are necessary for management.
In the Bible, three inter-related metaphors are used to teach us God’s view of life:  Life is a trust. Life is a test. And life is a temporary assignment. Life is a test because life is a trust because life is a temporary assignment, for we were made for eternity. These principles are the foundation for God-given, living on earth. We find them elaborated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 and illustrated by Jesus in the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25. Let’s examine them each and see how they are related.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”(1 Corinthians 4:1)  Notice Paul describes us as servants - servants entrusted with a role. God has entrusted to us all our talents, all our intelligence, opportunities, relationships and resources for one purpose. God has entrusted to us a ministry of reconciliation.(2 Corinthians 5:18) To know him and make him known. We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. God just loans the earth to us while we’re here. It was God’s property before you arrived and God will loan it to someone else after you die. You just get to enjoy it for a while as trustees.” We are trustees of God’s property. As Paul goes on to say in verse 7, “For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7NLT).  
Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate God’s kingdom rule, Jesus said, "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. (Matthew 25:14-15)  
In the Parable of the Talents, when the master returns, he evaluates each servant’s faithfulness and rewards them accordingly. The owner says, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21).

“At the end of your life on earth we will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you have handled what God has entrusted to you.”  This means everything we do, even the little things like causal talk, can have eternal consequences. So, life is a trust. Therefore, Life is a Test. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)

 It is precisely because life is a trust and that one day we will have to give an account that we are tested now to prove our trustworthiness. In the Bible, words like trials, temptations, refining and testing appear on more than 200 occasions. Character is both developed and revealed by tests.” Indeed, “all life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment,” and even your faith will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticisms, and even senseless tragedies. Most people fail to realize that money is both a trust and a test from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. In another story about stewardship in Luke 16:11 Jesus says, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” That is why James writes with assurance “Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)
However, God says that if you mismanage His resources, you will lose everything including your own body, soul and spirit. Therefore, right management protects you from future crisis.   There are ways to manage any crisis by correctly managing your God-given life, purpose and resources. Firstly, you have to determine what your needs are. Needs are different from “wants”. You have to make a distinction between what you want and what you need, and only acquire what you need. Then decide not to live beyond your means, and forego the unnecessary. Cut back on discretionary expenses. By observing good management principles, you can save, conserve, protect, and expand your resources.
The question is, how do we live reasonably in life, which then relates to one's philosophy of life? From the ancient Greek philosophers came the questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Today, the same questions confront each individual, which a person has a personal responsibility to seriously consider. Because one's philosophy of life is the track upon which one runs that directs us, and gives fullness of life or not. That is why it is important for each one to have a well thought out philosophy of life.
God's principles are always perfect, as coming from a holy God. But, He takes us where He finds us, less than perfect, and elevates us to a positional perfection in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6), and gives to us of the Holy Spirit to re- characterize our lives, that our behaviors may be brought into line with our position in Christ. Bible says "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builder labors in vain." --Psalms 127:1 God will watch how you manage resources by how you manage your life.
The Bible is the revelation of God! For hundreds of years the Spirit has composed progressive revelation regarding God’s management principle and His will for humankind. Though there are aspects we can learn about God through nature and the human conscience (Psalm. 19:1–6; Rom. 1:18–20; 2:15), the Scriptures are the only complete and sufficient source (Psalm. 19:7–14). Bible is the book devoted to principles for living, illustrated through human relationships, and thus is applicable to us today for our daily guide. The Bible remains relevant for the following reasons: God is eternal, His principles are eternal and His Word is perfect and eternal and it presents precious management principles from living.
A principle is defined as "a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine or assumption". Principles have a lasting and unchanging quality to them. When based on Bible truths, principles provide spiritual direction to us. In the Bible, God expected parents to teach the Word of God continually. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (Deut. 6:6-7). As a home educator you can have that same element of continuous and spontaneous Bible teaching with your children.
Every Successful Management Principle is based on Biblical Truths or Principles. It is important that we understand that the Lord is the master builder. He was the original architect and master planner of the entire universe. He spoke the world into existence, and it became. We are to make certain that the Lord is doing the building of our life. The journey is a spiritual one, and the Lord must build the house.  He will guide, direct and build His house. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” This reminds us of the temple in the O.T. Great care was given to its design and immense wealth was placed into its construction.(1 Chronicles 29:1–5) Solomon reminds us that we make the plans. However, it is God that directs us. Well-drawn plans always reflect God's vision. We should make plans…counting on God to direct us." --Proverbs 16:9
So being educated biblically is far more important because biblical principles teach us how to properly relate to God as well as to our fellowman (Matthew 22:37-40; cf Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 30:6). The teaching of spiritual and moral values to children is the backbone of any nation and provides nations with moral stability. As you begin to use it as your foundation, you will start building everything you do on the principles in God’s Word. Therefore True success begins and ends with God. In this piece of writing we will discover some practical principles for success in life, business, and everything else you may deal with daily. Be encouraged to not just read, but apply what you learn through these principles from next blog. Enjoy reading!

To be continued…………