Living on Purpose - Setting and Reaching Goals

A popular credit commercial asks, “What’s in your wallet?” Jesus described a master who asked his bondservants, “What have you done with what I put in your wallet?

You and I must not live incidentally, but rather intentionally! Make it your aim that one day the Lord will say, to you, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!” With that as your target, set your goals, define your strategy, and live your life – on purpose.

When I was a boy, I thought I knew the reason why my father gave me money, an allowance each week. I was to blow it all as quickly as possible, so none of it would be wasted! I was to buy useless junk, to impress my friends and make them think I was cool! It never occurred to me that any real responsibility was involved, much less that my dad might call me in to ask me what I had done with his money.

One Aim – For Him to Say, “Well Done! Welcome Home!”

Jesus told a story about a master entrusting his money to his bondservants. Unlike my childhood allowance, the master’s money was to be used for a specific purpose. It was to be invested, put to work through the bankers, so that the slaves could show a return on the master’s investment when he returned.

Read Matthew 25:14-30.

The Talents (Weights of Silver)

Master (Lord) and bondservants (slaves).

His money, not theirs, entrusted to them to invest.

Different amounts, abilities, and expectations.

Master returns to inspect, call to account, judge.

5-talent man, now 10. 2-talent man, now 4.

Faithful with few – put in charge of many things.

1-talent – issue not the amount, but what he did with it.

You Knew … And So …

24 “… he who received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man…’”

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival, I would have received my money back with interest.’”

You Knew But Did Not Do. And So …

30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We are saved by grace. Yet grace does not nullify obedience; it demands it.

Those who know are required to do – or else.

There will be a test!

Let’s put this in simple, everyday terms that anyone can understand.

If I handed each of you a five-dollar bill,

And I gave you only one task –

To turn that $5 into $10 –

And I left but promised to return to have you give an account –

If you did what I said, I would award you $10M and a huge mansion.

If you didn’t, I would sentence you to spend the rest of your life in a dark dungeon, all by yourself, with nothing to bread and water to eat or drink.

If the choice was yours –

And you had the ability to do what I required –

And you believed what I said about the consequences –

You would give every bit of energy you had to turning that $5 into $10.

You may say, “But we shouldn’t serve God to get a reward or to avoid a penalty! We’re saved by grace, and we serve God out of love!” “Are we really supposed to fear God?” “We’re surprised to hear Jesus teach so strictly the necessity of obedience and the cost of disobedience! Why, of all things, the master in Jesus’ story even had the lazy slave cast into hell!”

Once again, because we truly believe what Jesus taught, and because we know the master’s expectations, we diligently invest what he has given us, so that one day he will say, “Well done!” If we do not, well, Jesus has told us what the outcome will be.

Grace does not nullify obedience; it demands it.

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The most exacting teacher I ever had in school was Dr. Harvey Floyd. He taught us Greek. We all loved him. We respected him. We feared him! We lovingly nicknamed him, “Heavy Harvey.”

Greek was hard. At the beginning of class each session, we students would sing woefully, “Farther along we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why. Cheer up, my brother …” (Farther Along, attr. to W. B. Stevens, alt. by Barney E. Warren, pub.1911). We also learned the meaning of the phrase, “brute force.” That’s what he said it would take to learn Greek. He was right.

Whether we had a test or not, every day was “Judgment Day.” Dr. Floyd had a sixth sense about him. He could tell if you ever came to class unprepared. You might try to act confident, or look studious, or avoid his piercing eyes – but to no avail! He would send you to the board to write your exercises.

If you were not ready, you could not fake it. You would be ashamed in front of the class. You would be sent into outer darkness, with weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Well, that’s an exaggeration! But truthfully, Dr. Floyd would take an unprepared student out in the hall and confront him verbally for his negligence.

When it came to the gospel, Dr. Floyd was the strongest proponent of grace you would ever meet. How he loved the mercy of God and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

Yet his understanding of grace did not diminish his requirement of diligent preparation in Greek class. He never gave away a passing grade, much less an “A,” to any student who did not give the class his very best effort.

He was stringent. Demanding. Exacting.

He is the reason I learned Greek. I had to, or else!

The master in Jesus’ story was the same way. Frankly, those who did not live on purpose did not get the reward. In fact, they were sent into outer darkness, with weeping and the gnashing of teeth. This was one of Jesus’ descriptions of hell.

Living on Purpose – Discovering Your Role

To serve His cause, what are you …

Eager to do?                 Desire

Able to do?          Skill

Needed to do?              Opening

Expected to do?    Accountability

Knowledge + ability + opportunity = responsibility.

Putting Your Talent(s) to Work

Avenues of worship, service, and discipleship in the local church glorify God …

and prepare you and me to give our account when we appear before Him.

Defining and Reaching Your Goals

Think deeply and pray. What is your primary aim?

Write it down. Make it “SMART” – Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Timely.

List action steps 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

Give your goal and action steps to a true friend.

Provide a weekly progress report to that friend.

Evaluate yourself. Have that friend evaluate you.

When the Master asks you,

“What did you do with the  _____  that I entrusted to you?”

“How did you invest it?”

“What did you produce with it?”

“What do you have to show for it?”

You will reply, “_____________.”

Will Jesus Find Us Watching

Lyrics: Frances J. Crosby
Music: William H. Doane
Public Domain

When Jesus comes to reward His servants,
Whether it be noon or night,
Faithful to Him will He find us watching,
With our lamps all trimmed and bright?

Refrain:
Oh, can we say we are ready, brother?
Ready for the soul’s bright home?
Say, will He find you and me still watching,
Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?

If, at the dawn of the early morning,
He shall call us one by one,
When to the Lord we restore our talents,
Will He answer thee, “Well done”?

Have we been true to the trust He left us?
Do we seek to do our best?
If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,
We shall have a glorious rest.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In His glory they shall share;
If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will He find us watching there?