The belly button marks the place at which the nutritional “lifeline” from your mother was attached to you. This permanent scar is a reminder of a profound truth: life is a GIFT! Grace is given to us through Jesus (the umbilical cord) (Means of Life) so that we are enabled to achieve the purpose for which the Creator designed us. (Maker of Life)

Fundamentally, Father loans us three commodities: Time, Talent, and Treasure. It’s like a man going on a trip. He called his servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone. (Matthew 25:14)

TIME! How many days will you live? Obviously, you don’t know! What you do know is this: when you wake up in the morning, your “alive–ness” is a gift.“ Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” (Carl Sandburg) So, teach us to use wisely all the time we have. (Psalm 90:12)

TALENT! Consider your unique personality and talent mix. Did you purchase it/them at Niemen Marcus? Here’s what the Manual says: You shaped me first inside, then out; You formed me in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13) “Our gifts and talents should be turned over to Him. They should be recognized for what they are, God’s loan to us, and should never be considered in any sense our own.” (Aiden Wilson Tozer)

TREASURE!  Much advertising appeals to our sense of entitlement. “You’ve worked long and hard! You deserve this!” However, a smidgen of honesty reveals the truth. Yes, we work hard; but only with the time and talent that have grace-fully been given! Every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received comes from the Father above. (James 1:17)  “Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

Sometime later the master returned and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. (Matthew 25:19) As with any financier, Father wants a return on His investment. How’s your account in His portfolio?

“It’s like a man going on a trip.
He called his servants and loaned them money
to invest for him while he was gone.”
Matthew 25:14