Mark 12:41-44

New International Version (NIV)

The Widow’s Offering

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Yesterday’s parable of the talents reminded me of this couple of verses.

An important component in life is the giving of ourselves in service to others.

It’s easy to get caught up in just the monetary aspect of the story. Maybe even feel bad because you haven’t given away all of the dollars you have earned.

And while I think that is an important element of the story, I believe that maybe a more important idea in today’s world is giving all of ourselves in service to others.

In service to our families.

In service to our church or favorite local charity.

In service to our clients.

In service to our teammates.

Make it a great day of service.

Jake

The Parable of the Talents in the Bible teaches some important lessons.

I have included the story below.

Spoiler alert….one of the morals of the story is that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

And we all have been given much.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Matthew 25:14-30

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Talents

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In the Bible it says the meek shall inherit the earth.

It’s hard not to bristle a little when you hear that.

We hear words like meek and humble and think of the perennial doormat that doesn’t think enough of themself to stand up for what they believe in.

I went in search of something around the topic of humility and found this short excerpt:

One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering I have read was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too. The prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says:

O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

I think that is the kind of behavior the Bible is talking about.

The kind of humility and meekness it takes to write something like that is hard to imagine.

It’s easy to read something like this and feel bad. Hard to live up to those kind of standards, so why even try?

Why try? Prayers like this one are proof that better is out there. We are capable of amazing things.

Use this as inspiration to get started on your own amazing thing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – More than kisses, letter mingle the souls. –John Donne

EB – The cautious seldom err. – Confuscious

JW – If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. -Thomas Jefferson

MS – If you can dream it, you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. – Zig Ziglar

Is there something you want to do, but never had?

Time to do something you’ve never done.

Get after it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/b7k0a5hYnSI

Found this one on a site listing someone’s top 15 songs to inspire and motivate.

Here is what the blogger wrote:

Why I like this song: Unwritten to me is a reminder that we can write the story of our life exactly as we wish. I think it makes a good morning song, as you could relate it to shaping your day ahead.

What a great thought.

Hopefully this email catches you early enough so that you can spend a few minutes thinking about what you are going to write in the blank page of your life that is today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

What lies behind you and in front of you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We tend to spend a lot of time focused on what could have been or what we would like to be. Both can be very useful, but this quote puts things into perspective.

They are both tiny matters compared to the greatness within us.

Inside each and every one of us lies greatness.

Each and every moment is a chance to embrace it or deny it.

We choose, moment by moment, happiness or bitterness.

We choose, moment by moment, responsibility or excuses.

We choose, moment by moment, selflessness and service or selfishness and ego.

It is in these choices that we define ourselves and create our past and future. It is in these choices we have the opportunity to embrace that greatness that lies within us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"I used to say, ‘Things cost too much.’ Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying, ‘The problem isn’t that things cost too much. The problem is that you can’t afford it.’ That’s when I finally understood that the problem wasn’t ‘it’ – the problem was ‘me.’" — Jim Rohn

One simple thought for you today.

Think of something in your life where you are blaming “it” instead of “me”.

Take some kind of positive action today towards taking responsibility for this area of your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C. S. Lewis

We have had the pleasure of adding a couple new people at Mavidea over the last few months.

Each one has been an inspiration to me.

New people bring with them new possibilities.

They inspire me to think of new goals for us as a group.

And each one has brought with them their own unique personality, talents and aspirations. Something that only they possess.

These newbies have also reminded me just how much I appreciate all of our “old” (that’s right, I called you old) employees.

Watching our team of awesome people bring in a new person and show them the ropes is a testament of just how special a place Mavidea really is.

As I get older, I am reminded frequently of the girl scout saying “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” (You have to sing it to do it right)

We all have people, circumstances and seasons come and go in our life.

Embrace both the old and the new.

Cherish the old memories while conquering new and uncharted territory.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“This is not the dress rehearsal. This is it.”

This line was on Parenthood the other night. The woman who said was in the middle of her chemo treatments and was encouraging her friend to “go for it”.

What a great reminder about life.

There are no do-overs.

Life seems to be a constant push-pull between contentment in the short term and steady progress towards worthy long term goals.

It is in the balance of those two that success is found.

Is there an area of your life you are treating as a dress rehearsal?

Something where you aren’t going for it, just dabbling a little.

Pick today to go all out in pursuit of your dreams.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Either you run the day or the day runs you. Jim Rohn

JM – I am and always will be an optimist. The hoper of far flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams. – The Eleventh Doctor

JW – If you want to be happy, be. Leo Tolstoy

EB – What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others. Confucius

MS – Our life is what our thoughts make it. – Marcus Aurelius

Bunch of great quotes today.

Overall, for some reason today I am just feeling overly thankful.

Thankful for all of you.

Thankful for a great family.

Thankful for the opportunities.

Just thankful.

And for me, that thankfulness tends to bring with it a sense of peace.

We have so many things to be thankful about, how could everything not work out in the end?

Find something to be thankful for today.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake