It seems almost everybody you meet today defines themselves as a victim of “something”. Just think about this for a moment. People are victims of credit card fraud, ponzi schemes, thefts of all kinds, sexual assault, divorce, wayward kids, road rage, and even drive through screw ups!
I wonder why so many of us want the identity known as victim. Some people even define their life by their victimization. The stories they tell are from some by-gone wrong that was perpetrated on them. They have no new story, nothing about today and worse no story about what their future could be.
I am not trying to minimize the seriousness of tragic events that happen to well meaning people. I am seeking the answer to the question of why we would want to define our lives by some event in the past.
Then there is what I will call the “survivor syndrome.” If I am fortunate and perhaps work hard I can move the definition of myself from a victim to a survivor. Sounds good to most people to be a survivor! I am just not so sure that defining yourself as being a survivor is any better than defining yourself as being a victim. Sometimes I think that a survivor is just a victim turned inside out. Life defined by a moment in time, defined by the past…perhaps a past that is healing but still the past. It’s the “in thing” to be a survivor today…every body is surviving some form of victimization.
Maybe being a survivor is like winning the silver medal in the men’s Olympic hockey final. So you won silver…so now we know you are the best of the losers! Not a winner! Simply being rewarded for losing! If you don’t believe me go back and look at the television footage from the silver medal ceremony at the men’s Olympic hockey game. There was not a happy face in the bunch…no not one. I am not so sure that survivors are necessarily happy people either…better than a victim but still not a gold medal.
The bible talks about an amazing class of human beings called victors. A victor is one who runs the race of life and comes in first. Not second, not third, just gold…pure gold. In fact, in the spiritual journey of Christian discipleship there is only one medal…gold.
God does not reward failure. God does not reward average. God does not reward excuses. God rewards only the gold medal race. Here is an amazing piece of information; God makes it possible for each of us to win Gold. He places His Spirit of love with in us and asks us to simply be obedient to Him… and He guarantees the gold!
Think about this statement, obedience guarantees the gold! God did not say we had to be faster, smarter, brighter, work harder, longer or wiser…He just said we had to be obedient to His word, co-operate with Him in His agenda for ourselves, this universe and the people in it…and you get the gold. There is no silver, no bronze…there is only light or darkness, love or hate, life or death…gold or no gold. Jesus Christ made it possible for us all to get the gold, it’s simply a matter of obedience. Simply a matter of choice…obedient or not obedient…you get to choose your reward. If you happen to be unhappy with it…remember it was your choice!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
HOW TO LOVE DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Years ago I cam across a saying; “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. It is my belief that people are looking for understanding, acceptance and real love, not necessarily more information.
For years churches have dispensed information; information about God, theology, ethics, rules, regulations and the like. And for all of this information that has been given out from Sunday sermons, Sundays School classes, in midweek bible studies, on radio and television far too many Christians’ lives remain the same. They may have more religious information than any other time in history and yet very little if anything changes in their day to day behaviours.
Here is an incredible truth. You can know all sorts of information and never experience any transformation. We are ‘knowledge-aholics”. We crave more data, more information, more sources, more input…but we never seem to let that information affect our behaviour. We know a lot, we just don’t do much with what we know.
The Apostle John in 1st John calls it like he sees it! Simply put he says that talk is cheap! Even for Christians he says if you don’t live it, it doesn’t count. You can say you love Christ or are a follower of Jesus, but if you don’t reach out and help a brother or sister that you see in need…well to put it bluntly…he says you are a liar and there is non of Gods love in you.
The test that you are a true follower of Christ is this; you never pass up an opportunity to help when you have the God given opportunity to do so.
So here is the deal. The world we live in is so self focused that if people actually saw a group of people really helping others out…going out of their way to give practical care and assistance…they would sit up and notice. They might even wonder why in a world so “me” driven, people would sacrifice their own agendas for the benefit of others.
People do not care what religion you are or what beliefs you hold, whether you have the ‘truth” and great spiritual insight. They just want to know if you will care for them in real practical down to earth ways.
This is what Jesus ministry was all about… he hung out with the poor, he healed the sick, he taught the common people, he fed the hungry, he spent time with children, he ate dinner with prostitutes and the disenfranchised, was the life of the party, he visited the grieving, kicked the “stuffing” out of those who took financial advantage of others and had the guts to religious leaders a “brood of vipers”.
Let’s stop talking about and get done! Love can change the world but only if you live it!
