Episode 797 Are You Home or on a Journey
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 797 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Darryl Lyons, author of 18 to 80. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling, having the right behavior with your money is key to doing that.
[00:00:25] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader,
[00:00:40] make sure that you are developing and growing and doing everything you can to make the kingdom here on earth. To bring the kingdom of heaven here to earth. That's part of what Brian and I were talking about yesterday. That idea of [00:01:00] bringing about the kingdom by building your relationship with the kingdom.
[00:01:06] Welcome, and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true color. In the inspired stewardship podcast, we'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the word.
[00:01:36] And today's spiritual foundation episode about investing in yourself. I talk with you about why we need to recognize that the place we are today is always just a stop along a journey. I share Hebrews chapter 11, verses eight through 16, and how this passage can illustrate this. And I also talk about why this is true, no matter how comfortable you might find yourself.
[00:02:00] [00:02:00] So Hebrews chapter 11 verses eight through 16, says by faith, Abraham would call to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went. Even though he did not know where he was going by faith, he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob who were heirs with him of the same promise.
[00:02:22] For, he was looking forward to a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. And by faith, even Sarah who was past childbearing age was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one, man, and he as good as dead came descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky.
[00:02:43] And as countless as the sands on the seashore, all these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they [00:03:00] are looking for a country of their own.
[00:03:01] If they'd been thinking of the country, they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for. He has prepared a city for them. One of those things that as Christians it's a little odd to think about, but it is true is we are.
[00:03:26] Called to be strangers in a strange land or exiles in our own country. We are called to recognize that what we do and what we say and what we think may not make us popular. It may not fit into the country that we're in. It may not fit into the place or the time that we're in, but it is our call to be outside of that.
[00:03:49] And the reason why is. Because we recognize that we are on a journey to a heavenly destination. I'm not talking here about eternal life or the life that comes [00:04:00] after or anything like that. I'm talking about the fact that we are called to help create the kingdom of heaven here on earth each and every moment.
[00:04:10] It's not just about what comes after. It's also what we do Dearing. Our life during our journey that matters. But by doing that, by recognizing that we have to move and act in a way that is different so that we can begin to build that kingdom of earth here on earth, build that kingdom of heaven and make it look more here on earth.
[00:04:35] Like it will in heaven that. Puts us in a strange place that puts us in a place where we often do and say, and think things that are counter to what is happening in the world around us. We have to recognize that we were always on a journey. We're never really going to reach that destination. It's going to be something that happens [00:05:00] all of our life, no matter what we do, no matter what we say, no matter what we think.
[00:05:06] We always never quite reach the location that we think, is our final destination, the destination that we want to be at, because it isn't about what comes after. And it isn't. What about what comes now? It's about both at the same time. If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile, that I'm familiar with that concept.
[00:05:30] And I use that concept of both and all the time. And that's what leads me to think that no matter how comfortable you are, no matter how well your life is today, no matter how good things are, you still have to recognize that you're just on a journey to your final destination. And that part of your journey with that at all times is to call and make [00:06:00] sure that you are developing and growing and doing everything you can to make the kingdom here.
[00:06:10] On earth to bring the kingdom of heaven here to earth. That's part of what Brian and I were talking about yesterday, that idea of bringing about the kingdom by building your relationship with the kingdom and that doing that action, that drive is not comfortable by definition. It is uncomfortable and it always will be.
[00:06:35] Because that discomfort is part of what we are called all the time, part of what we have to do to make sure that we're moving forward and doing what we're called to do. And that means that we've never reached our destination. That's part of what this passage this larger passage of Hebrews [00:07:00] chapter 11 is called the faith journey because in those passages, it talks about how each of these individuals that it calls out has been living.
[00:07:11]A journey of faith and it's through faith that things happen for them and to them and by them, it's not through any acts of their own. It's not through any worthiness. It's not through any works. It's simply through faith. And that is what we are called to do too, as we're on this journey. Thanks for listening.
[00:07:39] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Go over to [00:08:00] facebook.com/inspired.
[00:08:03] Stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. .