Giving

What is God putting on your heart lately?

What is He teaching you or what theme
seems to be jumping out at you lately?

For me, it's been all about OTHERS.
I read the book, Radical, and you don't
want to read this book unless you want
to be burdened with what burdens God.

David Platt shares a story near the
end of the book about a man from his
congregation who wrote a letter to
him and said, "You've ruined my life."

What he meant about that was that he
couldn't view things the way he always
did. He couldn't sit happily and just
enjoy all the money he made and save
up for his future so he could be
comfortable all the days of his life
because that is not living out the
gospel of Jesus Christ.

And it wasn't really David who ruined
his life, it was that God was using
his pastor's words to convict him in
how he was using his money. This is
something that we really all should
consider.

Those same feelings about being
burdened are what I have been feeling
lately. I see how our society is all about
spending and having every little thing
that we need to have the perfect party
or the perfect gathering and all the
while people are dying with no food
to eat. He reminds us that we are
commanded to share the good news of
Jesus and yet, many times we just sit
back with our blessings and thank
God.

Don't get me wrong, God has blessed us
and we should be thankful for that but
in the end, ALL that will matter is
who Jesus was in our lives. NOTHING
else will matter. NOTHING! I just
watched on the news how people were
running over a guy on the ground
to get into the store for a "great
deal". They were trampling a man
and they didn't even care! It
makes me sick.

You just have to read the book to under-
stand where I'm coming from. It's not
just what the book says, it's pointing
out the truth of the Bible in a way
that shows areas where we are losing
our faith to the American Dream.
It is so very convicting in a
good way. I need to take those
convictions and live them out.
Of course, this is right at Christmas
time and so it's even more convicting
as I think about the "stuff"
I am planning to buy for my kids.

I am not trying to be a scrooge, but
I am trying to be a sold-out,
committed Christian who is making
an eternal difference in this world.
It's hard, it is not the norm, and
yet, this is my desire. Thanks for
taking the time to see what God is
doing in my life! I pray that He is
showing you His truth and speaking
to you personally. He loves us and
has blessed us, so let's love others
with His love and bless others with
His blessings!