For years churches have dispensed information; information about God, theology, ethics, rules, regulations and the like. And for all of this information that has been given out from Sunday sermons, Sundays School classes, in midweek bible studies, on radio and television far too many Christians’ lives remain the same. They may have more religious information than any other time in history and yet very little if anything changes in their day to day behaviours.
Here is an incredible truth. You can know all sorts of information and never experience any transformation. We are ‘knowledge-aholics”. We crave more data, more information, more sources, more input…but we never seem to let that information affect our behaviour. We know a lot, we just don’t do much with what we know.
The Apostle John in 1st John calls it like he sees it! Simply put he says that talk is cheap! Even for Christians he says if you don’t live it, it doesn’t count. You can say you love Christ or are a follower of Jesus, but if you don’t reach out and help a brother or sister that you see in need…well to put it bluntly…he says you are a liar and there is non of Gods love in you.
The test that you are a true follower of Christ is this; you never pass up an opportunity to help when you have the God given opportunity to do so.
So here is the deal. The world we live in is so self focused that if people actually saw a group of people really helping others out…going out of their way to give practical care and assistance…they would sit up and notice. They might even wonder why in a world so “me” driven, people would sacrifice their own agendas for the benefit of others.
People do not care what religion you are or what beliefs you hold, whether you have the ‘truth” and great spiritual insight. They just want to know if you will care for them in real practical down to earth ways.
This is what Jesus ministry was all about… he hung out with the poor, he healed the sick, he taught the common people, he fed the hungry, he spent time with children, he ate dinner with prostitutes and the disenfranchised, was the life of the party, he visited the grieving, kicked the “stuffing” out of those who took financial advantage of others and had the guts to religious leaders a “brood of vipers”.
Let’s stop talking about and get done! Love can change the world but only if you live it!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
IT"S OVER!
I find it difficult to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. Perhaps even more amazing to me is the recognition that in a few days this whole decade will come to an end. In my mind it was only a short while ago that so many of us were all in a panic over Y2K. So where did those ten years go?
One of my granddaughters is 10 the other is 9, so I know a lot of time has gone into investing in their lives, yet some how I think perhaps not as much time as there should have been. I didn’t realize the time would fly buy quite a quickly as it has. But isn’t that a silly statement? We all know time fly’s buy and the older you get the faster it fly’s.
Eileen and I will be married for 35 years on January 1, 2010. Once again I am forced into the recognition that the space between 25 years of wedded bliss on the infamous Y2K year and 35 years of wedded bliss has simply vanished like the steam from a kettle, into the surrounding air. I guess I am a bit wiser, though that may be a point for debate, especially in the light of my continued lack of understanding about the importance of shopping in a womans life, and that sustained conversation, with great details added, are critical to our continued sense of intimacy and yes, phone conversations when she travels are required to last more than ten words. ..“How are you? How was your day… fine, good night!”
My children are now officially adults and my mother officially has a senior citizen for a son.
Perhaps beyond the thoughts of grandchildren, grown children, a healthy mother and a healthy long term sustained marriage my mind also turns to thoughts of my spiritual life.
I wonder if the past ten years has been kind to me spiritually. Have I allowed the Spirit of God access to my personality to be able to reproduce in me the fruit of His Sprit: love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. Sometimes I feel not. Then other times I feel we are making progress, God and I working away at the inner diseases of selfishness, pride, control issues, my constant propensity to be addicted to stuff like success or isolation or food or whatever! Whenever I get too introspective, which is way too often, and I feel like I am just not progressing the way I should be progressing and achieving what I think I should be achieving I am reminded of saying that my wife in her wisdom brings to my attention and often says to me in my darker hours,
“You may not be what you ought to be. But thank God you’re not what you used to be. And it’s not yet told what you’re going to be”
Ok, it’s not over yet! Bring on the next ten! Be patient, God and my wife are still working on me! I wonder if they both will get their way
One of my granddaughters is 10 the other is 9, so I know a lot of time has gone into investing in their lives, yet some how I think perhaps not as much time as there should have been. I didn’t realize the time would fly buy quite a quickly as it has. But isn’t that a silly statement? We all know time fly’s buy and the older you get the faster it fly’s.
Eileen and I will be married for 35 years on January 1, 2010. Once again I am forced into the recognition that the space between 25 years of wedded bliss on the infamous Y2K year and 35 years of wedded bliss has simply vanished like the steam from a kettle, into the surrounding air. I guess I am a bit wiser, though that may be a point for debate, especially in the light of my continued lack of understanding about the importance of shopping in a womans life, and that sustained conversation, with great details added, are critical to our continued sense of intimacy and yes, phone conversations when she travels are required to last more than ten words. ..“How are you? How was your day… fine, good night!”
