22nd Mar 2011

An unedited excerpt from my new book.

Thought I would blog small portions of my book from time to time as I am writing it.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Carrots

Knights realize that each quest determines the next.

At the end of Jesus’ imaginary tale, he leaves us pondering the following kingdom principle.

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (NIV) 

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (KJV) 

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. (NLT)[i] 

If ‘rubbish in, rubbish out’ is the formulative principle, then this is the focal principle.

It focuses us on what we have and do now.

The command is to be faithful with whatever God has given you, however great or small that may be. The consequence is that if we do so, He will entrust us with more of the same, but not only that, He will give us other talents, opportunities and quests as well.

God does not use a carrot on a stick.

He does not present us with promises that we will never be able to nibble at. He does not want us to be motivated by what we might get if we serve Him. He instead wants us to recognize that we have already been given so much and realize that we have been given it to serve others… not ourselves.

When it comes to serving God, line-dwellers are motivated be their application;

Give me a great thing to work with and then I will do a great thing.

If you prove this will work God, then I will prove myself.  

Cloud-dwellers, however, are provoked by His application;

I need the little you think you have so that I can bless others.

I will increase what you have not what you want.

Line dwellers are caught calculating a sliding scale between two extremes. On one end they see effort and the other opportunity. They look for a balance. They wait for what they have to be worth the endeavor.

Cloud-dwellers do not have a vision of vision; they have a vision of God.

They do not throw away the water they are carrying because they see a mirage.

They do not deal in fantasy but they do take hold of their reality.

[i] Matthew 25:29