Revisiting the Spiritual Sponge Principle

As I’ve admitted before, I’m not a handyman in any sense of the word. Mechanical genes my grandfather passed on to my father and uncle skipped over me. I still have a considerable assortment of tools inherited from my dad, but his skills didn’t come attached to them. 

 

Even though I’m the equivalent of a craftsman with two left feet, I appreciate what tools can do. I can hammer a nail (sometimes) and turn a screwdriver when necessary, but I’m wise enough to entrust any task of greater complexity to someone who knows what they’re doing.

 

One versatile tool I’ve found very handy might not be the first that comes to mind. It’s useful for washing a car, wiping up spills, cleaning windows, removing children’s artwork from walls, and a host of other everyday tasks. You might have guessed I’m referring to the humble sponge.

Sponges come in many shapes and sizes; they’re extremely useful. That is, until they’re not. Sponges can soak up lots of liquid, but when saturated they become basically useless. Try as you will, a sponge won’t soak up another drop. But we don’t throw the sponge away, do we? No, we just squeeze the sponge’s contents into a bucket or onto the ground and voila! We’re good to go again.

 

My purpose isn’t to sing the praises of sponges. But long ago I discovered something I call “God’s spiritual sponge principle.” It’s the idea that the Lord will entrust to each of us only as much spiritual riches as we’re willing to use. If we don’t put into practice what we’ve learned, He won’t give us more. Apparently, He detests spiritual hoarders.

 

How do I know this? I believe it’s clearly taught in the Scriptures. The New Testament book of Philemon isn’t one we often hear taught on Sundays. One reason is it consists of a single chapter and only 25 verses. Despite its brevity, one of its verses encapsulates in a handful of words this spiritual sponge concept.

 

The apostle Paul writes to someone named Philemon, described as “our dear friend and fellow worker,” and several other people. In verse 6 Paul says, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” This seems to indicate that as we exercise our faith – whether evangelistically with non-believers or in sharing what we’ve learned with fellow believers – we grow in our understanding of God’s truth.

 

This phrasing is from an early edition of the New International Version; other Bible versions translate this statement somewhat differently. But it seems consistent with what the Bible teaches elsewhere. 

 

For instance, writing to the Church in Philippi, Paul admonishes, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). He’s telling them to work out what the Lord has already worked into them.

 

Then there’s Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, in which a wealthy man leaving on a journey entrusts property into his servants’ care. He gives them differing amounts to oversee, one five talents, another two talents, and the third one talent. Upon returning the man asks each for an accounting of how they used what he gave them to manage.

 

Servants 1 and 2 put their money to work and gained more for their master. Commending them, the rich man tells both, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things….”

 

The third, however, had simply hidden his talent, explaining, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:24-25). His master wasn't buying the excuse, however. He took the single talent from the servant and gave it to the one who had gained the most.

 

“For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him,” the master declared. Then he gave the chilling command, “throw the worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

 

Much could be unpacked from that passage, with different theological conclusions. But one thing seems clear: God gives each of us some measure of spiritual riches – gifts, talents, opportunities. He expects us to put them to use for His glory, not to hoard or hide them. 

We’re His “spiritual sponges,” and the Lord wants us to apply the biblical teachings He gives us, utilizing those principles and truths to further His kingdom and serve people He brings into our lives. We’re not called, as one preacher termed it, to “sit, soak and sour.” 

Transforming the Mundane into the Marvelous

Several years ago, a high-ranking military officer gave a college commencement address and offered a bit of advice: “First thing you do in the morning, make your bed.”

 

With all the admonitions he could have made, this commanding officer chose “make your bed”? He explained his reasoning: In making your bed, simple as that seems, you’ve achieved something positive to start your day. No matter what transpires afterward, you can feel good about having done at least one thing worthwhile.

 

Have you ever thought about all the repetitive tasks we perform each day? Besides making the bed (if that’s your practice), we get cleaned up and dressed for the day, eat breakfast, travel to work (unless you work from home, as I do), go through the workday, return home, have the evening meal, relax a bit, and then go to bed – so we can start the cycle over again tomorrow.