My children are now officially adults and my mother officially has a senior citizen for a son.
Perhaps beyond the thoughts of grandchildren, grown children, a healthy mother and a healthy long term sustained marriage my mind also turns to thoughts of my spiritual life.
I wonder if the past ten years has been kind to me spiritually. Have I allowed the Spirit of God access to my personality to be able to reproduce in me the fruit of His Sprit: love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. Sometimes I feel not. Then other times I feel we are making progress, God and I working away at the inner diseases of selfishness, pride, control issues, my constant propensity to be addicted to stuff like success or isolation or food or whatever! Whenever I get too introspective, which is way too often, and I feel like I am just not progressing the way I should be progressing and achieving what I think I should be achieving I am reminded of saying that my wife in her wisdom brings to my attention and often says to me in my darker hours,
“You may not be what you ought to be. But thank God you’re not what you used to be. And it’s not yet told what you’re going to be”
Ok, it’s not over yet! Bring on the next ten! Be patient, God and my wife are still working on me! I wonder if they both will get their way
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
‘Twas the Weeks Before Christmas
‘Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through the town,
the people were frantically running around.
The charge cards were maxed out with no room to spare,
in hopes that the lottery soon would be theirs.
On Costco, on Zellers, on Biancos they rushed,
With nary a thought that they soon would be bust!
Don’t worry, don’t worry, they called out to each other,
we’ll pay for this somehow, even borrow from mother.
‘Tis the season for giving, and gifts we must have,
for mothers, and brothers, and sisters, and Dad!
For cousins, and nephews, and uncles, and aunts,
must not be left out of this Christmas-time rant.
It can not be Christmas if we do not spend,
and overindulge in the booze to the end.
And eat too much turkey, and stuffing, and pie,
end up fighting, this is Christmas? … “Oh, my my!”
When what from the road side in my eye did appear?
But a Living Nativity and shepherds so near!
A donkey, and angels, a child like the Christ,
and carols of wonder and heavenly delight.
An old fashioned Christmas from a time long ago,
when spending, and drinking, and fighting, weren’t so.
And the gifts that were given didn’t come from a shelf,
the gift that was given was the gift of yourself.
So maybe this season will be different somehow,
We could ring some kettles, or volunteer now!
To give the gift, that can not be bought,
with money, and stuff that will all be for ‘nought.
But learning a lesson from days since long past,
would give the gift, that forever will last!
A gift that is given, not from a shelf,
but the real gift of Christmas, the gift of yourself.
A little poem I wrote for publication in the South Side Story, availble after December 6, 2009
the people were frantically running around.
The charge cards were maxed out with no room to spare,
in hopes that the lottery soon would be theirs.
On Costco, on Zellers, on Biancos they rushed,
With nary a thought that they soon would be bust!
Don’t worry, don’t worry, they called out to each other,
we’ll pay for this somehow, even borrow from mother.
‘Tis the season for giving, and gifts we must have,
for mothers, and brothers, and sisters, and Dad!
For cousins, and nephews, and uncles, and aunts,
must not be left out of this Christmas-time rant.
It can not be Christmas if we do not spend,
and overindulge in the booze to the end.
And eat too much turkey, and stuffing, and pie,
end up fighting, this is Christmas? … “Oh, my my!”
When what from the road side in my eye did appear?
But a Living Nativity and shepherds so near!
A donkey, and angels, a child like the Christ,
and carols of wonder and heavenly delight.
An old fashioned Christmas from a time long ago,
when spending, and drinking, and fighting, weren’t so.
And the gifts that were given didn’t come from a shelf,
the gift that was given was the gift of yourself.
So maybe this season will be different somehow,
We could ring some kettles, or volunteer now!
To give the gift, that can not be bought,
with money, and stuff that will all be for ‘nought.
But learning a lesson from days since long past,
would give the gift, that forever will last!
A gift that is given, not from a shelf,
but the real gift of Christmas, the gift of yourself.
A little poem I wrote for publication in the South Side Story, availble after December 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
WHEN THE DEVIL COMES TO CHURCH
The devil is a master of deflecting attention from himself and getting us to do his dirty work.
We live in a world that is reeling from psychic pain, a pain so systemic that it invades every area of our existence. You can see the emptiness in people’s eyes, you can hear the anger in their voices, and you can feel the frustration radiating from their bodies. You may even have been on the receiving end of physical, emotional or verbal violence. It may even have happened to you in church.
