Well, this is the part of the lesson that is a bit harder for me to write because it is convicting on a very deep level. If you want the whole story of my encounter with a woman & her spilled coins, read yesterday's note.
Between writing the SaLT lesson, preparing for our SaLT meeting and listening to Chuck's sermon, I have spent hours in Mark 5 and the story of Jairus' daughter and the woman at the well this year. It has struck me over & over that Jesus, on His way to heal a little girl, stopped for one woman who touched Him, who needed Him, and who believed that He was the only answer to her lifelong problem. He could have kept walking. He could have allowed her to receive His power & be healed & left it at that. But He didn't. He stopped, sought her out, looked in her face, and blessed her. She was worth His time & His tenderness. She had value beyond her need for healing, and He took the time to reveal that to her. And it didn't detract from His mission at all. In fact, it added to it. To Jairus it looked like Jesus' delay meant there was no hope for his daughter, who died before they got to her. But it was perfect timing for Jesus, who raised her from the dead and gave her back to her parents. Right on time.
Jesus said in John 14:12, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." When He left us to go back to Heaven, he gave us the promised Holy Spirit, who in & through us would multiply the work that Jesus did, because there are many more of us than there was of Him. 1 John 2:6 says, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." This is an expectation, not an option. If we are to be His hands & feet to the world, if we are to multiply His work here on earth, we MUST walk as He did.
Peter & John are a perfect example of this in Acts 3. They were on their way to worship and were stopped by the sight of a crippled man who was at the gate. This was not the first time they had seen this man. He was put there EVERY DAY to beg from those going in to the temple. But this day. This day Peter & John SAW him. It says in verse 4 that they "looked straight at him". Not only did they look at him, but Peter made him look at them. Eye contact is underrated in our society. It's uncomfortable & makes us see things we don't want to see. But it is oh, so important in seeing & communicating value to another human being. The man looked at them expecting them to give him money & move on. Instead, they offered him the love, forgiveness & healing of Jesus Christ. His hands & feet to this man. His hands & feet to the world. And their gift to this crippled beggar amazed & changed the lives of everyone who saw him walking, jumping & praising God. And then Peter & John gave credit where credit was due. This was not of them. This was of God. They were simply walking as Jesus did.
As I drove away from this woman & her coins, now safely back in the box ready to be turned into an adventure, I was struck with conviction. How many people do I pass by every day who have burdens much more pressing than some spilled coins? How many people do I rush past because I am in a hurry. Or worse, because I don't want to see them. I am selfish with my time. I don't always want to get dirty. But if I claim to live in Him, I MUST walk as Jesus did. I MUST look. I MUST see. I MUST act. I MUST give value to those who Christ loved so much He would die for them. And I MUST give Him all the glory, for they need to know. They need to know that all of their hope, all of their forgiveness, all of their eternity is wrapped up in this man, this Savior, Jesus Christ, who was never too busy, never unwilling, and never uncaring enough to refuse to see. And because His Spirit lives in me, I can see, too.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Spilled Coins (Part 1)
Philippians 1:21-26; 2:14-16 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me...Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain."
I've often read these & other words of Paul as prideful boasting on his part, as if he were giving himself credit for the faith & walk of those whom the Lord had impacted through him. Although I know that that was not his intention, the wording he chose sure can look like it at times. But this week I had an experience with a stranger that made me look at Paul's heart in a new light.
I was on my way to lunch with a friend. I had to stop at Kroger to pick up a prescription which caused me to be running late. As I pulled away, I noticed a lady bent over on the sidewalk with a shoebox in a cart. This was odd, since they don't sell shoes at Kroger. After looking closer I could see that she was picking up coins. Thousands of coins that had spilled out of her broken box all over the sidewalk. I parked the van again & went to ask her if I could help her. Of course she said no, but I couldn't just leave her there with a pile of spilled coins and the small styrofoam cup that she was using to pick them up.
As we worked, we talked about saving coins. Since we were able to pay for almost our entire vacation last summer with coins, it was fun to hear about her plans. She & her husband were taking his daughter to New Orleans where he grew up for Mardi Gras. It would be her first time to experience part of her daddy's history. It didn't take long, but the few minutes we had were very enjoyable. And I even made it to lunch with 2 minutes to spare. I actually learned two very important lessons in that few minutes. I'll share the second one in a later post, since it was quite a bit more convicting & requires some more thought.
The first lesson is the one that made me think of Paul. He had the opportunity to travel all over the known world sharing the gospel of Christ with everyone he met. And he had the privilege of watching them come to a relationship with Jesus. But he didn't stop there. As you read about his travels and through the letters he wrote, you can see his heart for discipleship. He visited and spent time with those who were saved. He wrote letters to encourage, correct, rebuke & train them. He dedicated his life to seeing them grow in faith and learn how to walk in the Spirit and look like Christ. He took that privilege & responsibility seriously.
