Monday, November 28, 2011

Word of the Year

lev·er·age

[lev-er-ij, lee-ver-] noun, verb, -aged, -ag·ing.
noun
3.
power or ability to act or to influence people, events, decisions, etc.; sway. advantage, strength, clout, pull.
4.
the use of a small initial investment to gain a very high return in relation to one's investment.
 
verb (used with an object)
5.
to exert power or influence on.
6.
to use a quality or advantage to obtain a desired effect or result.

I've heard a lot of my favorite preachers using the word leverage lately.  It's a word I'd not heard much in church before, but alas there is nothing new under the sun.  The idea of leveraging what you have and where you are to further the kingdom of God is found throughout the Bible.  

*Remember the parable of the talents?
*Think about Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: "To these four young men   God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.  And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." -Daniel 1:17
*Remember Nehemiah?  He was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and leveraged that position to begin the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
*Esther leveraged her influence on the King to save her people.
*Preaching from the parable of the shrewd manager a couple of weeks ago Scott Meyer said, "I don't care how wealthy you are or how young you are, in God's eyes we all have just a little bit of time and a little bit of money.  The question is how will you leverage that on behalf of the Kingdom?  And the encouraging, powerful thing from this parable is that you can leverage your temporary worldly things to actually affect the population of eternity.  How's that for an investment?" 

And what of those who squandered their position?  10 of the 12 who came back from spying out Canaan died wandering around in the desert.  Saul lost the throne, Judus leveraged his position to betray Jesus. 

So the question comes to you...
How can you leverage your home, your money, your car, your radio show, your blog, your job, your time, your influence with family and friends?  And where you can, will you???

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