You see, the devil comes to church every time we in the church, war and fight with each other. That word said in anger, that critical attitude, that unforgiving spirit, gossip and slander, an accusation with out investigation; every time we fail to simply be kind or demonstrate compassion, give someone the benefit of the doubt we are doing the devils work on his behalf.
The bible is clear about the personification of evil as represented by the devil. It is his job to scheme against all that is good (Ephesians 6:10), to try and turn every good thing into pain. It is also his life’s mission to “go about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might destroy”. His work is to create a counterfeit to all that is God’s, including counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders (2Thessalonians 2:9).
It is time for the church to stop doing the devils work for him.
The church must become a place of safety, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
The church must become a place where forgiveness flows like a mighty river, where love pours down upon those who fail and restores them to new beginnings.
The church must become a place where words of compassion and understanding rise up against judgmental attitudes and where the redeemed people of God seek to understand rather than be understood.
The church must become a place where people can discover truth, uncompromised, but swimming in an attitude love, birthed out of the depth of understanding of who we are and what God himself in Christ Jesus has rescued us from.
The church must become a place where we cut people some slack, but not leave them to rot in their own messes.
The church truly must become a bride, a glorious church, with out stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and blameless. (Ephessians 5:27)
The church can only become a safe place, as you and I allow Christ to transform out attitudes and behaviours into attitudes and behaviours that reflect his character and his nature.
We can accept the wounded and broken and remind ourselves that we too are wounded and broken and if it were not for Jesus, we would not be here.
We can simply refuse to be offended, we can maintain an attitude of instant forgiveness, by not allowing any judgmental word to stick to us or come from us.
We can start by refusing to let our mouths say anything that is not helpful and constructive, whether that is in the form of the spoken word, the written word, or a thought word.
An old spiritual song says “Shut de door, keep out de devil”.
Maybe “de shut door” begins with “de shut mouth!”
We live in a world that is reeling from psychic pain, a pain so systemic that it invades every area of our existence. You can see the emptiness in people’s eyes, you can hear the anger in their voices, and you can feel the frustration radiating from their bodies. You may even have been on the receiving end of physical, emotional or verbal violence. It may even have happened to you in church.
You see, the devil comes to church every time we in the church, war and fight with each other. That word said in anger, that critical attitude, that unforgiving spirit, gossip and slander, an accusation with out investigation; every time we fail to simply be kind or demonstrate compassion, give someone the benefit of the doubt we are doing the devils work on his behalf.
The bible is clear about the personification of evil as represented by the devil. It is his job to scheme against all that is good (Ephesians 6:10), to try and turn every good thing into pain. It is also his life’s mission to “go about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might destroy”. His work is to create a counterfeit to all that is God’s, including counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders (2Thessalonians 2:9).
It is time for the church to stop doing the devils work for him.
The church must become a place of safety, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
The church must become a place where forgiveness flows like a mighty river, where love pours down upon those who fail and restores them to new beginnings.
The church must become a place where words of compassion and understanding rise up against judgmental attitudes and where the redeemed people of God seek to understand rather than be understood.
The church must become a place where people can discover truth, uncompromised, but swimming in an attitude love, birthed out of the depth of understanding of who we are and what God himself in Christ Jesus has rescued us from.
The church must become a place where we cut people some slack, but not leave them to rot in their own messes.
The church truly must become a bride, a glorious church, with out stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and blameless. (Ephessians 5:27)
The church can only become a safe place, as you and I allow Christ to transform out attitudes and behaviours into attitudes and behaviours that reflect his character and his nature.
We can accept the wounded and broken and remind ourselves that we too are wounded and broken and if it were not for Jesus, we would not be here.
We can simply refuse to be offended, we can maintain an attitude of instant forgiveness, by not allowing any judgmental word to stick to us or come from us.
We can start by refusing to let our mouths say anything that is not helpful and constructive, whether that is in the form of the spoken word, the written word, or a thought word.
An old spiritual song says “Shut de door, keep out de devil”.
Maybe “de shut door” begins with “de shut mouth!”
Thursday, November 12, 2009
"HOUSTON" WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
We have a problem! Current statistics by the Barna Group demonstrate that the moral behaviours of church goes and the behaviours of non-church goers are statistically the same. In other words, no discernible difference can be found in the actions and attitudes of the two groups of people. In two areas the results are quite frightening. In the area of marriage and divorce it seems evangelical (bible believing Christians) church attendees have a slightly higher divorce rate that the rest of the population. In the viewing and usage of pornography both groups scored the same. In the practice of pre-marital sex there was no discernible difference in the scores.
