Small groups started meeting again last week.(I've gotta stop here and almost do a completely different post in parenthesis. I love small group. There's no better place on Wednesday evening! We have a fun, laid back, kingdom seeking group. We don't get it right all the time, so I fit right in. God's been so good lately. When I'm not trying to get my head around the 'why', I get overcome with a flood of thankfulness springing forth from somewhere deep within. He's opened my heart to see Him. Joy. There's more to share on this, but it will have to be another post.)
Our small group's study (after some much needed fellowship over some finger food and desserts) is a discussion of Sunday's sermon. It's great because whatever questions you had during the preaching, you can present to the group. We've been working through Romans on Sunday, and we were talking about chapter 6. Rusty presented the question,"What does being a slave to sin mean to you?"
I slipped up and let my PCA background show (right in front of the group!). I gave a solid doctrinal answer about us understanding our position before a Holy God and thus our need for Christ's sacrifice. Everything was all fine and dandy until the question moved around the room to a gentleman new to the group.
He answered, "Well, it might not be doctrinally correct, but how I face being a slave to sin in a practical way is . . ."
What audacity! What a maroon! Study the Bible to see how to love God and serve Him practically?!? But in truth, what genius, what Christ-likeness. I wasn't much use the rest of the conversation. I was distracted. My mind kept going back to one word, practical.
So, where does my faith meet the road? I am always amazed with the honesty in the ladies' blog entries. Their observations of their own selfishness hit home. Even this blog right now, who is it for? I'd like to believe it might help someone realize that they're not the only one trying to keep their feet beneath them, but I know that at least part of the reason is that I am doing it for myself.
James has been the topic in the adult Sunday school class. Talk about making the Gospel practical! A quick skim over this small book and you'd think he's contradicting letter after letter of Paul's, but no, it's God as much as Ephesians 2. We've looked over facing trials, and started getting into the whole faith vs works funness.
How do you live the Gospel in a practical manner? I don't know exactly. I know I need to love people more by serving them. I know I've responsibilities to my wife, kids, employer, etc, but there's a lot of time left over after I fall short in those areas for me to step out in faith and serve. Anyways, what may be practical for one may not work universally.
So, beyond the general 'love and serve', what are some more specific ways we can love the world? Please share. I believe everyone should have someone outside their immediate family that they are either discipling/mentoring or at least, a peer they're walking beside. I truly believe our culture has placed an emphasis on family to the exclusion of community. I don't do this right myself, but the more I encourage the focus of our family to outside our home, God equips me a little bit more with an attitude and a will that can be bent to His.
Time with Him in prayer and the Word refreshes and strengthens. When you charge a set batteries, it's not just to have a set of charged batteries, it's to use that energy doing something. I need to remember to do something.
But it'll have to be tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
5 comments:
I really appreciate your candidness. I sometimes feel as though I do too much for others and not enough for my family because I want to look like a good Christian. In Luke it does say, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple."
However, I think consistency is the key. We need to be sacrificial in our time with everyone, not just our family and not just others. Does that make sense? It's impossible to do on our own, but I believe it's something that can be worked towards with Christ's help. God deals with me everyday on issues just like this, but a lot of times I feel I can just ignore it and it will go away. I hate my flesh!
love, love, love the battery analogy!
you are absolutely correct about "our culture has placed an emphasis on family to the exclusion of community."
i've been convicted lately to "love the world" in my neighborhood. thank you for reminding me why my batteries are or should be charged and ready.
Tough question about more specific ways to show love. I think the Spirit will lead and direct us to areas of serving and loving one another as He conforms us to the image of Christ. It seems that that is where the battleground is most fierce, where we launch from belief into action. Everything in the world, our enemy and our flesh tempts us to give up on God's promises. Yet, we must cling to the One who said He will complete what He has started.
I like the word Melissa used, sacrificial. If what I give is not sacrificial, am I really different than the world?
In response to your comment...
" I know I need to love people more by serving them. I know I've responsibilities to my wife, kids, employer, etc,'...
I believe, you do not have any responsibilities to wife, kids, employer, etc....
We have ONE responsibility and that is to GOD.
If we do what He says, we ARE like Christ to our wife, we DO teach and 'train up' our children, and we do our work to our employer 'as unto the Lord.'
I believe if we so consecrate our lives to the Lord and His work, He will show us the other pratical ways we can be Christ to the world.
James 1:27 says, "Pure religeon and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflications and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
I've not known many Christians in my life who actually fulfill this sctipture and care for widows and orphans..
Being unspotted from the world is increasingly harder, with television, internet, magazines, etc, etc...etc.
So much for my sermonette...but you asked.
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