Faithful with Few

Faithful with Few

“Mom can I get a puppy? I promise I’ll take care of it!” It’s a classic story. A child says they want a puppy but their parents are skeptical that the child can handle the responsibility of a dog. So what do they do? They get the child a hamster instead and say, “Now, if you do a good job with the hamster, maybe the next step will be to get you a puppy.” The hamster is a test to see how invested the child is in the idea of a pet and to see how hard they are willing to work.

Jesus is using this same concept in his “Parable of the Bags of Gold.” He talks about a Master giving his servants each a certain amount of gold to take care of while he is away. When he returns he sees that some of the servants did wonderful things with their money, while one servant did not. God has given us each gifts and skills and has asked us to use them to our best ability for Him. Some people squander their gifts and use them for evil, while others use them to glorify God.

Sometimes I have thought to myself “Lord, please put me in a big school with wildly successful programs and top notch musicians.” This is actually a real life example because I was interviewed at a large school with 4-5 choirs and a successful music program in place. But God had other plans. He placed me in a much smaller school in a part time position. And it turned out to be the perfect place for me. God knew I was not ready to handle such a large task and so he asked me to be faithful in another one.

Look at what you have and the position you are currently in. Instead of wishing for more, be faithful with what you have. God can see infinitely more than we can and knows exactly what we need when we need it. The child who proves they can take care of a hamster will eventually get a dog. Be faithful with what you have, and God will give you more than you thought possible.

- Kendra Mikols

Are you a Gaston or a Belle?

The classic Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast” is a beloved movie. It follows Belle who is imprisoned by a Beast to save her father but ends up (spoiler alert) falling in love with her captor and turning him into a prince again. There is another popular character in this movie, Gaston. Gaston loves pretty much one thing: himself. He is strong, brave, and has many accolades to his name. The problem with Gaston is that he lacks love for anyone else. This is why Belle spurns his advances.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 says “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Herein lies Gaston’s problem. He’s a smooth talker, can make others do whatever he wants and can probably lift a horse over is head, but he does not have love, so he is nothing. Belle on the other hand, is willing to lay down her life for others including her father and the Beast. And of course, love win out in the end.

On the spectrum of love, are you closest to Belle or Gaston? Do you have talents and awards but do not use your gifts for others? Or, do you give to others but not because you care about them but because it makes you look good? We can be very Christian people but sometimes slip into a Gaston-like state. It's important to continually check ourselves and our motives for the love of Christ so that we aren’t a “resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). Being people of love is what Christ has called us to.

- Kendra Mikols

Stay Focused

It is important for us in our Christian walk to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. Peter learned that the hard way when he was trying to walk on the water. One moment of taking his eyes off the Lord and he floundered. This was an important moment in Peter’s life but it serves as an incredible metaphor for all those who read this story: When you take your eyes off the Lord, you will falter.

The Bible is very clear on what we should fill our lives with and what we should avoid. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Romans 8:5 says “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” And Psalm 1:1 says “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

God knows that where we set our focus will mean the difference between life and death. If we keep our eyes on Him, we are not guaranteed an easy life but we will be saving ourselves the trouble of feeling like we have a lack of direction or meaning. I am reminded of the famous hymn that says “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth become strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” We are so blessed to have an all-powerful guide in life and a gracious God who knows where our focus needs to be.

- Kendra Mikols

The Waiting

After Jesus was crucified, life seemed dismal for his followers. The 12 disciples went into hiding and many other Christians were trying to stay undercover. They were in despair and disarray because they thought they were alone. They couldn’t see the bigger picture.

Jesus, however, could see the bigger picture. He knew that the story of Christianity was not at an end but at a beginning. He knew that He was going to rise again and, by doing so, save and bring hope to all humankind. Now, we can look at the disciples and think “How could they believe that Jesus was gone forever! He’s the Son of God for goodness sake!” But, how many times in our own lives have we believed that God is gone or that we are alone. Even after all he has done and the many blessings he has bestowed, if we don’t hear from Him for a while we start to despair.

