If This Is What You Believe...
Christians aren't heroes. We have a Hero.
If...
If Christianity is truly what we believe, if we claim that The Word of God has ultimate authority... we are living as hypocrites in a world that needs people who are faithful to what they believe.
Our culture says it's cute and hipster to care for orphans, so what's our motive? Cute Facebook profile pictures with that one Honduran kid whose name you can't seem to remember that still "holds your heart"? But we should care not just for the cute orphans but ALL orphans. And as David Platt says, "We care for orphans not because we are rescuers, but because we are, ourselves, rescued." If we view ourselves as heroes for caring for the poor, adopting, working at a pregnancy center or whatever it may be, we're sadly mistaken. We are craving glory, when we too were once lost and hopeless. As scripture says, we will not receive our reward in heaven for these things. "The grass withers and the flower fades..." The glory of man fades.
My flesh wants to apologize right now for the harshness, my flesh wants to say sorry for maybe offending you. This is not meant to be condemning but hopefully convicting as it was/is for me. Possibly because I've been known to have these false motives, probably more often than not, and I pray to God to forgive my wicked heart. BUT I think this is exactly the problem.
We are too afraid of offending people so we tolerate unbiblical things, avoid deep relationships, and only apply to our lives the easier things that scripture commands. We love orphans and give $30 a month but avoid the homosexual couple we see every day at Starbucks. We hate inconvenience and discomfort, yet that the very thing the gospel calls us to is ... To deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. If only we truly had faith in Gods future grace. If only we truly believed that our treasure in heaven is much much greater than "treasure" on earth.
This idea of not trusting in God's future grace comes from John Piper's book, "Battling Unbelief." (friends, read this book. seriously, read it.) Piper argues that the root of most of our sins comes from our unbelief in God and His future grace for us. Think about it, if we trust that God's future grace is sufficient, that he IS working for our good, that his ways ARE much better... we have no justification for worrying about the future; for lust is not believing God's ultimate satisfaction now and for the future, impatience is wanting to go at our own pace and not trusting in His future grace, and friends.... I'm afraid that living lukewarmly and aiming low is not trusting in God's power. And somehow we shudder at this for the wrong reasons. We shudder because we think we are wounding God but in reality, we're choosing not to be a part of something that will inevitably happen whether we choose to participate or not. Revelation 9 says, "And they sang a new song saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and open it's seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'" See... it's going to happen. Praise God.
Honestly, I'm sitting here in Panera, kind of staring at my computer screen unsure of what my whole point is.
I think it shakes my soul to the core to think I claim so much but don't live it out. It's only by the grace of God that I have been given a passion for the orphaned and sick.
If we keep thinking we are the heroes we miss the whole point.
We are the rescued.
So let's tell others who aren't yet rescued the story of our God, who in His graciousness rescued us.
God I pray this would be the joy of our hearts. To share of our once dead to our now living souls. To share of the hope that we have. To share of our imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance. To share of the glory that is soon to be revealed to us.
God, I surrender, use me, teach me, mold me.... forever.
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.
If...
If Christianity is truly what we believe, if we claim that The Word of God has ultimate authority... we are living as hypocrites in a world that needs people who are faithful to what they believe.
Our culture says it's cute and hipster to care for orphans, so what's our motive? Cute Facebook profile pictures with that one Honduran kid whose name you can't seem to remember that still "holds your heart"? But we should care not just for the cute orphans but ALL orphans. And as David Platt says, "We care for orphans not because we are rescuers, but because we are, ourselves, rescued." If we view ourselves as heroes for caring for the poor, adopting, working at a pregnancy center or whatever it may be, we're sadly mistaken. We are craving glory, when we too were once lost and hopeless. As scripture says, we will not receive our reward in heaven for these things. "The grass withers and the flower fades..." The glory of man fades.
My flesh wants to apologize right now for the harshness, my flesh wants to say sorry for maybe offending you. This is not meant to be condemning but hopefully convicting as it was/is for me. Possibly because I've been known to have these false motives, probably more often than not, and I pray to God to forgive my wicked heart. BUT I think this is exactly the problem.
We are too afraid of offending people so we tolerate unbiblical things, avoid deep relationships, and only apply to our lives the easier things that scripture commands. We love orphans and give $30 a month but avoid the homosexual couple we see every day at Starbucks. We hate inconvenience and discomfort, yet that the very thing the gospel calls us to is ... To deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. If only we truly had faith in Gods future grace. If only we truly believed that our treasure in heaven is much much greater than "treasure" on earth.
This idea of not trusting in God's future grace comes from John Piper's book, "Battling Unbelief." (friends, read this book. seriously, read it.) Piper argues that the root of most of our sins comes from our unbelief in God and His future grace for us. Think about it, if we trust that God's future grace is sufficient, that he IS working for our good, that his ways ARE much better... we have no justification for worrying about the future; for lust is not believing God's ultimate satisfaction now and for the future, impatience is wanting to go at our own pace and not trusting in His future grace, and friends.... I'm afraid that living lukewarmly and aiming low is not trusting in God's power. And somehow we shudder at this for the wrong reasons. We shudder because we think we are wounding God but in reality, we're choosing not to be a part of something that will inevitably happen whether we choose to participate or not. Revelation 9 says, "And they sang a new song saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and open it's seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'" See... it's going to happen. Praise God.
Honestly, I'm sitting here in Panera, kind of staring at my computer screen unsure of what my whole point is.
I think it shakes my soul to the core to think I claim so much but don't live it out. It's only by the grace of God that I have been given a passion for the orphaned and sick.
But Oh Lord, may I never neglect that it's only by Your grace that this wicked soul was saved and now runs crookedly and haphazardly alongside Your soul, desiring Your will yet straying, yearning for souls to see your face yet neglecting the very faces of poverty and brokenness on the sidewalks of Charlotte, North Carolina. God, may these things not be so.
Thank you for your unending mercies, for choosing to use me in my wickedness and despite the wickedness loving me all the same. If we keep thinking we are the heroes we miss the whole point.
We are the rescued.
So let's tell others who aren't yet rescued the story of our God, who in His graciousness rescued us.
God I pray this would be the joy of our hearts. To share of our once dead to our now living souls. To share of the hope that we have. To share of our imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance. To share of the glory that is soon to be revealed to us.
God, I surrender, use me, teach me, mold me.... forever.
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.
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