Transcript

Good morning. I’m a steward of the mysteries of Christ, the mysteries in the Bible which have been given to me by God’s grace. My name is Ryan McKeel and this is whybemerelyhuman.com. This morning I would like to talk to you about stewardship. I am in the Glen Eyrie conference area, resort, castle and retreat center in Colorado Springs. Glen Eyrie is run by the Navigators and they are good stewards and this morning I would like to show you that. As Christians we have been given liberty. Galatians 5 talks about this and says, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. For all of the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That’s Galatians 5:13. Galatians 6 also says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows of the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” So why do I think this is a good example? Well, Glen Eyrie has beautiful grounds. It’s well kept, has a castle that you can actually stay in, and this is by no means a sales pitch for Glen Eyrie castle, but it is a way to say that this is a group of Christians that has been given something – they’ve been given grounds and they’ve done amazing things with it. They’ve created a refuge place, they’ve created a retreat center so people who are having problems with their marriages or just want to experience a love that they once experienced in their marriage, to people who just want to get away from the busyness of life – this is a place that they can do it. My sister was married here, so it’s a beautiful place to get married also. So I want to encourage you in this that in due season you will reap what you sow – “God is not to be mocked” – and there are many ways in this digital world that we can waste our time and energy and effort. It’s a lie of the devil that our time and energy does not mean anything, because it means a lot, and this is proof that Christians who stick to the path and keep sowing, sowing, and sowing end up with something beautiful and something to be proud of. And I know that the people who started here, who built this up, did not get to see the full glory of it. Maybe they’re looking down from Heaven and are able to see it, but the lesson learned there is that we may not always see the fruit of our labor, but in due season we will reap. I want to show you some of the beauty that is this morning at Glen Eyrie (camera begins to pan to show the surrounding area). There are beautiful, well-kept greens, streams and areas to have devotional time in the morning, there are the red rocks which I’ve taken another video from, this is called the Carriage House which is actually where my sister’s wedding reception was located. I think most wonderfully of all, there’s a castle! The Navigators who have been here have kept care of this wonderful thing that the Lord has given them. So praise the Lord and keep to the task, whatever God has given you, keep sowing to that, because in due season you will have a reward. Thank you. [Brief interlude, then the camera rolls once more.] I had the feeling the Lord was saying I wasn’t quite done with that last post, so I want to add this from Psalm 126: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” So I think from that what the Lord’s telling me to say is this – sowing is not easy. A lot of you are in very hard situations with a spouse or a family member, with kids, or work, things like that. And the Devil would like nothing better than to discourage you from what God has given you to do and the roles that He has placed in your life. So even though you may “go forth weeping as you’re bearing the seed for sowing, you shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing your sheaves with you!” I think the Lord here is just saying that it’s hard and that afflictions will come – Paul talks about that – and we know that it’s not going to be easy. But there’s more glory to God when it’s not easy and through His strength, the promise that He gives us is “when we are weak, then He is strong”. I encourage you in that, even though you may be weeping as you’re sowing, you will come back joyful with what you reap, with what God gives you as the fruit of your labor. Thanks.