In January 2010, Jeff Miller, an
independent businessman from Rogers Park, Illinois clinched his third
consecutive “Ultimate Couch Potato” title Chicago's ESPN Zone. "It's all
about determination," said Miller, who watched TV sports programming for
72 straight, sleepless hours.
Miller, 26, bested three other
competitors and pushed himself beyond the Guinness World Record for nonstop
viewing. The venue controlled the remote
from the time the four contestants first reclined on New Year's Day, and 72
hours later Miller sat alone. His superior sluggishness earned him a new
recliner, a $1,000 gift card toward the purchase of a television, money for one
year for his cable/satellite bills, and the Ultimate Couch Potato trophy,
adorned with an actual spud just like the trophies he won in 2008 and
2009. Ambition, you gotta love it.
From a Biblical and Christian
perspective, God has created each one of us, so the question is, is winning the
ultimate couch potato title what God desires for our lives or does God have
something else in mind? One philosophy
goes something like this: When someone
calls for a volunteer look the other way, turn away, keep your head facing
downward, don’t make eye contact, don’t look up. Follow, never lead. Strive for mediocrity. Aim low.
Do the least, do the minimum, just get buy. Stay in the center of the crowd so you won’t
get chosen; whatever you do, don’t stand out.
Sadly, this is some people’s philosophy today.
So why has God created you and
me, to glorify God and not ourselves? We are called to accomplish something for
the Lord? We are called to live for
something larger than ourselves? We are
called to achieve? God has created us
for significance, for our lives to count for something? Are you reaching your full potential as a
follower of Jesus Christ? Are you
investing in the Kingdom
of God
We read in psalm 8 – “What are human beings O God, that you are
mindful of them, mere mortals, that you care for them, and yet you have made
them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works
of your hands you have put all things under their feet.”
In our lesson from the Gospel of
Matthew we read about a master going on a journey who leaves his servants in
charge of his property. He gives give
talents to the first servant, two talents to the next servant, and one talent,
to the third, each according to his ability.
Clearly Jesus meant this parable to apply to his followers. And we quickly see that we all have talents
and abilities, but they are different, and that some people have more abilities
and others have less, but God has given abilities to everyone.
After a period of time, the
master returns and asks his servants to give an account of what they have done
with their talents. The master is
pleased with the first servant and says: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You did something positive with your
talents. You have been faithful and I
will give you other responsibilities.
Come and share in your master’s happiness.” The servant with the two talents receives the
identical response. But the master is
not happy with the third servant. The
servant makes excuses, and accuses the master of being hard and
unpredictable. He blames the master for
his doing nothing with his abilities. He
fails to take personal responsibility for his lack of action. Out of fear, he buries his talent and doesn’t
attempt to use or invest it. The master
takes the talent away and gives it to another servant. Then the master has the servant thrown out
into the darkness.
This is a parable about life,
life matters, it counts for something, it is significant. What does a significant life look like? That’s what’s wonderful. Significance comes
in all sizes. There is no one standard
or ideal, no one size fits all, no blueprint or template. There is no cookie cutter measure. It looks differently. It might even look like your life right
now. Are you living a significant
life? Are you reaching your God given
potential as a follower of Jesus?
I suspect that there are people
in our society who feel insignificant.
They think, “I don’t really matter. I haven’t done anything important. I haven’t
contributed anything of value. I don’t
have anything special to offer the world.
I’m nothing special.” Of course
there are also those whose ego is so colossal, that they fill a room all by
themselves. They believe they are God’s
gift to anyone who has the good fortune to meet them. Maybe you know someone like that.
Living a life that counts for
something means that our lives are accountable to God, that we will be held
accountable for the stewardship of our lives.
The truth is that God has given
each of us something to work with. We
don’t enter this life empty handed. God
has imparted to us a mind, ears and eyes, a heart, wisdom, knowledge,
experience, health, compassion, influence, relationships, freedom to make choices
and set priorities, the ability to see needs and address them. God passionately wants us to achieve
something in the limited time that He has given us on this earth.
