MGA #1: managing resources, oil and talents and sheep

“…let the nations know they are but men.”  Psalm 10: 20b

Heavenly Father, You are God of the Universe and You retain control of the entire world; all nations, kingdoms and powers are under Your authority.  You “…reign forever…[and] will judge the world in righteousness…[and] govern the people in holiness.”  Remind me that I, too, am only a human being; I am governed by Your power and accountable to You in all things.  All resources that I steward come from You.  Bless me to be an extension of Your righteousness and holiness when I make decisions about people, money, equipment, facilities, guidance and regulations, and time.  Forgive me for Jesus’ sake when I fail, through weakness and in sin. Preserve my people from the consequences of my sin, of my foolishness or selfishness.   Bless me with Your Spirit, a Spirit of power and of a sound mind, so that I lead Your people well.  AMEN.

“Managing Resources” is Major Graded Area (MGA) #1.  It is described in this way:  “Managing Resources will show that the Commanders have considered risk in the stewardship of entrusted resources given to them from higher echelon commanders to ensure effective and efficient mission accomplishment.  Those resources include:  manpower, funds, equipment, facilities and environment, guidance, and Airmen’s time.  At the same time, this MGA will show that higher echelon commanders are ensuring adequate resources are provided to subordinate commanders.  Likewise, subordinate commanders must inform higher echelon commanders of resource shortfalls.”

Whenever I think about managing resources, stewardship and risk management, I think about the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25.  But that parable is only 1 of 3 stories which sit within the context of Matthew 25.  The first is the Parable of the Ten Virgins; the third is the Sheep and Goats (less a parable and more a prophecy of future events).  The entire chapter begins with “at that time”, a reference to chapter 24, a discussion of the end days.  So then chapter 25 becomes a discussion of “how then shall we live.”

Based on my simple (and very Lutheran) understanding of the end days, the end days essentially started with the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of Christ Jesus—prior to that, the world was waiting for the promise of a Savior; after the promise was fulfilled, the world waits for God to return in glory to judge all people and establish a new heaven and a new earth into eternity.  No wigging out over increasingly difficult times, no belief that the world is going to go to hell before that final judgement; things are going to continue roughly as they’ve always been, with people being born, getting married, having families and professions, and dying.  Violence, destruction, disease, corruption in the flesh and in authorities, heresy and persecution—all of the impacts of sin—have been and will continue to effect humanity until Jesus returns.  So how then shall I live?  I live as a Christian, a baptized and forgiven child of God in Christ, and as an approved workman who is not ashamed of the gospel (2 Tim 2: 15).

I also live as a wise virgin with sufficient oil in my lamp; I live as a good steward of the wealth and resources entrusted to me; and I live as a sheep among goats.  The wise virgins waited not just with lamps, but with sufficient oil in their lamps; they were faithful and prepared as we should be, not careless and unprepared.  The servants were entrusted with money, and only those who invested carefully—who took a degree of risk, but wise risk with a goal of dividends in service to the master—were rewarded upon the master’s return.  The sheep are those who care for those in need, for Christ among us in the form of widows, orphans, prisoners, the sick and lonely.  

As I contemplate what faithful, Godly leadership looks like, particularly stewardship of resources, I see all of these parables as pertaining to me.   Like the woman with the lamp, waiting with a jar of oil, prepared for the confidently-awaited arrival of the bridegroom, I am waiting with readiness and with faithfulness.  I do not set aside my faith, presume that for a period of my life or within a domain of my life, I can fail to live as a Christian.  I do believe that faith can be lost—the salvation and forgiveness offered by Christ can be rejected at any point; or the acts that strengthen faith can be neglected for so long that faith withers and dies.  Faith in Christ is not my work—it is a gift of God by the Holy Spirit—but it is something I can neglect or lose, and so be left like one of the foolish bridesmaids with a useless, empty lamp. So my faith should be nurtured by prayer, reading of Scripture, participation in the sacraments and faithful church attendance; it should also be nurtured as I act with the prayerful wisdom to make God-pleasing decisions, not neglecting to produce the fruits of His Spirit. 

Like the servant given talents of gold to invest in the service of my Master, everything I am given to steward has been given to me by God for use in His service.  This certainly includes my innate abilities—my health, my intellect, my other personal strengths relating to communication, speaking, interpersonal interactions and project management.  It also includes all of the external resources that I am allowed to manage as a leader, the resources that MGA #1 demands that I manage well with the right balance of risk management.  This parable speaks most clearly to this MGA.  The master was angry with the foolish, frightened servant who simply buried the gold in the ground.  In the same way, if I lead only out of fear of failure or out of a fear of taking any risks, I do not do justice to the resources entrusted to me by the world—which resources have been given to the Kingdom of the Left, the governments and powers of this world, by God the Creator and Ruler of all. Any resources I have—people, money, equipment, facilities or time—have been given to me by God.  They may be stamped with “Property of US Government”, but ultimately all resources belong to God.  If I manage these resources timidly, out of fear of personal failure or intimidation by human leadership above me, I do not do justice to my role as servant of my Heavenly Master.  I am not brash, careless or cavalier about resources either; knowing that I am entrusted both my by chain of command and my God to manage resources well precludes that kind of foolishness.  I will be called to give an account of my management of all things entrusted to my care, both temporally within my career and eternally before God my Father.

