Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome!
I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.
Before I get into my topic, I have a little business to take care of. Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to Caribou Coffee. My son suggested I switch to Starbucks. What do you think?
Anyway, today is the day to award September's winner.
And the winner is...Tina Greenland! Tina, Congratulations! email me at: info@susielarson.com and claim your prize.
*Just a note: winners have to contact me. I'm not able to chase you down! Thanks so much!
One more note of business. My quarterly Ezine comes out on October 15; if you haven't signed up, be sure to do so today! I give away lots of fun books from fellow authors; I include some devotional thoughts and great book recommendations; and I offer some health and balance tips. Here's the link to subscribe:
Now, on to my topic...
This morning during my prayer time, I pondered Jesus' words to His disciples regarding the woman who lavishly anointed Jesus' head with expensive oil:
"...For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." (Mark 14:6-9)
A little later during my prayer time I read from Revelations, chapter two regarding the Church of Ephesus.
This church, from all appearances, had it together. They were known for their incredible work ethic, their patience, their intolerance of evil, and their ability to discern the legitimacy of those who talked a good talk. They had grit and perseverance and they were very, very patient.
AND YET, God took issue with them. So much so, that unless they repented, He promised to come quickly and remove the lampstand from their place.
Just where did they miss the mark?
The Bible says, they 'left their first love'.
They were about their Father's business with out their Father's fellowship.
Think about another story in the New Testament. Mary and Martha. Both had access to Jesus. Both loved Him. To quote author William L. Ford III who addressed the difference between Martha and Mary's focus, "Martha was consumed with how she served...Mary was consumed with WHO she served..."
Hang with me, I'll be making my point soon.
Let's just jump to one more Bible passage. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13: 3 it says:
"If I give away all I have to the poor and give my body up to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm passionate about social justice issues. I want the Church to be mobilized to feed the poor, rescue the oppressed, and to set captives free!
I use a portion of every one of my speaking engagements to draw attention to the work of my heroes at the International Justice Mission.
In fact, just last night, my husband and I (and a few of our friends) attended Sara Groves' 'Art-Music-Justice' tour and I cried through most of the program. It was amazing.
So, what's my point?
I believe that many people, Christian and otherwise, are stepping up to meet the needs of the oppressed because God is pressing the issue. His heart burns for these precious people and He'll use whoever is available to do the things that He cares about.
But, in light of the anger and political divisions in and outside the Church, you can see how 'Social Justice' can become a religion all its own.
It's noble to do this work. Every one agrees with that.
Jesus, on the other hand, well, He's a little more controversial.
I'm walking carefully here, so please stay with me.
At the end of the day, it's our oneness with Jesus that matters more than anything. And when we fan that flame, nurture that love, and live from a place of intimacy with Him, we'll do the things He cares about. We'll be provoked to care about the poor; we'll be compelled to help the helpless; we'll be moved to make a difference in our world.
But if we stray away from our 'first love' passion, and we use all of our energy to diligently do the work (minus the worship), in a short amount of time, it'll become about us; about what we're doing; about what others should be doing.
The result? Self righteousness. Judgement. Exhaustion. Frustration. Feeling overwhelmed by the vast need around us. Feeling under-qualified to make a difference. Feeling prideful that we're doing more than the next guy. Feeling insignificant that we're not doing as much as the next guy. And so on.
And yet, when we abide in the Vine, fruit happens. Life happens. Needs are met. People are revived. And we're made new in the process. When we hook up to our Life Source, life flows through us and produces an impact that we never could on our own.
My friends at the International Justice Mission are perfect examples of this.
Each and every person I've met and worked alongside, has been a godly, humble person. They are so connected with the heart of Christ behind their work, they give off no expectation that 'you should really be doing more' or that 'I'm someone special because I'm doing what matters'.
On the contrary.
They are so connected to the heart of Christ in this thing, that they face the worst of the evil on this earth with a brave and humble heart knowing that God is with them. They can receive your $5.00 gift with utter humility and gratitude as if you have just given them a million dollars.
How do they walk such a narrow path?
Under Gary Haugen's leadership, every IJM staffer places a high priority on prayer and oneness with God.
The days are speeding up and the end is nearer today than it was yesterday.
One day we'll all give an account for what we did with what was offered us.
What did we do with the offer of fellowship with Jesus?
We're we willing to face and admit the poverty of our own soul?
Did we serve on our own strength, or did we serve out of our fullness in Christ?
Did we place a high priority on our time in Jesus' presence?
Did we tend to things that burn in God's heart?
Did we live by faith?
Considering the Church of Ephesus who seemed to have it all together but ran the risk of losing their 'lampstand' because somewhere along the line, they wandered off track...may we pause and consider the path we are on today.
As Graham Cooke once said, "Christianity isn't rocket science, it's about living under the love of Christ. It's about letting Him love you and living in response to that love."
Take time today to ponder your fellowship with Christ. Nurture that love-affair. Rest in His care. Do what He says.
No more. No less.
Trust Him to carry the world on His shoulders. Be humbly grateful for the call on your life. Entrust others to Him as well.
First and foremost, love Jesus today. Enjoy the fact that He is crazy in love with you.
Until next week~