In May 2010 the ministry, Salt and Light, sent out an urgent message into the community: “We have run out of food!”
They also stated that the need has nearly doubled due to the recent economic troubles. After issuing the emergency message, some donations came in to build up the food stock. This past week 380 families were served, but more support is needed. As many of you may already know, the first annual “canless” food drive is taking place during the month June 2010 to raise money to purchase food from the Illinois Food Bank. Monetary donations are more cost effective way to obtain food, as they can purchase an equivalent of $100 of food for $10 from the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Over 200 businesses in the Champaign-Urbana and surrounding area community will display cans to accept donations for the drive. You can view a list of participating businesses at the following link: http://www.knowntome.net/saltandlight_yes_stats.html
When I see communities of people participating to help people in need, it reminds me of the teachings of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8. In the first few verses, we learn that the Macedonian churches were living in poverty themselves, but were eager and thankful for the opportunity to give to Jewish Christians suffering from a famine at the time. Paul wrote in verses 3 and 4, “3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” It was not given as a command, but Paul certainly encouraged people to earnestly give as others have given according to the example of Christ. ” 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
Paul concludes this section of his letter by offering a desired goal for giving. It describes a quasi-socialism if I may use the term to produce an equalizing effect of provision among the people. He certainly does not suggested that a committee or government body be set up to collect, manage and distribute funds. I believe the scriptures do describe a desire to see each individual, managed by his own desire to emulate Christ, give to those in need and produce an equalizing effect in the community. “13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.’ “. Wouldn’t we all like to see this powerful sense of community spread throughout the world?!
Thanks to the people who work with Salt and Light, we are given the opportunity to fulfill the goal described by Paul. Let’s help spread the word to fill those cans during the month of June at the participating businesses, and/or send a donation directly to Salt and Light ministries!
There are times when evil, poverty, starvation, abandonment, destruction, disasters, etc. on the earth can become overwhelming. It can cause people to look to the sky, and cry out for God, “Where are you!?”. “Why does this happen!?”. There are times when personal struggles, sickness, disease, death, loss, etc. feel equally overwhelming, and we might cry out again, “God, where are you!?”. “Why did they die!?”. “Why am I going through this!?”. “Why did you make me like this!?”.
In the Old Testament we can read about the evils of slavery inflicted on God’s people by Egypt for 430 years. In Romans 9:16 Paul reviews God’s motivation for allowing Pharaoh to stubbornly resist God’s command sent through Moses to “Let My people go!”. The bible says God raised Pharaoh up in this way to ultimately display His power to His people, so God’s Name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Based on Pharaoh’s example, Paul asks the question in Romans 9:22, what if God bears with great patience all evil to make the riches of His glory known to all His ‘saved people’?
In Romans Ch 1, we understand God has made his invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature to be clearly seen in His creation by men. Many still choose to suppress this truth by their wickedness. Many exchange the truth of God for a lie, and God turns them over to their desires to the point where they even invent new evil ways and encourage others in wickedness. In the end, God will destroy the objects of His wrath, and He will show great mercy to those whom He justifies through salvation in Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:4 tells us God who loves man wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. But we also know He is the God of justice (Romans 3:25). Once His plans and purposes are fulfilled, a final judgment day is coming when His wrath will be revealed. In the end, He will ultimately use all men and all things, whether evil or good, saved or unsaved, to reveal His glory to those upon whom He has mercy and compassion.
Whether for Him or against Him, God is all powerful and in control.
When we watch others or personally go through difficulties and struggles, it is important that we cry out to God in our weakness, cast our burdens on Him, and make our requests known. We can take great comfort in knowing He is God and also knowing our place with God, especially if our cry is something like Romans 9:20, “Why did you make me like this!?”. “Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?”. If, how and when God decides to bring wrath or mercy is up to Him. This does not depend on man’s desire or effort. Thankfully, God loves us beyond human measure, He gives us a choice to receive His free gift of mercy through salvation, and He sanctifies us and calls us His own children!
