Jesus, I will give you little; I surrender some
/
I can't claim the title. I pulled it from the talented team in the three-minute video below.
(Have you watched the video yet? Be honest. If you haven't, do. Seriously. I'm not a YouTube junkie, and I love it.)
I know I chuckled as I watched it. It is funny. But I want to challenge you not to stop at the chuckle.
Think beyond the laughter, and be challenged, as I was. Do you worship God, or do you go through the motions? Do you exalt Christ or yourself? Do you sing the words but fail to put them into action in your own life? (I know I've been guilty on all counts at times.)
And how about what you claim to care about? A catchphrase at our church is "engage the church; engage the city." When we became much more intentional about special needs ministry a little over a year ago, I challenged one of our pastors with that phrase, asking, "Do you mean it? Do we want to engage all of our city or just those who will fit in without much effort or change from us?"
In the video, I noted this line toward the end: "someone stop that baby from crying right now..." I have a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, and I cringe inwardly when they have acted, well, less than church-like on Sundays. I can't recall any dirty looks for it, but I wouldn't know; I'm usually too busy trying to sink into the floor to notice. It's uncomfortable.
We like comfort, don't we? I'm writing this on an evening when everyone else in the family is gone. I'm lounging on the couch with my feet propped up, and I'm considering a bubble bath later. I'm liking this moment, because - with two preschoolers - this type of thing doesn't happen often.
And I can bring that comfort-seeking desire into church too. Too often I'm thinking "I can't wait to see Norma this morning; she always encourages me!" on Sunday morning instead of "who can I encourage today?" How about you?
When a baby cries during service or a child has a meltdown or an adult sings terribly off-key, are you willing to show the grace you've received from Christ with others, or are you simply annoyed?
When you're presented with an opportunity to serve God and others, are you excited or are you concerned that it might mess with your plans?
When you realize that people with disabilities aren't represented well in your church, are you willing to do something to change that? Or are you content with your church being a place in which the gospel is presented to just those who look and act like you?
Ouch. I need to go spend some time with God to ponder those questions and examine myself.
Let us test and examine our ways,
(Have you watched the video yet? Be honest. If you haven't, do. Seriously. I'm not a YouTube junkie, and I love it.)
I know I chuckled as I watched it. It is funny. But I want to challenge you not to stop at the chuckle.
Think beyond the laughter, and be challenged, as I was. Do you worship God, or do you go through the motions? Do you exalt Christ or yourself? Do you sing the words but fail to put them into action in your own life? (I know I've been guilty on all counts at times.)
And how about what you claim to care about? A catchphrase at our church is "engage the church; engage the city." When we became much more intentional about special needs ministry a little over a year ago, I challenged one of our pastors with that phrase, asking, "Do you mean it? Do we want to engage all of our city or just those who will fit in without much effort or change from us?"
In the video, I noted this line toward the end: "someone stop that baby from crying right now..." I have a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, and I cringe inwardly when they have acted, well, less than church-like on Sundays. I can't recall any dirty looks for it, but I wouldn't know; I'm usually too busy trying to sink into the floor to notice. It's uncomfortable.
We like comfort, don't we? I'm writing this on an evening when everyone else in the family is gone. I'm lounging on the couch with my feet propped up, and I'm considering a bubble bath later. I'm liking this moment, because - with two preschoolers - this type of thing doesn't happen often.
And I can bring that comfort-seeking desire into church too. Too often I'm thinking "I can't wait to see Norma this morning; she always encourages me!" on Sunday morning instead of "who can I encourage today?" How about you?
When a baby cries during service or a child has a meltdown or an adult sings terribly off-key, are you willing to show the grace you've received from Christ with others, or are you simply annoyed?
When you're presented with an opportunity to serve God and others, are you excited or are you concerned that it might mess with your plans?
When you realize that people with disabilities aren't represented well in your church, are you willing to do something to change that? Or are you content with your church being a place in which the gospel is presented to just those who look and act like you?
Ouch. I need to go spend some time with God to ponder those questions and examine myself.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Corinthians 13:5
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24
Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!
Lamentations 3:40