Friday, January 21, 2011

Messengers with a clear purpose



The other night, as I looked up at the stars in the sky, I noticed a light that was moving – and I realized that it was a satellite. I was thinking about what the primary function of a satellite really is . . .to relay the message of it’s sender across the world.
            In today’s techno-crazy world, we often forget about the usefulness of satellites, but I want to bring something into perspective here. Our lives as followers of Christ are EXACTLY like the mission of a satellite. Christ has given us a message to relay to the rest of the world. He didn’t say “send this message if you feel like it.” A satellite does everything asked of it, and more – because it is following the instructions of it’s operator – in this case it is Jesus that is our operator.
            As followers of Christ, we are to get HIS message out to the nations of the world, just like a satellite.
1 Thessalonians 2, verse 4 makes this point very clear when it says:

“. . .just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”
          The message is clear. We MUST share HIS message with those that do not believe; otherwise we are not completing our mission in this world. It’s not our job to change hearts, because Jesus takes care of that – it’s our job to get the word out.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Firmly rooted or Not?


    It’s like what my camp director used to tell the staff all the time “What you put into the well, is going to come up in the bucket.”
In Romans, 11:16 we find a similar set of advice:
“ . . .if the root is holy, so are the branches.”
     When I read this, I thought of Paul’s symbol here – the tree. If the tree doesn’t have firm, deep, healthy roots then it won’t grow. In the same sense, it applies to our own “faith trees.”
     When we first hear the message about what Jesus has done for our world, a seed is planted. If that seed is cared for and nurtured, then the seed will develop into a sapling – although it is small, it still is a tree. That tree depends on the roots to sustain it, and if its roots aren’t rooted deeply and providing life to the rest of the tree . . .then the tree will die.
     As simple as it sounds, this is exactly like our life in Christ. If we are not firmly planted in God’s word, and seeking daily nourishment from it, then we can be carried off by all kinds of ideas.
     Remember, the roots are careful about the things that it sends into the rest of the tree. So too should we be careful about what we put into our lives. Holiness does not “just happen,” and neither does growth. If the roots are holy, then the branches will learn from that holiness and grow in the same way – into holiness.
Just something to think about.