The disciples lost their hope in the waiting. God has his timing and sometimes that timing involves a certain amount of waiting. He knows the right timing for everything in our lives and he will never abandon his children. So, as we celebrate Easter this week, remember that Jesus made the disciples wait for his return, and that made the celebration even sweeter. Have faith and trust God in your times of waiting.

- Kendra Mikols

Jesus Paid it All

The song “Jesus Paid It All” is one of my favorite songs of all time. It is especially powerful in this season of Lent and Easter because it talks about Jesus’s sacrifice and its effect on all of our lives. My favorite part of the modern arrangement of the song is the bridge in which we sing “Oh praise The One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead!” This is an important truth that we need to remember on Easter.

When Jesus died and then was raised again to life, He was not only giving life back to Himself, He was giving life to all people. It’s as if when he started breathing again and walked out of the tomb, something inside each person on Earth was also awakened. Without his sacrifice, we would never have been able to be truly alive. We would have been mere zombies walking around. I don’t know if you know anything about zombies, but the gist is they walk around never fully aware of their surroundings, grabbing at any type of nourishment they can get their hands on, and no matter what they are never satisfied. This is how our lives would be without Christ’s sacrifice: Dissatisfying and ultimately meaningless.

Through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, we can be satisfied and alive in Him! We are not slaves to sin and to death but have a future and a hope. Ephesians 5:8 says “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” As we go through this final week before Easter, take time to dwell on all that happened on the third day. Think about the millions of “first breaths” that can be taken because Jesus came back to life. He paid your debt on the cross and raised you from death to life! Alleluia!

- Kendra Mikols

What’s Your Point of View?

“Man, the guy who works in the cubicle next to me is such a complainer! I can’t stand him!”
“This woman in front of me in the grocery store is talking badly about someone, what a jerk.”
“If one more person tries to tell me how hard their life is, I’m going to explode!”

Have you ever heard any of these comments before or thought any of these things to yourself? I have! All the time! It is amazing that God made all of us special and unique, but unfortunately that means we are going to butt heads with some people. And it is amazing how some know exactly what to do to push our buttons. If we are not careful, we can start to harbor hate in our hearts for certain people which can grow into an epidemic of being easily annoyed or hateful towards others.

2 Corinthians 5:16 says “So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” What does this mean: “A Worldly point of view?” It means that we are regarding people with one question in mind: What is this person doing for me? That’s what the world is all about right? I want this right now and I’m going to get it no matter who doesn’t want me to have it. Not to say there aren’t nice people in this world but the majority of the world could be described as selfish.

God has asked us to view people from His eyes and He has a never ending fountain of love for every person He created, Christian and Non-Christian. Once we start trying to view people as God views them, we will find that we can cope with our situations much more easily and we can find love for the people we never thought we could feel any affection for. This week, when you encounter that person who makes your skin crawl, start asking God to show you that person through His eyes. You will be amazed at what He shows you.

- Kendra Mikols

Get Off the Island

Get Off the Island

I recently heard a story about a Japanese man in World War II who was stationed on an island off the coast of Japan. After being stationed there, the Allied forces invaded and he was one of 3 officers not to surrender to American troops. Instead, he hid in the jungle gathering intel on the Allies and foraging for food. Several months later, World War II came to an end, but unfortunately, the Japanese man did not know this. His family and friends attempted to contact him by calling his name over a bull horn and dropping fliers explain the end of the war over the island. He saw all these signs and decided they were traps sent by the enemy. For 30 years, he stayed on the island until finally, someone found his elderly superior officer, who came and found him and told him the war was over.

This is a tragic story and when I heard it I thought, “Wow what a terrible waste of your life!” This story is a parallel to the way non-Christians, and even some of us, view Christianity and God. The Bible says that the Lord has won the battle against sin and death! We no longer have to worry because God is in control. But some of us refuse to believe this truth. We continue to live in on our own little island trying to sustain ourselves and make a life out of rocks and sticks, when Jesus is calling us to something greater: a life of redemption! He is constantly calling and calling and sending hints and trying to speak into our lives.

Ephesians 5:8 says “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Once we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, we have to live as new people who have seen the end of a war and know that all things are going to be new! Don’t live your life on an island, trying to ignore the great things God has done. Step off the island and into the light, and live as God  intended you to be, a new creation.