Praise God, my eternal salvation does not hinge upon my management of earthly resources.  I go into my future role knowing full well that I remain only a forgiven sinner, still susceptible to fail but always forgiven for Jesus’ sake.  Should I make mistakes through pride or foolishness, I will not lose my salvation.  As I type this, there rises up in me a great fear of failure—I hate the feeling that I will disappoint someone, or that I will be publically shamed.  These come out of my human pride and my desire to be independently worthy—versus only having worth in Christ Jesus.  

Ephesians 5: 15, 16 in my NIV says “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  In the KJV, the phrase is “See then that you walk circumspectly….”  I love the word “circumspectly.”  It literally (yay Latin class) means “look around.”  I think about a tightrope walker, or someone crossing a river by carefully selecting stones to step on:  every step must be deliberate.  The walker must be aware of where both feet are at all times and to ensure that both feet are stable; the walker must go slowly, without impatient or careless rushing; the walker must be aware of other factors—how slippery are those stones, how fast is the rushing water—to be sure that each next step goes as planned, and that the firmly planted foot does not become dislodged or trip.  

To me, this is where the oil in my lamp and the stewardship of my gold talents are related.  I walk circumspectly in the wisdom of God.  He not only gives me faith, He strengthens my faith and leads me with His Spirit in both earthly and spiritual wisdom.  The fear of God is indeed the beginning of wisdom, the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  As I manage resources, I am aware of the authority of God in my life, guiding me to make decisions which reflect His will; decisions that are unselfish, are objective and represent the best course of action.  I view the people entrusted to my care as resources, but also as sacred beings created in the image of God and worthy of kindness, compassion, respect and guidance.  As I walk circumspectly, the likelihood that I will sin or fail decreases; I am alert, I am fully engaged, I am seeking both God’s guidance but also guidance from fellow leaders and also from followers.  

This leaves me with the discussion of the sheep and the goats, the final story in Matthew 25.  As I said in my previous discussion about the MGA’s, I know that I am an under-shepherd of God’s sheep.  The people I lead are on loan from God, and He will call me to account.  Beyond that, while not a mission field to proselytize, my scope as a leader is my mission field to serve:  this is where I may find the people who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked and in need, sick, imprisoned or lonely.  No, I’m not trying to absolve myself of service to others in need in my community, church, neighborhood or elsewhere in the globe; but my workplace is the place where I will spend most of my time and have the greatest influence.  I can make it a place where people are treated compassionately, fairly, respectfully and kindly.  I will certainly have airmen who are sick, lonely and in need; it will be my job to look out for them and to care for them.  And to care for them in various ways—through clear expectations, accountability, mentorship and guidance; through consequences and discipline when needed; by providing or directing to resources and help; by ensuring adequate training and equipment; by recognizing excellence and creating a workplace where people are able to use their gifts and talents to serve others and to serve God.  

Because whether recognized or not, God is in power over all things—both heavenly and earthly—and all things work according to His oversight, guidance and plan.  He has authority over His Church, the people who are His baptized and redeemed children here in time and into eternity; and He has authority over the secular domains and rulers of this world, to accomplish His purposes in all of the world.  I sit in both of those “Kingdoms”, as a Christian in the “Kingdom of the Right” and as an officer and leader in the “Kingdom of the Left.”  I will be called to give an account of my service to God in both Kingdoms:  how did I steward the resources, the gold talents, which He gives to me?

1)      What resources do you have authority over?  Consider the people, money, equipment, and facilities you manage. Do you view those secular resources only as something you manage for your earthly job; or do you view them as something entrusted to you by God?  How might viewing all resources as on loan from God change your perspective on how those resources should be managed? 

2)      Christ may return at any time.  Do you have oil for your lamp?  What are you doing to strengthen your faith until Christ’s return (church attendance, study of scripture, prayer, participation in Holy Communion, etc)?  How is this also a type of stewardship—stewardship of the gift of faith?   What are the consequences of failing to grow in faith?

3)      “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”  Where are the people in your sphere of influence (neighborhood, church, workplace) who are sick, hungry, lonely or otherwise in need?  How can you meet those needs, in Jesus’ name and for His sake?

4)      Examine your life and heart for times where you have failed to be a good and Godly steward of the faith and resources God has given you.  Confess these failures before Him with a repentant heart, trusting that He forgives you for Jesus’ sake.  He will bless you with His Spirit; pray for a renewed and encouraged heart, for wisdom and for guidance.