I know God performs miracles and uses his children to love and help men on the earth today, even though He doesn’t always do things how we may think it should be done. I think the answer to Paul’s question in Romans 9:22 is, yes, I believe God is being patient with evil for now. Though difficult for us to understand at times, in the end, His glory will ultimately be revealed, and all the ‘saved’ will respond appropriately to forever praise Him because He truly is God.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot
Here’s the crux of my point in what has developed into another series: Jesus’ commands are only crazy if we are living for this world - that is, if our treasures are here rather than in heaven. If you truly believe that this world is not our home, that our lives, security, comfort, and safety here are meaningless relative to eternity, then where do you invest your time, blood, sweat, tears, and yes - your money? Do I invest for 20 or 30 years down the road, or do I invest in something that gives eternal returns on my investment? If I really believe that God’s promises are true, investing anything I value in my own security or comfort on earth for a short and finite time rather than investing for eternity is not only wrong, it is stupid. (loosely plagiarized from David Platt).
The real question is, do we really believe His promises? I think our thought process and our actions would be very different if we did. If we really believed heaven is our home and this earth is just a momentary stepping stone on our journey there, His commands would make perfect sense. My original assertion that His commands are “crazy” would be turned around. I would say that living like the world lives, focused on our lives and security here - making choices the world would call “wise” and “prudent” with our time and money is actually shortsighted to the point of absolute stupidity. This is where intellectual honesty comes in again. If I really, REALLY believed, following His commands would be easy, a complete no-brainer. That’s where obedience comes in. Obeidence cannot save me, only grace can do that. But a lack of obedience, a failure to see the logic in and obey His commands, indicates a much deeper root problem with my heart.
Here is a recent post I really enjoyed reading from a guy named James. James did something potentially “crazy”. He decided to quit his job, sell everything he owned, and live in a van among the poorest of the poor in America’s cities and hidden places. Supported by a group of average people, doing small things, with great love, James spends his time sharing food with folks living on the streets and repairs their clothing with his trusty sewing kit. He knits hats for people who are cold and distributes donated clothing which helps people get jobs and stay toasty on cold nights. His perspective on what I think is a common phrase from our modern Christian language is insightful about the words “I am called to ______” or “He/She is called to ______”. Similar to a previous post on KTM by Jim titled “Jesus: Personal Savior?” about the phrase “Jesus as my personal Savior”, I think this post taken from James facebook page provides similar thought provoking challenge to words I have heard myself say.
People usually assume I am called to homeless people because of what I do. This, however, is not my calling- at least, no more than it is yours. I have come to see that one of the greatest travesties in Christian Fundamentalism is for one to assume that God has called them to a profession, a country, or a people group. A woman by the name of Tammy Hutchinson recently challenged my views on this. She stated that a Christian is called to Jesus and that everything else is simply context. So if Jesus spent time with those who mourn, you should too. If Jesus cared for the poor, you should too. If Jesus spent time with the sick, take some Airborne because you should too. In the twentieth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says our attitude should be like his. Had Jesus contexualized this, we would have ourselves a different story.
In the Gospel of Luke, a disciple asks Jesus who his “neighbor” is- in effect, who he is to love. As if to expose our myopic understanding, Jesus goes on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan.
There is a Jewish traveler who has been robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. First, a priest and a Levite walk by. The likely candidates ignore the man as if to ask themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” Later, a Samaritan comes and by his good nature seems to ask a question diametrically opposed to that of the spiritual elite, “If I don’t stop and help this man, what will happen to him?” He then cares for the mangled traveler. This would have been an unlikely altruism considering the social aversion of Jews and Samaritans. But as Dr. Martin Luther King wrote in The Measure of a Man, “[The Samaritan] wasn’t great because he had ascended to certain heights of economic security, but because he was able to condescend to the depths of human need.” And like Jesus ditching a throne for a cross, the Samaritan traded his good for that of another.
You say you want to be like Jesus. Then sit at the feet of the poor. Touch the untouchables. Give a drink to someone who is thirsty and food to the hungry. Clothe with dignity those who wear depravity. Go, be like Jesus, and whomever you find yourself among will be to whom you are called.
The words in James’ post are pointed, but no less pointed than Jesus first and second commands to us. Knowing God loved us before we existed, and has opened the way for us to choose and follow Christ even as we may daily battle our weak flesh. We can be encouraged by these pointed words to remember our primary calling to Jesus - our Lord, Master and source. Ephesians 2:8-10 8For it is by grace (we) have been saved, through faith—and this not from (ourselves), it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Hebrews 13:20-21
20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Last time I rambled on and on, I emphasized how “crazy” (and often impossible or near-impossible - at least on our own) Jesus’ instructions were (are). So if it’s that hard, that radical, that challenging, is the picture of God as a demanding and unreasonable judge accurate? Is it all really about obligation and sacrifice and suffering?
