Nothing says Jesus Loves You like a can of beanee weenees!
After learning & reading more in depth about Mary, the mother of Jesus last week and getting so much encouragement from her joyful trust in God’s promises, I decided to keep reading further in the Book of Luke. As you would expect, there’s more great examples of how we are to live our lives for the Lord.
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This week I find myself thinking a lot about John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. Luke 3 gives the account of when John became ‘John the Baptist’.
“… the word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.”
There is so much we can learn from the life & message of John.
♥ All people need to hear the message of Christ – include those who think they know it all already
♥ At our very core we exist to worship & proclaim Christ; compared with Him nothing else really matters – not the clothes on our back, the comfort of a bed, or our next meal. Yet often that’s where spend our time and resources, am I right?
♥ When Christ is preached, it draws repentance and persecution that may cost us everything.
Like John the Baptist, Christians are called to prepare the way of the Lord. I don’t think it’s necessary that we eat locusts & honey or live in the desert, however his life exemplifies one that is sold out and dedicated to telling people about the Savior. Is yours?
John the Baptist gave up his comforts and called Jews and Gentiles to do the same. He said to those coming to be baptized “repent from your wicked ways… bear fruit that is worthy of repentance.”
They asked, “What shall we do then?”
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Allow me to interrupt myself to say that John’s answer was an AHA moment for me, which of course stands for All Holy Answers!
♥ Did John tell this brood that in order to bear fruit they must put on their best fashions and get their butts to the pews on Sunday morning?
♥ Did he tell them to spend all their time indulging their children’s every whim?
♥ Did he say you are a child of the King of Kings, you are entitled to the best life has to offer!?
♥ Did he ask them to hoard their wealth, so that they could live comfortable lives while waiting for the Savior’s coming?
NO!!!!!
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Get this – John the Baptist told them to GIVE. G.I.V.E. GIVE!
John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
John told them to give up (turn from their wicked ways) and give away (share to the point of sacrifice)
♥Can I say something without offending you?
No. I’m pretty sure this is going to offend you.♥
We American Christians seem to have this view that if we give a can of Beanee Weenees at the door of the Christian concert that costs $40 a ticket, that we’re dutiful Christians. For real?
Not that I think weenees are sinful (well, sometimes), but my point is it’s NOT enough! That can of beanee weenees did not set you back, now did it? Nope.
I think John’s message was give sacrificially, give til it actually costs you something, give til it hurts! Then, THEN you will have compassion, then you will bear fruit that is worth noticing and will bring others to repentance before Christ also ‘that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven’
Perhaps I’m preaching to the choir – I realize that many of you do live in a way that bears fruit. I’m often humbled by how generous you are to the needs we present for the kids in Swaziland, Africa.
I also realize that nearly all of us live on tight budgets. A few years ago, hubby and I decided to live below our means. A long story that I’ll spare you all the details of. Basically it started with us selling our big, beautiful home and over a year later buying a small home that was less than half our previous mortgage costs. The process felt so liberating that not too long after we traded in two large vehicles for a sedan! In gasoline alone, we saved some serious money.
Looking back, I thank God – we really didn’t know what we were doing to be honest – but I’m thankful the Lord knew the ups & downs that were ahead of us. Had we continued to try to live the American Dream (that says bigger is better) we would’ve found ourselves high & dry. But even now with incomes that are significantly less, we are able to give a larger percentage of our time & resources to people & causes that we believe are close to the Father’s heart. Not that I would mind having more resources again, but I hope we would continue to increase sacrificial giving that furthers God’s kingdom instead of our own.
So my AHA moment was the fact that John’s central message of repentance revolved around giving things up and giving yourself away so that others may live & glorify God.
I can attest to the fact that sacrificial giving hasn’t been easy, but it has created in us a greater dependency on the Lord for our provision. We have been drawn closer to His people and to His heart. Even now, we are trusting God for specific needs for our family, that only God can fulfill. In reality, there’s no where else I’d rather be, even if it hurts in the moment.
Like John the Baptist, we the Church are called to prepare the way of the Lord, to be His Voice, His Heart, and His Hands! I ask that today you reflect on what that means in your own life. Go ahead, give your Beanee Weenees at the door and feel good about it! But can you bear a greater reflection of your Savior by being more generous with the poor & needy locally and across the world? Are there comforts and indulgences you can give up in order that godly fruit may grow?
Shine On!
This post is not meant to be a call for another fundraising project, but I can’t talk about giving without sharing an opportunity to do so. If you follow this link, you can hear about Change Their Story – a project through Children’s HopeChest that seeks to provide food, clean water, and education to orphans and at-risk children across the globe. Thank you!
I am so excited about all that God is doing thru your family. Maybe one day we’ll be in Swaziland together again…and with all our kids! Wouldn’t that be fabulous?!?