 

This doesn’t even include periodic chores like mopping the floors, vacuuming the carpet, doing the dishes, washing and drying clothes, taking out the trash, mowing the yard, and so on. As someone has said, the problem with everyday living is it’s so…daily. 

 

We have highlights to keep us motivated – significant, hard-earned achievements along with pleasant surprises. But in essence, life amounts to moments of magnificence surrounded by masses of mundane stuff. However, with a slight attitude adjustment, we can transform the mundane into the marvelous.

 

How? It starts with recognizing why we do what we do, even seemingly inconsequential things. Because in the Scriptures, Christ’s followers are admonished, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:17,23-24).

 

Looking at the world around us, it’s clear that God doesn’t do shabby work. His creation is filled with wonders. As His children – and faithful servants – we should always strive to reflect His character and excellence in what we do and the way we do it. Even repetitious chores probably no one will notice.

 

But what if you knew a special guest were coming to your home – the Lord Almighty? Do you think you’d make an extra effort to spiff things up? Or if the nameplate on the desk in your boss’s office read, Jehovah God. Do you think that might affect your approach to your work, even the little things?

 

One time Jesus was speaking to His followers about the proper use of their material possessions; He also implied stewardship of whatever the Lord has entrusted to us: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). 

 

Sometimes the way we handle the ordinary and the mundane is a test to determine how well we would handle greater responsibilities and more exciting challenges. On another occasion, as recounted in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus told of a man who instructed his servants to manage his property while he was away on a journey. He gave five talents of money to one servant, two talents to another, and one talent to the third – “each according to his ability.”

 

The one receiving the five talents shrewdly put the money to work, earning an additional five. The servant given two talents did much the same, gaining two more. However, the servant entrusted with only one talent buried it. He didn’t even put it in the bank to earn a bit of interest. His reasoning? He perceived his master as “a hard man…. I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

 

To the servants who used the money put in their trust to generate more, the master said, “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!” 

However, for the servant who did nothing with the money given other than hide it, there was no such praise. Instead, he heard, “You wicked, lazy servant!” His talent was given to the one who had managed to double his money from five to ten.

 

Jesus used this parable to explain the importance of faithful, reliable stewardship of whatever God puts into our care – money, opportunities, skills, even our time. He concluded by saying, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

 

Maybe making the bed seems like a very small thing. Why would that matter to God? But think again about what Jesus said: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” If we would like the Lord to trust us with big, important things to do, a good place to start would be to demonstrate we can be trusted with little, “unimportant” things. 

Mired in the Mediocre

Think of someone you have greatly admired, a person who has inspired you in positive ways to become a better person. What are some of the qualities of that individual, the traits that make (or made) him or her stand out in the crowd?

Several qualities might come to mind. But in thinking about people that have had the most positive influence on my life, one common characteristic is their determination to pursue excellence. They might not have done everything exceedingly well, but the things most important to them were carried out to the best of their ability.

When we're at work, are we willing
to say "good enough" is enough?

We recently saw young Jordan Spieth not only win the fabled Masters championship but also destroy tournament records in the process. Our hearts have soared listening to extraordinary musical performances, perhaps George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” or Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony.” When we consider again Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, our thoughts become transported by thoughts of what could be. Then there’s the surgeon that thrills us when, after performing an extremely difficult surgery on a loved one, assures us everything will be all right.

In each case we’re beneficiaries – directly or indirectly – of men and women devoted to their crafts, unwilling to accept anything less than excellence in what they do. They took innate talent and then invested the time and effort necessary to develop and refine their skills.

Many of us, however, have no idea what that is like. Ours is a time when most people opt to be observers of excellence rather than participants in it. And there’s a reason for this: Excellence is hard; mediocity is easy.

Why put in countless hours practicing on a piano, mastering finger techniques and dexterity by performing monotonous scales over and over, when we can buy a CD or flip through the TV channels and find music to our liking? Why endure the tedium of perfecting fundamentals of a sport, repeating the drills until they become second nature, when we can just occasionally visit the course or court, have some fun, and then relax with a “cold one”? Why do all that hard work indeed, when we can settle for “good enough”?

Because when we witness outstanding accomplishments – an athlete excelling at the sport of choice, an educator inspiring students to chase after their dreams, or a businessperson investing the time and energy necessary to transform a vision into reality – we catch a glimpse of we could be, if only we weren’t content to remain mired in the mediocre.

There’s an even more compelling reason: God has entrusted us with certain abilities and gifts, and expects us to serve as stewards of those, using them for His glory.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus told the story of the wealthy property owner who entrusted his servants with some of his property. To one he gave five talents, a second servant received two talents, and a third was given one talent. Apparently the disparity was based on the level of responsibility they had already demonstrated in handling his property.

The servants receiving five and two talents invested what had been entrusted to them, earning a substantial gain for the owner. They in turn were rewarded when the owner said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21,23). They understood the importance of excellence, pursued it, and were assigned greater authority.

However, the third servant had simply dug a hole and put the owner’s money in it. When the owner returned, the servant gave the money back, exactly as he had received it. His lack of initiative, choosing to settle for mediocrity, resulted in chastisement by his master. For him, nothing had been ventured – and everything was lost.

King Solomon, reflecting on the perplexities and frustrations of everyday life, advised, “Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). In other words, if something’s worth doing, it’s usually worth doing as well as you’re able.

And we should always consider for whom we are doing it. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). If we keep that in mind, excellence should always be our goal – and mediocrity should never be an option.

Giving – and the Federal Budget

If pastors ever want to ensure low attendance some Sunday, all they have to do is announce the week preceding that they’ll be preaching on tithing. Messages about money attract congregants like vinegar attracts honeybees. “All they want is money,” is a common complaint uttered by some about the contemporary church.

We don’t like being told how to handle our money, whether by the clergy, parents, friends, or sometimes, even our spouse. After all, it’s “my money,” isn’t it? I have every right to do with it as I choose, don’t I?

Whose money is it, anyway?

I don’t intend to explore the concept of tithing, but one principle has helped me over the years in not maintaining such a tight grip on my wallet. As a friend explained, from a biblical perspective it’s not “our” money. We are not “owners” of our possessions, including our cash and bank accounts, but stewards – or managers.

In His so-called Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus told of a wealthy man who, before leaving on a journey, entrusted talents (some money) to his servants. He asked them to manage the money in an appropriate way during his absence, and upon his return, they would give an account of what they had done with it.

Two of the servants invested the talents wisely, doubling the amounts that had been entrusted to them. Both were commended for their stewardship and then informed they would be given even greater responsibilities: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21.23).

The third servant, however, did nothing with the money entrusted to him, choosing instead to hide it until the rich owner returned. His explanation? “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:24).

None of these servants owned the money in their possession, but still were expected to put it to good, productive use. In a similar way, we might work hard to earn our paychecks, but ultimately the money is not ours, but God’s. Our skills, abilities and gifts come from Him. He simply asks us to be wise in how we manage or use our financial resources. And if He asks us to give a portion of that directly to help in advancing His eternal kingdom, is that too much to ask?

This principle reminds me of how “our money” – the taxes we pay to the Federal government – are being used. We often hear, from both Democrats and Republicans, about the “government” funding various projects, ranging from education to highways. Our elected officials, from the President to members of Congress to those who serve at the local government level, seem to view themselves as owners of tax revenues, authorized to use the funds as they choose.

But lately there’s been a strong pushback, taxpayers complaining that in reality the government – Federal, state and local – has no money of its own. They note that in a real sense, government leaders are basically managers – stewards – asked to use the funds entrusted to them with wisdom and frugality.

Government seems to have stepped into the role of the wealthy man in the Bible, described by one of his servants as “a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.”

This isn’t advocating non-payment of taxes. In fact, I believe all U.S. citizens have a responsibility to pay their fair share to support functions of government, ranging from law enforcement and emergency responders who come in times of need to road crews that pave our streets and fill in potholes. If God has prospered us financially, we have an obligation to help in supporting not only His work, but also the public works from which we all benefit.

But wouldn’t it be nice if our elected officials took their own stewardship more soberly? That rather than spending tax monies like drunken sailors, heedless of budgets and growing deficits, they would realize they have merely been entrusted with tax revenues – resources provided by American taxpayers? That they have the responsibility for using them with great care and discretion, rather than acting as if they’d been given a blank check for unconscionable, reckless spending?

What Will Your Verse Be?

I don’t know if you saw it, but recently Apple produced an intriguing TV commercial for its iPad. One reason I noticed the ad is it featured the Ohio State University marching band, along with people from a broad range of other pursuits, all using the tablet for their various activities. What stuck with me, however, was the question it posed.

The voiceover during the commercial stated, in part:

“Each of us has something to share. A voice, a passion, a perspective. The potential to add a stanza to the world’s story…. What will your verse be?”

Simple, concise words, but they pack a wallop of insight. We’ve become seduced by the superstar mentality, wrongly believing that only people whose names appear in news headlines or on magazine covers are those with something to offer. That is far from true. Our lives might not merit a segment on the evening news, but we all have unique gifts, talents and interests that can make a difference in the lives of people God has placed in our special spheres of influence.

This quote from Charles Lindbergh reflects the life
of a man willing to dare, to explore the limits
of human achievement. 

What is your voice, passion, or perspective? For some people, it’s endangered or abused animals. For others it’s children in poverty or confronting serious needs. There are many people who share a passion for the advancement of the arts. Then there are political causes, literacy, the environment, or countless other passions that can consume our thoughts, time and energy.

If you’ve read more than one or two of my posts in this blog, you have a sense of what mine are: Communicating the relevance and practical value of the Bible – which I believe to be the true Word of God – and challenging others to apply and integrate its timeless principles into every area of their lives. That’s my passion, my perspective, shaped over more than 30 years study, discussion and experience.

But the portion of the Apple commercial’s script that intrigued me most was the idea we each possess the potential “to add a stanza to the world’s story.” If, over the course of your lifetime, you can make a difference in the life of at least one or two people, you’ll be inserting your own stanza into the narrative of the world.

We often think of composers, poets, statesmen, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs that have had that kind of impact. But what about a homemaker; someone performing clerical work; a sales person in a retail store; a server in a restaurant, or someone who sets aside an hour or two every week to befriending and mentoring a child from a low-income, single-parent home?

If we had the opportunity to engage in something big, to become a participant in a highly publicized enterprise, most of us would jump at the chance. Why not? We all want to make a splash, a tremendous difference, right? But the little stuff, those behind-the-scenes duties no one seems to notice – who cares about that?

Well, for starters, God cares. In a passage familiar to many of us, Jesus told the "parable of the talents," a story of servants entrusted with varying amounts of money to manage during their master’s absence. Upon his return, the owner asked each for an accounting of how they had used the money. As it turned out, two of the three servants had invested the funds and reaped a considerable return.

To both the 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” (Matthew 25:14-30).

God has uniquely and specifically equipped each of us for a particular impact on the world around us, to “add our stanza to the world’s story.” But individually we must take the initiative to ensure that stanza is written. The Lord won’t do it for us. He’ll provide the opportunities; He’s already given us the abilities, talent and expertise. Now it’s our job to put them all to use.

So the question that begs for our answer is the one from the Apple ad: “What will your verse be?”

As I write this, I think of several people close to me whose verses have been finalized. The ink has dried, but the stanzas they wrote continue to resonate. Parts of them were inscribed on my own heart. My hope is that for someone somewhere, a portion of my verse, my stanza, will remain indelible on their heart as well. Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” God has used others to sharpen me over the years. My hope is that for someone else, I’ve been used as a sharpener.

So again I present the question of the day, one that ultimately can lead each of us to an assessment of whether we’ve lived a life worth living: What will your verse be?