Easy answer: NO. If we’re going to ask why Jesus commanded us to do crazy-hard, unorthodox things, maybe we should see if He told us why. He did.
John 15:9-11 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
He knows what brings joy. Our flesh and our intellect does not. So He gave us instructions (commands) that will provide true, complete joy. We ignore them because we think we know a better way, and we find that the church mirrors society at large in rates of depression, divorce, and every other disfunction connected to unhappiness, discontentment and a lack of true joy. His crazy-hard commands are actually the path to real joy (or He was wrong, deluded, or a liar). All for our good. He did not command us to avoid treasure, He in fact commanded us to pursue treasure. Treasure that matters. Treasure that cannot be stolen, lost, or destroyed. I’m not promoting a life of suffering, I’m trying to find (really, for myself - I’m not there by any measure) and promote an awareness of what I beleive to be the true path to joy and real treasure.
(Fictional editor’s note): Jim, if you believe that so strongly, why don’t you live it more fully? Ummm… wish I had an answer. I don’t. Let’s work through this together and encourage each other. I really want KTM to be that kind of community and true support for each of us. I need all of you to help me, because I am weak on my own.
... OK, that title is debatable. And as always, I crave dissent, so hit me with your best shots. I’ve been reconsidering Jesus’ teachings in the past few days in light of the change in perspective I described in my last post. Not a thorough study, just my thoughts. It seems to me that there is one overriding theme that seems to fit about all of His direct teachings: they are crazy… completely upside-down and in oposition to “normal” ways people thought and acted. Read Jesus’ words again in light of a recognition that He is our master and that we should obey without hesitation.
James and John did, when He just sauntered by and casually told them to drop their work and leave their father to do their family work alone. Do you understand how crazy that was in their society? They did it without hesitation (I have always wondered what their father thought in that moment). He told a rich man to sell all he had and give it away. He told His disciples to take nothing with them - nothing - on an extended trip. He told a dead man to rise, He told people that a widow’s penny was the most significant gift. He commanded the masses to give no thought or worry for tomorrow, that calling your brother a fool is equivalent to murder, to follow without saying goodbye to your family - in fact, to hate your family, that He had come not to bring peace - but division, and a sword, that His kingdom is like a mustard seed (mustard was a weed that was a major nuisance in farmers’ fields and almost impossible to eradicate), that those who mourn are blessed, that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom, that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to be saved, that those who seek to save their lives will lose them, to love our neighbors (defined as those we despise) as ourselves. Despite that, people were drawn to Him in droves - but when they were, He intentionally pushed them away with teachings He knew they would not understand - such as, you have no place with me unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood (separate yourself from our theology - they did not know of the concept of communion and in their culture and religion, eating human flesh was an absolute taboo). He was extremely effective at pushing people away, and was followed by only a very small group of devoted followers when He died.
I think this theme is the dominant theme in Jesus’ words. Words that, in fact, led to the “failure” of His mission - that is, failure if measured by the measures of success we use in our churches and personal lives today. Measures like peaceful lives, smooth relationship with society, conformity to socials norms and values, large, growing churches, financial success. In fact, if anyone has time to go through the gospels and count His statements, and mark them as “normal” or “crazy”, my guess is that “crazy” outnumbers “normal” by 2-1 if not more. As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of practical applications. My application for this is that our lives should look crazy to people around us in every setting. That is NOT what saves us. What saves us is His cleansing blood and a transformation of our hearts into right standing with God that only He can accomplish. But if we’ve been transformed, we should be transformed - i.e. truly different. We should obey - even if the instructions are crazy to everyone around us. Personally, I don’t think we’re obeying very well. We’re far too normal.
