I just had a cup of coffee (a grande caramel machiatto to be exact) with two of the most ambitious people I know. The net result of the conversation for me was that the life that we have been given by God is a gift, and how we steward it is an indicator of our appreciation of the gift. 

There isn’t much doubt in my mind that both of these guys are going to be millionaires sometime in the not so distant future. The most fascinating thing about that is not what cars they are going to be able to drive or what houses they are going to live in, but the good that will be accomplished because of their hard work and responsible handling of their God-given abilities.

It is a perfectly clear picture of the church in action. As a pastor, I can’t do what I am called to do if these guys and others like them don’t pursue their dreams. Money is a touchy subject in the context of the church so I’ll tread delicately…. or not. Truth is: it takes money to do ministry. Go all the way back to the Early Church and there is a brief mention of a guy named Erastus who was apparently a convert of the Corinthian church. He was the treasurer of the city and seemingly a generous patron. Even Jesus had a treasurer (a bad one in the end, but a treasurer nonetheless). Obviously there was money involved with the ministry that Jesus was doing.

The point: if you’ve been given the gift and ability to be successful then do it! Churches all over are limited in their resources and bound by a mentality of poverty. How embarrassing it must be to the God of the universe that His people don’t tap into all that He has available to them. This is not a lofty, prosperity concept. It is a truth found in scripture that a worker is worthy of his wages. Our response to the life that we have been given should be to make the most of it, not to sit around and wait for success to fall into our laps.

I think Solomon summed it up best when he said, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all of your might.”