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God-Connections in National Parks / Stories

God-Connections in National Parks – The Mission

There was once a teacher.  This teacher did not teach in a school, this teacher taught at a Church!  To be more specific, this teacher taught the kids group at the Church!  This teacher loved to study nature and found that things in nature point us directly to God.  The beautiful things in nature are not God, but they point us to God and teach us many true things about God!  The teacher also loved the National Parks in the United States and loved to visit them.

The teacher had a great idea!  Why not teach the kids at Church about the National Parks and about the things that the National Parks teach us about God!  It was a great idea, but the teacher needed help!  So, the teacher got many helpers and told them what they had to do!

Each helper would go to a National Park, explore that park, find at least one God-connection that can be learned from that park.  This was not to be considered a vacation, the helpers were on a mission!  The teacher expected results from all the helpers.  When they the returned, the helpers would give the teacher a full report of what they had done, what they had learned, and the God-connections that they had found.

The Challenge

The teacher got the attention of all the helpers and told them the conditions of being allowed to be a helper.  Each helper would be assigned to visit a National Park, but this was not going to be a vacation!  They were expected to do the work that was assigned to them, and to bring back a complete report about the park and about the God-connection that they had found in that park!  If they did not complete this mission, they would not be allowed to be a helper anymore!  One of the helpers asked what they were supposed to do if they could not find a God-connection at their park.  The teacher told the helper that there was a God-connection in every park, the helpers needed to pray and ask God to reveal the God-connection to them.

The teacher then opened the Bible to Luke 19:12-13, 15-26 and read this parable from Jesus:

A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.  Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’  After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money.  He wanted to find out what their profits were. 

The first servant reported ‘Master, I invested your money and made then time the original amount!’ 

“Well done!’, the King exclaimed.  ‘You are a good servant.  You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ 

The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ 

‘Well done!’ the king said.  ‘You will be governor over five cities.’ 

But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.  I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ 

‘You wicked servant!’ the King roared. ‘Your own words condemn you.  If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank?  At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 

Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ 

‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’  ‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given.  But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.’

The teacher told the helpers; you will be held accountable just like the servants in this parable.  I am not going on a journey, but you are.  When you return, if you did not bring me results, then you will cease to be my helper.  But, if you bring the results that I asked for, then I will give you greater responsibilities and we will work closely together in the future!  Now go and do your job!

Application for you and me!

Each of us has been put on this earth by God to do a job!  The first part of the job is to realize that we need God to forgive our sins, believe that Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth, died on the cross, and rose from the dead to pay for our sins, and ask Him to forgive us, and come into our life! 

But the life that God has called us to live is more than just getting our sins forgiven.  God expects us to live for Him and represent Him here on earth for the rest of our life!  Each person has a unique life and a unique way of serving God, pray and ask Him how He would have you to serve Him, then serve Him with all your strength as He brings opportunities your way.

At the end of this life, when we stand before God, we want to hear Him say, “Well done!”  It does not matter if you become a well-known Christian leader or if God has you quietly serve Him ‘behind the scenes’ and no one notices you.  God notices any act of service to Him, and He will reward you for it! 

Determine to serve Him with your whole heart and with all your strength!  He will help you along the way!

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