Am I the only one who thinks that there is a real issue here? What are the long term effects of these behaviours on the Church, the Body of Christ? One of the questions we could ask is what will happen to the church when those inside are no different from those outside? What is our future when the body of Christ has been so assimilated into the behaviours of the current culture that no discernible differences can be seen in believers and non-believers? Have we been so blind sided and absorbed into the current culture that it has effectively smothered our light, put it under a bushel, and invited the darkness to reign…all with our permission. Has the doctrine of tolerance so taken over the church that we can no longer speak about what is pure, holy, moral or just? Or is it that our own behaviour is so corrupt we have lost the moral authority to speak out against the very corruption that threatens to destroy the society in which we live.
This type of worldly assimilation of the people of God into the culture in which they live is certainly nothing new. The children of Israel, Gods chosen people seemed to always be in a position of perpetual compromise with the cultures around them. Somebody else had a king so they wanted a king. The Egyptian women were hotter than their women so they defied Gods law and married into the foreign nation. Other people had gods they could see, so they made a golden calf to worship. Soon as Moses back was turned the party began. In the New Testament Paul was constantly on the Corinthians, Ephesians, the Romans and others about their sexual exploits that were outside the boundaries of Gods intended sexual behaviours.
And so we have this same pattern repeated again in modern culture and the modern church. Ok, I guess than means God gets to repeat the same corrective measures he took before to redeem and purify his people form worldly assimilation. Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by something akin to a nuclear blast; Israel, into captivity by a foreign power and slaves to a foreign government for a ‘few’ years; Agricultural devastation and a ruined economy due to famine, pestilence, giant grasshoppers…Israel again…they were very slow learners; Annanias and Saphira dead at the apostle’s feet for lying before God to the early Church. Well you get the idea.
God will always call his people to come out of the world. He will do it first by love and then when all else fails, he will do it by holy discipline. But he will do it! I’ll take the love part of that equation any day! Any body up for a round of obedience to The Book!
Am I the only one who thinks that there is a real issue here? What are the long term effects of these behaviours on the Church, the Body of Christ? One of the questions we could ask is what will happen to the church when those inside are no different from those outside? What is our future when the body of Christ has been so assimilated into the behaviours of the current culture that no discernible differences can be seen in believers and non-believers? Have we been so blind sided and absorbed into the current culture that it has effectively smothered our light, put it under a bushel, and invited the darkness to reign…all with our permission. Has the doctrine of tolerance so taken over the church that we can no longer speak about what is pure, holy, moral or just? Or is it that our own behaviour is so corrupt we have lost the moral authority to speak out against the very corruption that threatens to destroy the society in which we live.
This type of worldly assimilation of the people of God into the culture in which they live is certainly nothing new. The children of Israel, Gods chosen people seemed to always be in a position of perpetual compromise with the cultures around them. Somebody else had a king so they wanted a king. The Egyptian women were hotter than their women so they defied Gods law and married into the foreign nation. Other people had gods they could see, so they made a golden calf to worship. Soon as Moses back was turned the party began. In the New Testament Paul was constantly on the Corinthians, Ephesians, the Romans and others about their sexual exploits that were outside the boundaries of Gods intended sexual behaviours.
And so we have this same pattern repeated again in modern culture and the modern church. Ok, I guess than means God gets to repeat the same corrective measures he took before to redeem and purify his people form worldly assimilation. Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by something akin to a nuclear blast; Israel, into captivity by a foreign power and slaves to a foreign government for a ‘few’ years; Agricultural devastation and a ruined economy due to famine, pestilence, giant grasshoppers…Israel again…they were very slow learners; Annanias and Saphira dead at the apostle’s feet for lying before God to the early Church. Well you get the idea.
God will always call his people to come out of the world. He will do it first by love and then when all else fails, he will do it by holy discipline. But he will do it! I’ll take the love part of that equation any day! Any body up for a round of obedience to The Book!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
THE MISSING INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESS
I think there is a missing ingredient in most of our lives that keeps us from really fulfilling the purposes of God for us and for His church in this world. I have read material on determination, writing down goals, perseverance, positive thinking, possibility thinking, alignment, being one with the source…you name it, I have probably read it and maybe even tried it.
