#16 - why not just settle for fat and sassy?

Amos 4:1

Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan

who are on the hill of Samaria,
women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,
who say to their husbands,
“Bring us something to drink."

Wait, what?  Did God just send a message down from heaven that included calling his people “cows?”  Oh yeah.  He did. 

Have you ever noticed that there are tons of ways to insult people by simply referring to them as some kind of animal?  Dog. Chicken. Pig. Snake. Ape.  I don’t think being called a “cow” in Amos’ day probably felt any better than it does in ours.  And yes, I think God knew that and said it anyway.  Step back.

What Amos is saying here is that, according to God, His people had become so near-sighted, and their priorities had gotten so screwy, that they had become concerned only with themselves.  “Forget the poor and needy, and even forget the needs and purpose of my own family; I want some fun, and I want it now,” is essentially the mantra of the people he’s talking to and about.  They wanted self-fulfillment and personal entertainment at any cost.  And that disgusted God.

Our lives are not our own.  We have been purchased at a high price – the blood of Jesus Himself rescued us from the enslavement of self-worship.  God did not save us so that we could be Real Housewives.  He saved us so that we could be His active hands and feet in a lost, broken and hurting world.

Look around: there are tons of people whose paths cross yours everyday.  How could you be serving them?  How could you be reaching out?  How can you step outside of yourself today to be a walking, breathing example of the sacrificial love of Christ? 

Father, we pray You would stir Your Holy Spirit in us to desire to love others more than we love ourselves.  We thank You that Your Son Jesus came to actively love us and sacrifice for us, even when it was difficult, and we pray for strength to follow Him in obedience and likeness.  Please allow Candeo to become a church marked by a level of service, submission and sacrifice that can only be found in modeling Your character.  Amen.

#25 - why should you consider leaving too?

Matthew 19:29

 

And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.

 

There are a lot of things God has never asked me to do for His sake. Just going off the above list, I can honestly say He’s never asked me to leave my husband, kids, brother or field (although I’ve never had a brother or a field, so I can see where His asking me to abandon such things would be kind of a weird request). But He did ask me to uproot my family, leave behind dear friends, and sell our home so that we could come be a part of His amazing work at Candeo. And I’m not going to lie to you, it has been incredibly difficult at times to follow in obedience and participation.

 

Whether anything in the specific list above applies to you directly, one thing is true for all believers: picking up our cross and following Jesus will always mean leaving behind some big things. Things we treasure, things that take everything in us to let go of. By its very nature, Jesus’ sacrifice asks us for responsive sacrifice. 

 

But the beauty of the passage is that God promises we’re not giving up anything for nothing. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the sacrifice of our calling turns into a true gift with everlasting value. What could we possibly have that is worth more than God Himself? What could we hold onto that would ever be for us more than He has been? What could we give up for Jesus that we could possibly regret in hindsight? 

So here’s what I’m saying: God’s not necessarily asking you to give up your house or your community or your job to further His kingdom. Not everyone’s life will look like that, and that’s great, because otherwise we’d all just be a bunch of vagrants. But He’s not necessarily not asking, either. 

Have you felt a pull to live more radically for Him in some way, but have suppressed it because "God couldn’t possibly be asking that" of you? Just going to shoot you straight here: He could possibly be asking that of you.  Either way, there are plenty of ways to live more fully for Him right now where you’re at – are you participating in that as wholeheartedly and abundantly as you could be? 

Heavenly Father, give us the strength and courage to hold onto the things of this life with a loose grip. Make us a church that lives in wild abandon for Your Kingdom, regardless of the calculated costs. Help us to realize that all good things come from You, and that the best gift of all, the gift of salvation through Your Son, has already been given. You are good, and You want good for us, and for that we are so thankful. Amen.

#31 - why do we need to agree "in the LORD"?

Philippians 4:2-3

² I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. ³ Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

What it seems we have here is a couple of believing ladies in the early church who, though they have fought hard for the gospel itself, have started arguing between each other about less important things. Scripture doesn’t mention what their hot-button issue is, but I think a lot of us can fill in the blank with some similar situation we’ve seen or experienced in a church setting: two camps of people disagree on something, blow the whole thing up, and the entire church body is left temporarily reeling, or even permanently crippled.

I remember once talking to someone who was leaving their church because the whole congregation was up-in-arms regarding a sanctuary re-carpeting project, and the church was imploding as a result. I’m not even kidding. And while I understand that’s a pretty extreme example, it’s obvious Euodia and Syntyche are not the only ones who have gotten distracted from important gospel work as a result of petty arguments.

What we need in our church family is “to be of the same mind in the Lord.” Keeping our eyes focused on the things that God considers important – loving and obeying Jesus, who died for our sins and offers us salvation as we rest on His righteousness alone; living in loving community with other believers; seeking and serving the lost – is how we keep ourselves from getting wrapped up in our own personal issues and rendering ourselves ineffective for the Kingdom.

The world does not need one more Jersey Shore. (I would argue it might actually need one less, but maybe I’m alone in that.) Purposeless, distracting drama can be found pretty much anywhere you turn, but this should not be true within the church. The church needs to be a place where we can focus on The Most Important Thing together, and offer grace to each other when we may disagree on issues of secondary importance.

Heavenly Father, we pray You would help Candeo Church to be united in mind and mission to worship You, serve each other, and share Your great news in the Cedar Valley and beyond. Help us to truly value the things You value, and to move forward motivated by those things alone. Thank You for Your Son, who prayed that His disciples would be one, just as You and He and the Spirit are one. I pray that You would empower us by Your Holy Spirit to actively live as united disciples. Amen.