I heard a statement today in a David Platt sermon that I’d like us all to ponder. I haven’t been able to think about anything else since I heard it. The statement is (paraphrased): “Nowhere in scripture is Jesus referred to as someone’s “personal savior”. He is referred to by His followers as Lord, Teacher, Master…”
That is really significant. I realized that, for me, the term personal savior carries connotations similar to “personal trainer”. That is, He belongs to me, He serves or provides service to me. It creates no connotation of my absolute duty and service to Him. No hint that I was purchased at a price, rather than the other way around. Certainly no hint that He is my master. I don’t mean to be irreverent, but Lassie could “save” my physical life and I would be grateful, and “owe” her my life in a philosophical way, but I certainly would not serve Lassie or subject my will to hers. So if my primary relationship to Jesus is that He is my personal savior, I’ve created a nice, neat theological concept of owing my life to him but not real commitment to following Him with absolute surrender and obedience.
Of course, He is my savior. Of course, He is both the way and means to salvation. But those are facts - the term of savior, while accurate, describes part of who he is - but it does not NOT describe my relationship with and to Him. That relationship is one of master and servant, lord and subject, teacher and pupil, parent and child. Calling Him Lord or Master rather than personal savior as my primary identification of our relationship immediately changes my outlook and perception of how I must behave. Maybe I’m just strange (OK, I know I’m strange) I guess I mean maybe words don’t paint pictures and influence thoughts for most of you the way they do for me. But this is a powerful thought for me and the simple change in a “label” really shook my perceptions.
I need to do what He tells me to do regardless of the cost. If I don’t know what that is, I need to take it upon myself to find out. Jesus is pretty explicit in his instructions - I can start by reading His words in light of my new recognition of our true relationship.
We’ve had a category for book reviews since the inception of this site, but I beleive this is our first one. I hope to do many more. I’m on the final pages of Jared C. Wilson’s Your Jesus is Too Safe, and will give it my highest recommendation (I need to come up with a rating system like 5 stars, but that’s too unoriginal - any ideas?). In a nutshell, I agree with his assertions, it is consistent with my general opinions, and affirms my pre-existing biases, thus I like it, thus it is a good book . No, seriously, I consider this book a must read. It examines the many roles Jesus filled in the historical and religious context of His time on earth (and after that time), and cuts past the common misoncseptions of who He was and is in ways that were new and real to me. The book is leans heavily on scripture and historical context, and I gained many new insights - based in scripture and fact (always a nice bonus) - into who Jesus really is and how I had previously shaped Him in my image. From the back cover:
There are too many Jesuses running rampant in the world today.
Culture has introduced us to Hippie Jesus, Postcard Jesus, and Get-out-of-hell-free Jesus. There’s also Grammy Award Jesus, Therapist Jesus, Role Model Jesus, and Buddy Jesus.
The question is: which one do you worship?
He may be the most popular, the most cited, the most admired, and the most controversial figure in all of history, but Jesus is more than a generic brand, a logo, or a pick-me-up. He has been fictionalized, humanized, satirized, and romanticized. And yet he still isn’t recognized.
Author Jared C. Wilson cuts through the glossy, modern perceptions of Jesus to rediscover the original and raw person who confronted the religious status quo and changed the world. Sometimes controversial, sometimes humorous, but always truthful, Your Jesus Is Too Safe challenges readers to leave behind their feel-good Savior and embrace the true and living Christ.
Open this book and take a closer look at who Jesus really is.
I can’t say it better than that. Sometimes those little blurbs don’t realy tell you what’s in the actual book. This one is on point - however, I would like to say that the author spends little time attacking misconceptions about Jesus as might be inferred from that blurb, but rather spend his time illustrating directly who He really is. Good book… really good book.
I met a man by the name of Todd Harrington on the vision trip to Swaziland in 2009. Todd is a pastor from Dawson Church in Birmingham, AL. He is in Swaziland this week with a team of men and women visiting their carepoint called EsKhaleni (es-kuh-lah-nee). We visited EsKhaleni during the vision trip. This carepoint is near the mountains and is a place of awesome beauty, but there are real dangers that exist for the kids in this area. We found the younger children at this remote carepoint were much less responsive than kids at other carepoints. They had not been exposed to many people (native or foreign), and their homes are much more spread out in this region. Many of them were left at home daily by themselves while usually a single mom tries to find work (12hrs at ~$3/day wage) or food to somehow get by. Now that this carepoint is sponsored, the kids will get two meals a day, emotional support, education opportunities, and discipleship training and mentoring.