But there is one concept I have not heard or even read much about in the whole ‘success /achievement’ movement.
That missing ingredient in most of our lives is embodied in the word sacrifice.
“Now wait a minute” you say “I was taught that it was more blessed to give than to receive”. You are correct. But it is possible to give and not sacrifice. Most giving is just a redistribution of time, talent, energy or wealth given out of a pool of excess. Most of the giving that is the cornerstone of the self improvement movement has little if anything to do with sacrifice.
We in the Twenty First century know little of a life of sacrifice. The word sacrifice has almost been banned from our vocabulary.
To sacrifice means to give until it hurts.
Ask a family whose loved one has been lost in military service to our country. They can tell you about sacrifice.
Ask a seasoned aged wealthy entrepreneur about building their company from the back of a pick up truck in the 1950s. They can tell you about 80+ hour work weeks, Kraft Dinner, risking life, limb and home, to stake their claim and build their business.
Talk to missionaries who, compelled by the Love of Jesus Christ, abandoned all wealth and the privilege of urban life to go and invest their lives in the lives of the worlds destitute and abandoned.
Talk to a church that is impacting their community for the cause of Christ.
Their common theme will always be, sacrifice.
Reflect, if you will, on the fact that most privately owned companies in Canada do not survive to stay in business by the third generation. That mission organization recruitment is down, that military recruitment is down, that volunteerism is down, that we have it too easy that our kids have it even easier, that the idea of a life of sacrifice has gone the way of AM Radio, that people are lost, have no purpose, lives devoid of meaning and, to quote a very old song, “if that’s all there is then let’s keep dancing” seems to be the mantra of the day. Well maybe not dancing…but certainly leave me alone to do my own thing. Or at least, don’t bother me; don’t touch my wealth or my weekend.
Sacrifice, the abandoned word in the Brave New World. I am sure glad Jesus Christ didn’t back down from His sacrifice for the world or we would all be going to hell. Maybe we are already there and we just don’t know it, or we just don’t want to recognize it or we just want to keep playing our video games while “Rome” burns.
What ever you want in life that is worth anything will cost you something…it’s called a sacrifice. Do not let anybody tell you anything different. No pain, no gain, whether in your physical life, your emotional live or your spiritual life. Get it?
But there is one concept I have not heard or even read much about in the whole ‘success /achievement’ movement.
That missing ingredient in most of our lives is embodied in the word sacrifice.
“Now wait a minute” you say “I was taught that it was more blessed to give than to receive”. You are correct. But it is possible to give and not sacrifice. Most giving is just a redistribution of time, talent, energy or wealth given out of a pool of excess. Most of the giving that is the cornerstone of the self improvement movement has little if anything to do with sacrifice.
We in the Twenty First century know little of a life of sacrifice. The word sacrifice has almost been banned from our vocabulary.
To sacrifice means to give until it hurts.
Ask a family whose loved one has been lost in military service to our country. They can tell you about sacrifice.
Ask a seasoned aged wealthy entrepreneur about building their company from the back of a pick up truck in the 1950s. They can tell you about 80+ hour work weeks, Kraft Dinner, risking life, limb and home, to stake their claim and build their business.
Talk to missionaries who, compelled by the Love of Jesus Christ, abandoned all wealth and the privilege of urban life to go and invest their lives in the lives of the worlds destitute and abandoned.
Talk to a church that is impacting their community for the cause of Christ.
Their common theme will always be, sacrifice.
Reflect, if you will, on the fact that most privately owned companies in Canada do not survive to stay in business by the third generation. That mission organization recruitment is down, that military recruitment is down, that volunteerism is down, that we have it too easy that our kids have it even easier, that the idea of a life of sacrifice has gone the way of AM Radio, that people are lost, have no purpose, lives devoid of meaning and, to quote a very old song, “if that’s all there is then let’s keep dancing” seems to be the mantra of the day. Well maybe not dancing…but certainly leave me alone to do my own thing. Or at least, don’t bother me; don’t touch my wealth or my weekend.
Sacrifice, the abandoned word in the Brave New World. I am sure glad Jesus Christ didn’t back down from His sacrifice for the world or we would all be going to hell. Maybe we are already there and we just don’t know it, or we just don’t want to recognize it or we just want to keep playing our video games while “Rome” burns.
What ever you want in life that is worth anything will cost you something…it’s called a sacrifice. Do not let anybody tell you anything different. No pain, no gain, whether in your physical life, your emotional live or your spiritual life. Get it?
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