Sunday night
by Alicia
Sunday night after we finished our time at Chrysalis Academy we went straight to church for the evening service where Ben and I would each be speaking.
The government of South Africa has produced a series of programs called 'Heartlines.' Each week it is a one hour movie based on teaching morals and values to the people of SA. The topics covered are: acceptance, forgiveness, perserverance, compassion, self-control, second chances, responsibility (there's one more, it's an 8 week series. I can't remmebr the last, but I'll let you know in my next blog). It's an amazing program that it seems the whole country is participating in. There are discussion groups being held everywhere. Bosses are making their employees watch and hosting discussions at work, churches are having the small groups focus on the program. It's really amazing.
This weeks program is going to be about perseverance, so they asked Ben and I each to speak about perserverance to get everyone thinking about it as they got ready to watch the program later that night. (It's also re-played several times throughout the week.)
I spoke about persevering through being comfortable. I have spent so much of my life thinking that God wanted me to be happy, healthy and wealthy- not having to make sacrifices. If I was all of these things, then I must be doing God's will, right? But think about Jesus- he was homeless, outcast, a trouble-maker. Was he ever rich, comfortable, without sacrifice? If Jesus had chosen to live a life of prosperity, would he have chosen to give Himself on the cross? I had chosen to remain comfortable and content in a world that I should not be comfortable and content in.
I urged the congregation to persevere through comfort and to seek what God would have us do with our health, wealth and joy. Keep it? Never. Give it away? Always.
I ask you today- what is God asking you to sacrifice and share today? He poured all of Himself out- should we, as His followers not do the same? Trust your heavenly Father, who loves you, to provide for you as you pour yourself out. He will.
Jesus was a steward of God's grace, asked to take care of what belonged to the Father and deliver it to us. This meant total denial of himself. Listen to Jesus' very own words, as He teaches us to do the same: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done."
I notice that Jesus' emphasis is not on believing what he says, but in doing what he teaches.
Sunday night after we finished our time at Chrysalis Academy we went straight to church for the evening service where Ben and I would each be speaking.
The government of South Africa has produced a series of programs called 'Heartlines.' Each week it is a one hour movie based on teaching morals and values to the people of SA. The topics covered are: acceptance, forgiveness, perserverance, compassion, self-control, second chances, responsibility (there's one more, it's an 8 week series. I can't remmebr the last, but I'll let you know in my next blog). It's an amazing program that it seems the whole country is participating in. There are discussion groups being held everywhere. Bosses are making their employees watch and hosting discussions at work, churches are having the small groups focus on the program. It's really amazing.
This weeks program is going to be about perseverance, so they asked Ben and I each to speak about perserverance to get everyone thinking about it as they got ready to watch the program later that night. (It's also re-played several times throughout the week.)
I spoke about persevering through being comfortable. I have spent so much of my life thinking that God wanted me to be happy, healthy and wealthy- not having to make sacrifices. If I was all of these things, then I must be doing God's will, right? But think about Jesus- he was homeless, outcast, a trouble-maker. Was he ever rich, comfortable, without sacrifice? If Jesus had chosen to live a life of prosperity, would he have chosen to give Himself on the cross? I had chosen to remain comfortable and content in a world that I should not be comfortable and content in.
I urged the congregation to persevere through comfort and to seek what God would have us do with our health, wealth and joy. Keep it? Never. Give it away? Always.
I ask you today- what is God asking you to sacrifice and share today? He poured all of Himself out- should we, as His followers not do the same? Trust your heavenly Father, who loves you, to provide for you as you pour yourself out. He will.
Jesus was a steward of God's grace, asked to take care of what belonged to the Father and deliver it to us. This meant total denial of himself. Listen to Jesus' very own words, as He teaches us to do the same: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done."
I notice that Jesus' emphasis is not on believing what he says, but in doing what he teaches.
posted by The Mongoose Chronicle at 4:29 AM
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