Borrowed

Sometimes Dear Reader, another's thought is far more profound than one's own.IN this case it is borrowed.

POVERTY: Learning to Give Ourselves. We always seem to be better at giving then becoming. We can give love even when we are not intrinsically loving. We can be generous even when we are not truly compassionate. We can be concerned about others and yet essentially still live for ourselves. We can be giving to the poor and yet withhold the very thing they most urgently seek: companionship in the journey.
Being poor is what Jesus invites us to, and that is much, much harder than serving the poor. If we wish to journey with the poor, we need to become poor ourselves - poor for the sake of the gospel and poor for the sake of our neighbour.
This poverty does not only mean that we voluntarily lay aside our time, our power, and our priorities in order to serve others. At a deeper level, it means that we discover our own poverty, weakness, and brokenness and can therefore journey in true companionship with the poor. We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travellers toward light and liberation.
If we are part of a local Christian church the place to start becoming such a person and to put such 'being' into operation is within the 'watershed' of our church. That will either qualify us to take our ministry 'being' to other places, even other nations, or make it clear that we had fallen in love with a concept more than the person of Jesus Christ. Either way we benefit from the experience!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Efficient

Dear Reader in today's economy we have intense pressure to be efficient. Many times this pressure to be efficient takes priority over being effective. Our world can look at things and say, "how do we make this happen faster." Yet somehow "Jesus the Carpenter" was completely effective in his calling in the time and circumstances he found himself. This may not seem all that amazing at first, but upon reflection, it might have more benefit. Jesus could have come to earth at any time, if he had arrived now, instead of taking days or weeks to walk around Israel he could have driven. Instead of talking to one's and two, and managing "a large crowd of 5000", he could have used the internet to reach millions. Instead of relying upon "eye witnesses", he could have posted his Resurrection on Instagram for all to see. But Jesus didn't For some reason the time He came and the way He came was perfect. Efficient, maybe not, but effect
Read more

Same

One post I watched, had a line "In reality, there is a lot more that makes us similar than makes us different" It's good to remember. In fact, the thing which makes us all similar is being made in the image of God. During a war, authorities are at pains to paint the enemy as something different, even to labelling the enemy with names to differentiate the people we are fighting against. If we can de-humanise the enemy we will be more effective fighters. Jesus points us in the opposite direction. He reminds us that we all are similar, and all need a way to salvation. For those who accepted this salvation, it is the first step of many, which imparts a direction to life previously not thought of! We are to see one another not in pessimism and fear but rather hope and love. For the Christ Child saw that his life was to be given to all nations and all peoples of all times. We are the same in the need to be saved, we are the same in that this salvation is universal i
Read more

Connectivity

We are Dear Reader, far more connected than we realise, our lives, like some giant game of ' jenga ', seem to have such affect on things we thought immune, as our human reason perceives it. This lack of knowledge is further intensified, when sinful nature is added to the equation. For in this situation we deny even obvious connections, or possibly choose to believe the lies sallied forth by the world. Follow my example below: Divorce is seems, according to worldly sources, does not affect children, they are built to withstand it, therefore go right ahead.- If you have accepted this falsehood, then you walk on shaky ground. Dear Reader, look to the many broken souls which wander dream like, through life, unable to function in maturity because of broken marriages when they were a child. Now Dear Reader, please keep with my trail, i acknowledge divorce can and will happen, and many who have gone through it feel all sort of emotion, deep emotions, which may need release on a frie
Read more