God says: “I created you in my image, your life is a gift, you are special, you
are my child, that’s why you have the capacity to excel in life? I have given you my Spirit.” That’s why we can lead a life that is
noteworthy in God’s eyes. God has graced
us with abilities and talents.
Living a life that counts for
something also means that our view of God affects how we perceive
ourselves. Your view of God will
directly affect your ability to step out in faith. The first and second servants respected the
master, they trusted his word, they trusted his mercy and love, they trusted his
leading, they obeyed him, they stepped out in faith. Even when the master was gone, they proved
trustworthy and wise in their work. They
knew this was a chance to do something significant.
You’ve seen old cars driving
around with a bumper sticker that says my other car is a BMW? Well a young man was seen pedaling around a
college campus with a T-shirt reading “I’m going to be a doctor.” A sign on the back on his bicycle proclaimed,
“I’m going to be a Mercedes.” Now
that’s positive thinking.
Actor Hugh O’ Brian died last
Monday. He was 91. Now I don’t know about you, but he was one of
my childhood heroes. He played Wyatt
Earp, in the Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp which ran six seasons, from 1955 –
1961. That series made him a star. He also acted in many other television
shows. Now that in itself is quite an
accomplishment.
But his most enduring legacy is
off-screen. He organized the Hugh
O’Brian Youth Leadership organization, founded to inspire and develop youth and
volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. More than 375,000 high school sophomores
selected by their schools have gone through this organization.
How did it start? It grew out of an invitation to O’Brian from
Dr. Albert Schweitzer to visit the medical missionary at his hospital in Africa . O’Brian
spent 9 days working at the hospital in the summer of 1958. It was a life changing experience for
him. He and Dr. Schweitzer spent hours
talking each night after dinner. As
O’Brian was getting ready to depart, Schweitzer asked asked: “Hugh, what are
you going to do with this?” On the plane
flight home, the vision of an educational organization for youth came into his
mind.
On the other hand, I also think
of people whom you never heard of, people who were not famous, but significant
in my personal life – Like Ms. Moe, my third grade teacher, Mr. Armundson, my
6th grade teacher, Mrs. Malone, my Sunday School teacher, and Rev. Hamilton, my
pastor. Your significant life can be
known by the world or by a single person whom you were there for and supported
at just the right time. The life we
lead depends upon our understanding of, our view of God. If you believe God is a couch potato, chances
re you too will adopt a similar life-style.
Living a life that counts for
something means that what we do in life has eternal significance. Your influence stretches beyond this earthly
life. It touches other people for
generations after we are gone. Our life
has an immeasurable impact on this world.
When we invest our lives glorifying God, God will honor our investment
and multiply our efforts beyond anything we can know or imagine.
You never know when your
seemingly small task is actually a part of God’s big plan. Remember there are opportunities all around
us – in our neighborhood, our community, our church, our family and even in
politics. God calls us to lead important
lives, and we need to respond. Because
ultimately only God can see the big picture and how you fit into that
picture. God calls us not just to
survive but to thrive. Not just to lead
lives of mediocrity, but of reaching our God given potential. That whatever the task or challenge, to give
our most and not our least.
Herman Cain, CEO and president of
Godfather’s Pizza, was raised in poverty.
He credits his hard working father for his success in life. Throughout Herman’s life, his father worked 3
or 4 jobs at a time in order to support his family. Cain also received inspiration from a poem
taught to him by Dr. Benjamin Mays, a former president of Morehouse
college. This poem has guided Herman
through the ups and downs of his life.
“Life is just a minute, only sixty seconds in it, forced upon you, can’t
refuse it, Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it, But it’s up to you to use it. You must suffer if you lose it, give an
account if you abuse it, just a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.”
God’s word is powerful – your
life matters, it counts for something.
Remember the psalmist’s words:
God has crowned you with glory and honor. Let us pray: “God, here I am, open my eyes, open my ears, use me for something
significant, that you will be pleased, that you will be glorified and that we
too may hear those word: ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant, well done.’”
Amen
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