Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference.
Sometimes we try so hard to make something great by ourselves. We might work on it for hours, plan it all out, and micromanage every last detail, but still touch no one.
Then there are the times nothing seems to go right, when everything gets thrown together, and it actually impacts way more people than the other.
It's humbling, really. For all our trying, it's God who changes lives and hearts, not us. It's humbling, but at the same time, freeing. The burden is gone. It's not up to us to figure out the hows and the whats. We don't have to determine the best way to impact the world. All we have to do is be willing and say "yes."
God will do the rest. He always does.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5 [NIV]).
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Offerings.
"Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." -Matthew 5:23-24 [NIV]
So often we offer our gifts to the LORD without reconciling with others first. I know this really convicted me.
What does it mean when it says "your brother has something against you?" The translation in the Message Bible reads "... if you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you..." Synonyms (according to Thesaurus.com) include bitterness, grievance, and resentment. Hopefully as a follower of Christ, not too many of our brothers have "a bone to pick" with us. But we're people, and we're certainly not perfect.
A key thing to remember here is that Jesus in this passage said "brother." Our brothers are the body of Christ. Earlier in Matthew 5:11, Jesus had said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." So in this passage, Jesus isn't talking about offending the world (or evoking animosity from someone by proclaiming His name), but our brothers.
Something else I find interesting is that we should be concerned about our brothers' issues with us, even if we don't have anything against them in return. Jesus didn't say, "If you remember that you have something against your brother..." Quite the opposite, He said, "If you...remember that your brother has something against you..." We should be concerned when members of the body of Christ are offended by us as a good friend recently reminded me.
The key issue here is the very act of going to your brother to make things right. I pray that God will teach us be humble enough to do so. Pride is our downfall, every time.
For years, I figured that if a Christian had an issue with me, it was his problem. But Paul advised, "...Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:17b-18 [NIV]).
Jesus wanted us even from the very altar to stop and go to our brother for reconciliation. Yes, it must be that important. Today, we don't give lambs and cows. Instead, we are to "offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices-- holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1 [NIV]).
How can I ever expect to offer my life to God if I haven't first made peace with others? I do want my sacrifice to be "holy and pleasing to God." Peace and reconciliation definitely please God. With this in mind, we should go to our brothers (and sisters) in Christ, if they have something against us, and make things right.
What do you think?
So often we offer our gifts to the LORD without reconciling with others first. I know this really convicted me.
What does it mean when it says "your brother has something against you?" The translation in the Message Bible reads "... if you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you..." Synonyms (according to Thesaurus.com) include bitterness, grievance, and resentment. Hopefully as a follower of Christ, not too many of our brothers have "a bone to pick" with us. But we're people, and we're certainly not perfect.
A key thing to remember here is that Jesus in this passage said "brother." Our brothers are the body of Christ. Earlier in Matthew 5:11, Jesus had said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." So in this passage, Jesus isn't talking about offending the world (or evoking animosity from someone by proclaiming His name), but our brothers.
Something else I find interesting is that we should be concerned about our brothers' issues with us, even if we don't have anything against them in return. Jesus didn't say, "If you remember that you have something against your brother..." Quite the opposite, He said, "If you...remember that your brother has something against you..." We should be concerned when members of the body of Christ are offended by us as a good friend recently reminded me.
The key issue here is the very act of going to your brother to make things right. I pray that God will teach us be humble enough to do so. Pride is our downfall, every time.
For years, I figured that if a Christian had an issue with me, it was his problem. But Paul advised, "...Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:17b-18 [NIV]).
Jesus wanted us even from the very altar to stop and go to our brother for reconciliation. Yes, it must be that important. Today, we don't give lambs and cows. Instead, we are to "offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices-- holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1 [NIV]).
How can I ever expect to offer my life to God if I haven't first made peace with others? I do want my sacrifice to be "holy and pleasing to God." Peace and reconciliation definitely please God. With this in mind, we should go to our brothers (and sisters) in Christ, if they have something against us, and make things right.
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Alaska
This summer I might have the opportunity to go be a camp counselor at Echo Ranch Bible Camp outside of Juneau, Alaska. I'm anxiously awaiting the final acceptance notice. It's quite a process to get accepted; there are reference forms, background checks, medical history forms, etc.
Pray that I get accepted -- quickly!
Want to come?
Pray that I get accepted -- quickly!
Want to come?
Friday, February 4, 2011
Airborne.
"I don't want to crawl if I have the ability to fly." -Francis Chan
How ridiculous would it be for a butterfly to still inch along the ground, as if it had never gained wings? Never flying, simply crawling? And yet, spiritually, how many of us who have become "new creations" still expect to and do live the way we did before?
We can be airborne, and we're not alone. Only because of our awesome God can we ever expect to reach the heights and the far off places, to see the world as it really is instead of our own backyard. The best part of it is, we don't have to decide the logistics of how to really change the world; God already knows. And we're not alone.
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