It is exciting to read in their blog and see pictures of the team with the kids, Gogos, and men working on the carepoint. Blog posts and comments show how God is doing much of His working and blessing through relationship. Relationships fostered by working and playing together and during home visits. Similar to our calling to relate with Ludlati, God is using His people to bring His gospel of love, hope, salvation, and meet some basic physical needs for orphans and at-risk children in Swaziland.
I look forward to following the rest of their trip, and continue the planning for our trip to Ludlati this September!
While following the Dawson Church team’s trip, it is also fun for me to recognize some of the kids in the pictures. See the shy little girl in the lower right corner of this picture from the Dawson Church team? She is the same girl in the video below from the vision trip in 2009!
As we assemble team members and make plans for a trip to our Ludlati Carepoint in Swaziland in September 2010, I have enjoyed reading a blog from a team that visited their Swazi-Carepoint recently. They worked hard for a week with the children from their Carepoint called Mpholi. They put on a VBS, sang songs, played games, gave hugs, shared snacks, washed feet, gave shoes, gave special provisions, and visited homes. Typically, a person who meets the kids and their families (if they have one), develops a love and understanding that is deeper than stories and pictures they share - even though the stories and pictures are quite moving to the heart. The latest post from one team member moves my heart as he shares his deep thoughts and expressions of compassion for the children and people in Swaziland. To me it sounds like a cry out to ANYONE who claims Jesus as Savior to remember the great gift He freely gave to us, and please remember to help those suffering and in distress. God’s word to us in James 1:27 seems particularly applicable to the post shared by dmicah.
James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
As many of you are aware, the Salem Chapel Swazi team is home. I am processing some of my thoughts from the trip and I want to share some food for thought. I want you to turn off the TV, radio, Pandora, Itunes or any distraction for just a few moments. I want you to unload your brain for a short time. I am asking you to just use your imagination as I throw out some scenarios from Swazi. These were just from a week of our experiences. The needs are deeper than these, but this should start you down the path. Needless to say things are a lot different in Swaziland than in America.
Imagine dropping off two little girls 5 and 7 years old at their home. No one is home. The house is locked. It is getting dark. This happened at one of our team’s home visits. After VBS, we would split into two teams of three and visit homes of our sponsor kids. We would give extra supplies for the home and try to get to know the family, whomever that might be since it usually was not a parent. On this particular occasion the other team had to leave two young girls with no supervision at their home and hope they would be ok.
Imagine sending your 4 year old with their two 4 year old friends walking along a busy two lane road, mind you without shoes, to a Carepoint. These little ones would walk a mile or more with no supervision to get a meal. This happens every day in Swaziland.
Imagine sending your 9 year-old daughter with her 18 month old sibling strapped to her back on the same one or two mile journey to get a meal. Happens every day in Swaziland. Don’t believe me? I have pictures. At least three came to our Carepoint. I choked back tears on more than one occasion as I saw an older sibling unwrap their baby brother/sister and split their bowl of rice with the little one. The next time you have trouble deciding which restaurant to go to, stop a minute and thank God for your blessed life, and pray for the kids at Mpholi.
Imagine knowing that your child will never be educated beyond the 2nd grade because you can’t afford the whopping $100 per year to pay for tuition, since you only earn $1 per day. Government stops free education beyond the 2nd grade. And 953,000 people are fighting for about 100,000 jobs.
Imagine for a minute your kid having one outfit. Literally one set of clothes. And second-hand charitable gift clothes at that. I watched children show up to the Carepoint every day in the same ill-fitting clothes, some without shoes or undergarments.
Imagine knowing that your life expectancy is roughly 31-33 years.
Imagine living with the fact that almost ½ of your friends will die young because of disease. 45% of Swazis have HIV or full blown AIDS.
Hard to imagine isn’t it?
As I’ve mentioned before in this series on Swaziland, I am not attempting to lay a guilt trip. I am just throwing out some information that has rocked me. If you give it serious thought, it should open your eyes to a world around you. Hopefully you will be able to draw from the deep well of Christ’s love. He didn’t look at his world and think, “Well they did this to themselves. If they just wouldn’t sin, they wouldn’t have these problems. They are just so far away. I have plenty of things to do here. They just need some education.” Jesus did the opposite. He sacrificed, gave up his own will, left his own comfort zone and experienced our world in order to lead us to a new life. Keep that in mind when thinking through the challenges in Swazi.
