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In case you don't know, I'm a Christian, I attend a Church of Christ. I do my best to study the Bible and live by it's teachings. I'm not perfect at it but I try.
I meet with a small group each Wednesday and we have a Bible study and/or a discussion about Christianity. This year, B and I are helping another couple teach the small group. We are doing a short video series by Francis Chan. This is about thoughts I have about the discussion.
Tonight's lesson made our group reflect on the difficuties there are in being a follower of Christ, of being Christian. There is a common mind set that we can live our lives all comfy cosy, or anyway we please, but as long as we believe in God and Christ as our savior we're good. They don't follow the teachings of Jesus. Why? Because even though we have a guide book telling us what we need to do, doing those things are hard.
Francis Chan brought up commands from Jesus to feed the poor, love others, and love your enemies. Hearing him say it, and even reading about it its seems pretty easy to follow. But what about when finances get hard and you can barely feed yourself? What about those people living different life styles than you? What about those who always seem to be out to hurt you? How do we as Christians handle those situation. I think those are situation that really lets us reflect on how we are living our life and see where we are okay and where we need to fix.
Personally, I always think of Matthew 6 as a focus verse for myself:
"25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble"
I was raised on status. Having the best things, wearing the best clothes, having the best life. And thankfully I don't hum on those things too much now, I still have constant worries of just getting through life. Things stress me out easily. I worry about how my actions will effect life for B and myself. When I start worrying, usually it's about work or family, I try to think of this verse because I know that worrying distracts me from following Christ properly.
Things and status in our culture is a big deal and one of the hardest things to part with for Christ. A great example comes from scriptures through the consulting of the rich ruler:
Luke 18:
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”[a]
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Sell everything and give it to the poor. HOW HARD WOULD THAT BE! I know that B and I are no where near being rich, but giving up what we have and giving the proceeds to the poor, it's hard to fathom. But giving a lot of ourselves is required as part of life as Christians. Giving what we can to others, to support them and the church, without putting ourselves into poverty also.
How amazing is it the Jesus and his disciples did this. They had nothing to their name. They went around teaching. Sharing in food that was given to them, accepting places to sleep, and clothes to wear from people they were teaching. I can't imagine.
I meet with a small group each Wednesday and we have a Bible study and/or a discussion about Christianity. This year, B and I are helping another couple teach the small group. We are doing a short video series by Francis Chan. This is about thoughts I have about the discussion.
Tonight's lesson made our group reflect on the difficuties there are in being a follower of Christ, of being Christian. There is a common mind set that we can live our lives all comfy cosy, or anyway we please, but as long as we believe in God and Christ as our savior we're good. They don't follow the teachings of Jesus. Why? Because even though we have a guide book telling us what we need to do, doing those things are hard.
Francis Chan brought up commands from Jesus to feed the poor, love others, and love your enemies. Hearing him say it, and even reading about it its seems pretty easy to follow. But what about when finances get hard and you can barely feed yourself? What about those people living different life styles than you? What about those who always seem to be out to hurt you? How do we as Christians handle those situation. I think those are situation that really lets us reflect on how we are living our life and see where we are okay and where we need to fix.
Personally, I always think of Matthew 6 as a focus verse for myself:
"25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble"
I was raised on status. Having the best things, wearing the best clothes, having the best life. And thankfully I don't hum on those things too much now, I still have constant worries of just getting through life. Things stress me out easily. I worry about how my actions will effect life for B and myself. When I start worrying, usually it's about work or family, I try to think of this verse because I know that worrying distracts me from following Christ properly.
Things and status in our culture is a big deal and one of the hardest things to part with for Christ. A great example comes from scriptures through the consulting of the rich ruler:
Luke 18:
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”[a]
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Sell everything and give it to the poor. HOW HARD WOULD THAT BE! I know that B and I are no where near being rich, but giving up what we have and giving the proceeds to the poor, it's hard to fathom. But giving a lot of ourselves is required as part of life as Christians. Giving what we can to others, to support them and the church, without putting ourselves into poverty also.
How amazing is it the Jesus and his disciples did this. They had nothing to their name. They went around teaching. Sharing in food that was given to them, accepting places to sleep, and clothes to wear from people they were teaching. I can't imagine.
