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JESUS' TEACHINGS ABOUT DEEDS

(Luke 12:16-21)

Carlisle said, "It's not our job to see what lies dimly in the distance. It's our job to do what lies clearly at hand."

Emerson said, "Thought is the seed; words are the blossoms; deeds are the fruit."

Fosdick said, "When you choose the beginning of a road, you are choosing the end."

Jesus's teachings emphasized the development of personal discipline, and personal discipline culminates with deeds. We must act responsibly and choose our priorities carefully. Jesus said, "Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well" (Luke 12:29-31).

A businessman was excited. He had just been awarded a large contract. He began making plans to expand his facilities. For years he had poured every waking minute of his life into this project. He fought and scraped and drove himself toward the day when he would be rich.

Naturally there was very little time left for his wife and children, or God and church. "But now," he thought, "I've got enough to last me the rest of my life."

It was during dinner that he felt a few pangs. "Indigestion," he thought. Sleep was late coming. His mind was reeling with ideas for investments and expansion. He had just dozed off when the wave of pain swept over him. His chest felt as though it would explode. He sat upright in his bed clutching his throat.

In agony he seemed to hear a voice saying, "Oh, you foolish man! Now that life is coming to an end, what have you done to prepare for eternity?"

Sweat poured from his forehead. His face was contorted. Again the voice said, "Take one last look. See everything you've done crumbling before your eyes. See everyone fighting over these possessions that you killed yourself for-and be aware that you have been so busy making a living that you have never had a life."

Does this story sound familiar? Well, it should because Jesus told a story just like that. He said, "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).

Our world consists of both material and spiritual possessions. We engage in both physical and spiritual actions. All of these are necessary; but we must not get so addicted to lower things that we lose sight of higher things. Our time and resources are limited on this earth. So our success in life depends on our choices. Jesus used several illustrations to explain this. He said, " The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he . . . sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he . . . sold everything he had and bought it " (Matthew 12:44-48.

You see, these men had to give up some good things to get the best things. You can't have it all. If we make poor choices, we'll eventually lose both our integrity and our life.

It's nearing graduation time for some of our young people and this sermon is especially for you. So, let's consider three points concerning the importance of deeds in developing personal discipline.

I. FIRST, LET'S CHOOSE OCCUPATIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE ETERNAL VALUES RATHER THAN TEMPORARY VALUES.

Jesus said, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life . . ." (John 6:27).

Misplaced ambition can destroy your life. Before you enter or remain in a job market that's like a rat race, analyze your situation to avoid dead ends that lead to nowhere and fast lanes that rush you past places of lasting happiness. If you spend your time in those endeavors, one day you'll wake up and realize you've been going in circles. Before you know it, dozens of people and activities will be pulling at you, competing for your time. Some of these are careers, family, education, community service, vacations, recreation, entertainment and hobbies.

Now, all of these may be good; but life is short and you must choose what is best for you. Most things are transient. One man's goal in college was to become the school's tennis champion. He was extremely proud when his trophy was prominently displayed in a display case in the lobby. Years later, however, someone mailed him that trophy saying they had found it in the dumpster when the building was being remodeled. Given enough time, all our physical torphies will be trashed by someone.

We're proud of you when you receive recognition for your achievements. We think it's marvelous when you win Blue Ribbons at the fair, first place on Beauty Pageants, special honors for winning Spelling Bees, musical awards, top grades and athletics. It's good to achieve and succeed and win. This is a part of your growing up; but remember these things are not your main goal in life.

We're here for a purpose. Jesus said, "W hoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it " (Matt. 16:25).

Let's choose deeds that have eternal values.

II. NEXT, LET'S CHOOSE OCCUPATIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT BENEFIT ALL OF MANKIND RATHER THAN JUST OURSELVES.

Selfishness and greed are constant obstacles to Christians. All of us are egotistical and self-serving; but we must go beyond that. Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).