——————————————-
Thank you dmicah for posting your thoughts and experience in a public forum. I appreciate the challenge and reminder your words are to me. In light of today’s post and the previous series of posts Jim has shared on KTM about thankfulness, I offer a prayer of thankfulness, encouragement and intercession for Swaziland. Please share in this prayer and add to it in the comments!
Lord God, Creator and Father, Thank you for giving us relationship with you through your gift of salvation. I want to humbly receive your gift of life by giving up mine to you daily. I want to humbly receive all Your provisions as a steward without ownership. Help me to remember to obey your commands to love You first and my neighbor as myself. Thank You for each of Your children who currently gives love, hope, prayer, money and time to help the least of these. May more abundance You provide to me and all your children be released and used as You will. I press on to these high goals in love and compassion with Your help to share in the discomfort - the suffering shared with us by Jesus. Please use your body - use me - to pray and watch over each child in Swaziland and all the people who face death all day long. Defeat the source of their fears, send them peace, give them hope, send them love. Help the full time Swazi-workers, myself and others collectively to do these things one person at a time. Save my life and each one of their lives eternally. Amen.
My final thought (at least for the time being) on the topic of thankfulness, is going to be just that: my thought. Despite all the scripture and all the evidence around us illustrating the cost of a lack of thankfulness and the benefits of maintaining a thankful attitude, I was left wondering what deep, spiritual/psychological aspect of a thankful heart makes the action of giving thanks so important - so I reached my own conclusion.
My opinion is this: unthankfulness is inward-looking, focused on ourselves. Thankfulness is outward-looking, in its purest and most accurate form - to God, and also to our fellow man. In a state of thanks and contentment, looking outward to to God and man, we are freed to begin moving toward loving God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. If we are not thankful, our focus is on what we want in an effort to please ourselves. We certainly aren’t going to look for ways to give substantial help to others - at least not until we get what we want, and our hearts are clearly not set on loving God above all else when our focus is on our desires.
Above all else, we are called to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourself. Thankfulness, combined with love, are THE critical “tools” that God has provided to make progression along that path possible. Without it, I do not beleive that even the first step toward fulfilling that dual command is possible. And remember, this is a command that was central to the message of Jesus, the Old Testament Law, Paul, and James, repeatedly cited by Jesus as the most important command(s). I’ve asked many times if literal fulfilliment of that command is possible (I don’t think it is, thank God for grace). But commitment and progression is required. I am convinced that true, deep thankfulness will free us from the desires of this world and set us on the path toward meeting the greatest commands. It is crucial. We must attain it. God’s plan is so good. The very thing we must have to meet His greatest commands is the very thing that makes our burden light and brings peace.
Ludlati Carepoint Support Level 41 Kids Funded; 42 Kids To Go
About - KnownToMe
We have begun to ask ourselves...What would we do if our neighbor was starving right before our eyes? Would we not help? Today, their plight is not hidden from us. It is known. We believe there is a clear mandate that we must care for societies most vulnerable members, the widow, the orphan, those in extreme poverty. If you are stirred to a similar belief, if you know there is more that you must do, Known To Me will make you aware of specific needs and opportunities to help.
They also stated that the need has nearly doubled due to the recent economic troubles. After issuing the emergency message, some donations came in to build up the food stock. This past week 380 families were served, but more support is needed. As many of you may already know, the first annual “canless” food drive is taking place during the month June 2010 to raise money to purchase food from the Illinois Food Bank. Monetary donations are more cost effective way to obtain food, as they can purchase an equivalent of $100 of food for $10 from the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Over 200 businesses in the Champaign-Urbana and surrounding area community will display cans to accept donations for the drive. You can view a list of participating businesses at the following link: http://www.knowntome.net/saltandlight_yes_stats.html
. No, seriously, I consider this book a must read. It examines the many roles Jesus filled in the historical and religious context of His time on earth (and after that time), and cuts past the common misoncseptions of who He was and is in ways that were new and real to me. The book is leans heavily on scripture and historical context, and I gained many new insights - based in scripture and fact (always a nice bonus) - into who Jesus really is and how I had previously shaped Him in my image. From the back cover:
