Your Life Is Borrowed!: Open Heavens Daily Devotional 20 July 2018

Memorise:
“But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.” – 2 Kings 6:5

Read: 2 Kings 6:1-7 (KJV)

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 35-36, Matthew 4:23-5:20

 MESSAGE:

The sons of the prophets in today’s Bible text showed serious concernwhen they lost an axe head that they had borrowed. After doing their best to recover it without success, they thought it necessary to approach the man of God, Elisha, for assistance. Unlike these men, many today are nonchalant in the way they handle other people’s property in their care, not bothering about the condition and welfare of such goods. 

As a matter of fact, many people handle borrowed items in a way that exposes them to damage or loss, either because they don’t know their true value or they simply don’t care. This scenario mirrors the human life, which God gave to us to put to profitable use. Do you know that your life is borrowed? What are you doing to ensure that your life is not being wasted? Have you been careless with your life because you didn’t know that it was borrowed and that the true owner will soon call for an audit?

It is a well established truth in the Bible that we are living borrowed lives, and we will be requesting to give proper account of all we have done with our lives at the appropriate time. To this effect, without exempting anybody, Roman 14:12 says:

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Ecclesiastes 12:14 also echoes this truth, saying,

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

Every human being should get ready to give account to God because everything is set for the day of reckoning. The story of the unprofitable servant, who was given one talent in Matthew 25:24-30, further emphasizes the importance of viewing life as a borrowed item that must be properly accounted for in due time. 

Learn from this servant who returned his talent without making any profit with it. He was seriously reprimanded and referred to as a wicked and slothful servant. His excuse for being unprofitable was not accepted. Rather, he was dispossessed of his talent, declared to be unprofitable and was thrown into outer darkness to weep and mourn forever. 

Every talent, gift or natural endowment given to you by God should be seen as a divine investment to be carefully nurtured, proudly displayed and gainfully deployed in your daily life. How well are you using your life for Christ?

Action Point:
Weigh yourself on God’s scale of profitability by taking stock of how you are using your divine endowments and comparative advantage for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

 Hymn 12: Take My Life, And Let It Be

1. Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2. Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my sliver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for thee.