Years ago, in France, a man had a valet who was violently opposed to the capitalistic system, and who devoted most of his spare time attending meetings where communist theories were expounded. The master was tolerant because the servant was diligent in his duties. Suddenly, however, the valet stopped going to the meetings and his employer became curious enough to ask the reason.

"Why, at that last meeting I attended," said the valet, "it was proved that if the wealth in this country were divided equally among all the people, the share of each person would be two thousand francs."

"So what?" asked the master.

"Well, I have saved five thousand franks," replied the valet. "I'm not going to give that away to someone who hasn't worked for it?"

All of us are like that. We look out for number one, but we are also responsible for others. Jesus stressed service. He said, " Freely you have received, freely give " (Matt. 10:8).

An old verse says, "I shall not pass this way again."

Through this toilsome world, alas!

Once and only once I pass;

If a kindness I may show,

If a good deed I may do

To a suffering fellow man,

Let me do it while I can,

No delay, for it is plain

I shall not pass this way again.

-Author unknown.

Let's choose deeds that benefit all of mankind.

III. FINALLY, LETS CHOOSE OCCUPATIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT ENRICH OUR WHOLE LIVES, RATHER THAN JUST OUR BANK ACCOUNT.

We've all heard the story of King Midas and the "golden touch"-how he was granted his wish that everything he touched would turn to gold. It backfired. In the end he touched his daughter and she solidified into a statue. This was after he had turned everything else into gold-his clothes, his food, his bath-water and his bed.

What a lesson he learned! Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Once he got his shallow selfishness under control, he learned that there's not enough gold in the world to compensate you for a wasted and miserable life.

We need to enjoy what we do. Personal satisfaction and fulfillment are essential. In a study of Nobel Laureates, those individuals who have received the highest prize our society offers for achievement, one trait was noticed in all of them. They didn't stop doing what they were doing because they had won a Nobel prize. They continued their work, because it was fulfilling. They were not just working for a pay check.

A kindergarten teacher once said about her class of five-year-olds, "They build and tear down and rebuild more in a day than most constructions workers do in a week; but they never call it work. They call it play!"

It's a principle of life that every cause brings its effect, and every action has a consequence. The Chinese have a saying: "If a man plants weeds he will reap weeds; if he sows beans, he will reap beans." And this is true of everyone. Good begets good, and evil leads to evil.

Therefore, day by day, we write our own destiny; for inevitably, we become what we do. Jesus said, " Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also " (Matt. 6:9-21).

Spending your time on material things is a sure way to waste your life. Let's choose deeds that enrich our lives.

Yes, Jesus' teachings emphasize personal discipline. He knew that deeds lead to habits and habits lead to lifestyles. The patterns we develop when we're young tend to stay with us for the rest of our lives. He told the tragic story of the rich man to teach us the awesome consequence of our priorities and deeds. But remember, we believe in spiritual priorities, but if we fail to give them first place on a day to day basis, we will still be failures.

We must actually put first things first on a regular basis. Jesus said it this way, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you" (Matt. 6:33).

Once, a young man made an appointment with a famous author. The first question the author asked him was, "Why did you want to see me?

The young man stammered, "Well, I'm a writer, too. I was hoping you could share with me some of your secrets of success."

The author asked a second question, "What have you written?"

"Well, nothing," the young man replied, "at least nothing that is finished yet."

The author asked a third question, "If you haven't already written, then tell me, what are you currently working on."

The young man replied, "Oh, I'm in school right now, so I'm not really writing anything at present."

At that point, the author then asked a fourth question, "Then why do you call yourself a writer?"

You see, writers write. Composers compose. Painters paint. Workmen work. What you do to a great extent defines who you are and what you become.

So what do your deeds say about you? When your deeds on the outside coincide with who you are on the inside, you'll know that you have found your true purpose in life.

Ask, "If this were my last day here on this earth, have I done the most important things? Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish; but you can only spend it once!"

Personal discipline culminates with responsible deeds.

________________________

(Word Count 2006)

This issue of NEW PERSPECTIVES is from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted 2006 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THEM IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE. The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works.

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