You are not your own

I listened to the beginning of a sermon by a popular Christian author and preacher the other day. He posed a question, “What if someone said they would give you 1,440 dollars per day for the rest of your life? The only condition was that you had to spend 20 dollars on him every day. Would you do it?” He answers, “Of course you would. It's no big deal, you just go buy him a shirt or whatever. Some days you'll even be feeling generous and spend 30 or 40 dollars on him.” He likens this to our life. God gives us 1,440 minutes every day, so we can spend 20 minutes per day on him.

I take serious issue with this mindset. It makes me feel like, “Wow, I must be doing pretty good if I spend 30-45 minutes with the Lord every morning. I'm being generous.” Also, he is asserting that once you spend the 20 minutes on the Lord (I didn't listen to the rest, but I'm guessing he wanted you to read your Bible during this time) the rest of your time is yours.

Jesus told a somewhat similar and yet quite different parable:

In Matthew 25:24-30, Jesus tells of how the kingdom of God is like a man who entrusted his possessions to three of his slaves. He did not say, “Here is five talents, make sure you spend one on me.” He entrusted them with his money with the understanding that they would use it, all of it, for their master's benefit.

Brothers and sisters, we must be very cautious when we separate “sacred” and “secular” things, when we say this is God's time and this is my time, when we say this is God's money and this is my money. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. You belong to God and therefore ALL your money is His and ALL your time is His.

In our Christian culture, it is okay to be half-way. It is okay to stay away from the bad sins, go to church on Sunday, and give ten percent of your paycheck in a collection plate. But this was not the gospel Jesus preached. He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. This gospel is one of the rule and reign of God coming into a people's lives in a real way.

Something I have seen in my life and the lives of those I am in close fellowship with is that as we walk with God, He will start to put His finger on each thing in our lives that is not in line with Him, and often these things seem insignificant and unrelated to the things of the Lord. Just a few examples from my life are emotional eating, watching too much television, and neglecting to serve my roommates through doing dishes. Seeking first the kingdom of God is suddenly not so lofty and cool-sounding. It's all about God having His way in every little part of our lives. We cannot allow ourselves to be half-way Christians. We must submit to His authority. We must obey His word. And let's face it, the New Testament is exceedingly practical. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. There is some serious death to self needed to follow that command. Praise Jesus that He made a way, and He has given us His Holy Spirit. We are to be living sacrifices, our whole entire lives, not just twenty minutes a day.