Saturday, January 26, 2008
What I Believe (Part II)
or What In God's Name Are You Doing!?
The story goes that there was once a man who lived across the street from an elementary school. Each morning, he would witness the caravan of minivans and SUVs depositing children. Soccermoms (one word?) would distribute their kisses and ensure their children's backpacks and coats were all intact, and the parade would continue with the whistle of crosswalk guards in the background. On this day, one child in particular was misbehaving immediately after leaving the safety of his mother. The man's attention was caught by the mother as she shouted to her child. "What in God's name are you doing!" The actions of the child are immaterial, but the words meant everything to the man who was listening.
The words pierced him to the hilt. He had attended church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night [three to thrive]. He had tithed and thought He had the will of God in his life. But the more he thought about it, the more selfish his actions seemed. Attending church service is good for his soul. Tithing is good for his church, but everything he was doing was beneficial only to him or his immediate surroundings. He wondered to himself, "what in God's name am I doing? What am I doing in the name of God?"
He went into the house and tried to continue his day. He tried to live his life as he had for all these years. But he could no longer justify the inactivity of his Christianity. Until now, he hadn't witnessed at work for fear that someone would be offended and talk to HR. He wouldn't push his faith on his family and friends for fear of rejection. He was earning nothing in the great commission and he was not obeying God's word.
After several hours of Bible study and prayer, he discovered that there are over 100 verses in the Bible that address the need to care for the poor and needy. He would give annually to United Way, but that was it. But was that enough? And how much is enough? The answer to that is murky, but doing nothing isn't doing God's will. Doing something would at least begin the process.
The story's not about me, but it conveys the meaning of what I believe. If you're a Christian, ask yourself, "What in God's name am I doing?" Is it enough to attend church and tithe and do all the things that benefit you directly? Even the unsaved take care of themselves. Moreover, I know some unsaved people who are amazingly philanthropic. Will their uncircumcision count as circumcision in the eyes of God? I'm often perplexed as to why Christians, who are good, decent people, don't volunteer. Or if they do, they confine it to food baskets from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have some bad news for you - the homeless are homeless all year long. Are souls going to get saved on their own, or are we called to be disciples and spread His Word? These should be simple questions, but if we understand God's will and we know what the Bible says, why don't we do it? That, in a nutshell, is direct disobedience. Plain and simple defiance of God's will. It's turning our backs to God and saying that we want our own way and we want our own will and this is *my* life alone and 'thanks' for all the 'me' stuff I can hoard and squirrel away, and can I have some more please?
If we, who are called by His name, are not going to do His work, He will find someone else to do it - and they will get the blessings. The Old Testament is full of examples of God's people turning their backs to His will and doing their own thing. God inevitably decides to bless someone else.
I'm sorry if you work long hours and I'm sorry that you're busy with family and other things that benefit you and add to your happiness. I'm asking that if you call yourself a Christian and if you can read these verses below and not be moved to do something (immediately), then you need to take inventory.
1 John 3:17 -
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
James 2:15-16 -
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Deut 15:7 -
If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.
Deut 15:11 -
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Matthew 19:21 -
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Matthew 25:35 -
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.
Luke 12:33 -
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luke 18:22 -
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
And about 100 other passages from my King James Bible.
The story goes that there was once a man who lived across the street from an elementary school. Each morning, he would witness the caravan of minivans and SUVs depositing children. Soccermoms (one word?) would distribute their kisses and ensure their children's backpacks and coats were all intact, and the parade would continue with the whistle of crosswalk guards in the background. On this day, one child in particular was misbehaving immediately after leaving the safety of his mother. The man's attention was caught by the mother as she shouted to her child. "What in God's name are you doing!" The actions of the child are immaterial, but the words meant everything to the man who was listening.
The words pierced him to the hilt. He had attended church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night [three to thrive]. He had tithed and thought He had the will of God in his life. But the more he thought about it, the more selfish his actions seemed. Attending church service is good for his soul. Tithing is good for his church, but everything he was doing was beneficial only to him or his immediate surroundings. He wondered to himself, "what in God's name am I doing? What am I doing in the name of God?"
He went into the house and tried to continue his day. He tried to live his life as he had for all these years. But he could no longer justify the inactivity of his Christianity. Until now, he hadn't witnessed at work for fear that someone would be offended and talk to HR. He wouldn't push his faith on his family and friends for fear of rejection. He was earning nothing in the great commission and he was not obeying God's word.
After several hours of Bible study and prayer, he discovered that there are over 100 verses in the Bible that address the need to care for the poor and needy. He would give annually to United Way, but that was it. But was that enough? And how much is enough? The answer to that is murky, but doing nothing isn't doing God's will. Doing something would at least begin the process.
The story's not about me, but it conveys the meaning of what I believe. If you're a Christian, ask yourself, "What in God's name am I doing?" Is it enough to attend church and tithe and do all the things that benefit you directly? Even the unsaved take care of themselves. Moreover, I know some unsaved people who are amazingly philanthropic. Will their uncircumcision count as circumcision in the eyes of God? I'm often perplexed as to why Christians, who are good, decent people, don't volunteer. Or if they do, they confine it to food baskets from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have some bad news for you - the homeless are homeless all year long. Are souls going to get saved on their own, or are we called to be disciples and spread His Word? These should be simple questions, but if we understand God's will and we know what the Bible says, why don't we do it? That, in a nutshell, is direct disobedience. Plain and simple defiance of God's will. It's turning our backs to God and saying that we want our own way and we want our own will and this is *my* life alone and 'thanks' for all the 'me' stuff I can hoard and squirrel away, and can I have some more please?
If we, who are called by His name, are not going to do His work, He will find someone else to do it - and they will get the blessings. The Old Testament is full of examples of God's people turning their backs to His will and doing their own thing. God inevitably decides to bless someone else.
I'm sorry if you work long hours and I'm sorry that you're busy with family and other things that benefit you and add to your happiness. I'm asking that if you call yourself a Christian and if you can read these verses below and not be moved to do something (immediately), then you need to take inventory.
1 John 3:17 -
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
James 2:15-16 -
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Deut 15:7 -
If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.
Deut 15:11 -
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Matthew 19:21 -
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Matthew 25:35 -
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.
Luke 12:33 -
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luke 18:22 -
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
And about 100 other passages from my King James Bible.
Labels: beliefs, church, volunteer