You see, those coins would have been picked up without my help. The woman would still have turned them in, gotten her cash & taken her family to New Orleans. Her step-daughter would still get to see this history that means so much to her dad. I was not necessary in the process. But, because in that moment the Lord opened my eyes, I get to be a small part of her story. People all around us are picking up the spilled coins of their lives. Sometimes they are muddy & hard to see. Sometimes they are shiny and just need to be put back in the box. Sometimes they have just spilled, and sometimes they are already partially picked up. Sometimes these people could pick them up on their own, and sometimes they have given up and are sitting next to the mess not knowing what to do next. And sometimes we get to be the one who comes along & helps them put them back in the box & turn them into the adventure of what God has next for them.
Paul got to do that all the time with people all over the world. He loved them. He loved reaching them & teaching them & serving them & seeing God do beautiful things in & through them. Those of us who minister to the hearts of others get to do the same thing. We get to see people grow in the Lord and watch God make beautiful, exciting things of their messes. And it is not only ok, it is necessary, to take this responsibility seriously and be grateful for the opportunities. God is going to work with or without us. The coins will get picked up. The adventures will happen. We get to choose whether we will be part of the story. Disciple-making is a privilege. And the more we get to be a part of it, the more we get to watch the Lord work, the more excited we will be, and the more we will want to be involved in His work. Like Paul.
I've often read these & other words of Paul as prideful boasting on his part, as if he were giving himself credit for the faith & walk of those whom the Lord had impacted through him. Although I know that that was not his intention, the wording he chose sure can look like it at times. But this week I had an experience with a stranger that made me look at Paul's heart in a new light.
I was on my way to lunch with a friend. I had to stop at Kroger to pick up a prescription which caused me to be running late. As I pulled away, I noticed a lady bent over on the sidewalk with a shoebox in a cart. This was odd, since they don't sell shoes at Kroger. After looking closer I could see that she was picking up coins. Thousands of coins that had spilled out of her broken box all over the sidewalk. I parked the van again & went to ask her if I could help her. Of course she said no, but I couldn't just leave her there with a pile of spilled coins and the small styrofoam cup that she was using to pick them up.
As we worked, we talked about saving coins. Since we were able to pay for almost our entire vacation last summer with coins, it was fun to hear about her plans. She & her husband were taking his daughter to New Orleans where he grew up for Mardi Gras. It would be her first time to experience part of her daddy's history. It didn't take long, but the few minutes we had were very enjoyable. And I even made it to lunch with 2 minutes to spare. I actually learned two very important lessons in that few minutes. I'll share the second one in a later post, since it was quite a bit more convicting & requires some more thought.
The first lesson is the one that made me think of Paul. He had the opportunity to travel all over the known world sharing the gospel of Christ with everyone he met. And he had the privilege of watching them come to a relationship with Jesus. But he didn't stop there. As you read about his travels and through the letters he wrote, you can see his heart for discipleship. He visited and spent time with those who were saved. He wrote letters to encourage, correct, rebuke & train them. He dedicated his life to seeing them grow in faith and learn how to walk in the Spirit and look like Christ. He took that privilege & responsibility seriously.
You see, those coins would have been picked up without my help. The woman would still have turned them in, gotten her cash & taken her family to New Orleans. Her step-daughter would still get to see this history that means so much to her dad. I was not necessary in the process. But, because in that moment the Lord opened my eyes, I get to be a small part of her story. People all around us are picking up the spilled coins of their lives. Sometimes they are muddy & hard to see. Sometimes they are shiny and just need to be put back in the box. Sometimes they have just spilled, and sometimes they are already partially picked up. Sometimes these people could pick them up on their own, and sometimes they have given up and are sitting next to the mess not knowing what to do next. And sometimes we get to be the one who comes along & helps them put them back in the box & turn them into the adventure of what God has next for them.
Paul got to do that all the time with people all over the world. He loved them. He loved reaching them & teaching them & serving them & seeing God do beautiful things in & through them. Those of us who minister to the hearts of others get to do the same thing. We get to see people grow in the Lord and watch God make beautiful, exciting things of their messes. And it is not only ok, it is necessary, to take this responsibility seriously and be grateful for the opportunities. God is going to work with or without us. The coins will get picked up. The adventures will happen. We get to choose whether we will be part of the story. Disciple-making is a privilege. And the more we get to be a part of it, the more we get to watch the Lord work, the more excited we will be, and the more we will want to be involved in His work. Like Paul.
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