I apologize, I got a little carried away...

So I have this burden and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. I went to sleep last night trying to think of ways I can give more. I heard someone say a couple of days ago, to "give til it hurts". Do I do that? No. What does that look like exactly? I don't know, at least not for me...

I can't claim to know much about God and what He wants from me, but I believe He means what He says. And what He says in Scripture is what is important to Him and what should be important to us for life. God isn't interested in nice cliches and sweet words with no action. He isn't interested in what we look to others like we're giving or doing if we're not actually giving or doing it; and He's not interested in what we say we believe if we don't actually act on it. (James 2:14-26) (James 1:22) What is Religion? What is Christianity? Is it merely sitting around in our little circles talking about what would happen if someone one day would decide to act on Jesus' words? Is it only breaking down word structures and meanings in ancient text? Is it about going to Church Sunday morning, saying the prayers, singing the songs, listening to words and leaving it all behind in a stainglassed windowed building while you drive back home and back to work to face life again alone? No. I'll tell you what Religion is as Jesus intended...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trupet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the house of Jacob their sings.

For day after day they seek me out;

they seem eager to know my ways,

as if theyr were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come near them.

Why have we fasted, they say,

and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

and you have not noticed?

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen;

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of opporession,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yoursleves in behalf of the hungy,

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday."...

Isaiah 58:1-10

How can we read theses verses... and others... and still go around thinking the best we can do is go to Church on Sunday and Wednesday nights? ...Go to Bible Study for 9 weeks on Tuesday nights and finish completely unaffected and unchanged? No! It's not meant to be this way! His Word is life!

Church is a place for several things. 1) A place of Christian fellowship. A place where we can come together and encourage one another... to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 2) A place of building and growth. Where you are held accountable and where you can study Scripture and be taught Scripture by other wise persons who have been there and learned through it. 3) A place of worship, praise and prayer. 4) A place of acceptance. 5) A place of supporting send-off for believers to "go into the world and preach the good news to all creation..."

So let me ask, what good is working out and building muscles and strength if you never lift anything weightier than a pen? What good is studying and training to be a doctor if you're never planning on actually seeing any patients? When we accept Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit who gives us power. And we will be His witnesses. (Acts 1:8) What good is the power of the Holy Spirit if we're only going to sit in our Bible Study classrooms only discussing the lexical meaning of the word "hungry" instead of actually going out and doing something about it?

Ouch.

And so that's what I'm struggling with. That's what I don't get. I want to *do* something more. Am I giving of myself, of my monies, of my time, until it hurts? And then, am I giving for the right reasons? Am I giving because that's what He's asked me to do? Or because I know that's what a good little Christian girl should do? Am I trusting in myself? - in my own capabilities? Or in His power. His strength? What are your thoughts?

Hannah

hannahseale.blogspot.com

influence

I've been thinking about the word, "Influence" a lot recently. Not neccessarily using the word in my musings, but just pondering the whole concept of influence and everything it entails. Over the past few weeks, looking at what I've been doing I've seen how many opportunities I've had for influence, and for leadership... I've been working in a church office, planning for summer camp, leading girls' ministry and singing and serving in churches all over this area. "Leadership" and "Influence" to me, seems to walk hand in hand, for leading is simply guiding or influencing the way of another.

So, I was browsing on our Digital Bible Library, looking up references in Scripture having to do with influence and I was overloaded with information. But, time and again, I've seen that you don't have to be thrown into a major leadership role in order to have influence on those around you. We've been studying Missions and Missionaries in King's Daughters recently, and I've told the girls over and over again, you don't have to be an overseas missionary, a pastor or teacher in order to "be a missionary" and to influence others. Just the fact that you are living and breathing gives you permission to influence and lead. I read somewhere, that Leadership is not a responsibility afforded to only a few but a privilege given by God to all. And Jesus asked every believer to participate in showing others the way to eternal life. So now, as believers, our permission has been changed to responsiblility. And what a responsiblilty it is. Now, I am one who will often find myself bent out of shape over the responsiblities and expectations I believe have been laid on me. But I have seen that with whatever He has placed before me, He will give me the means to fulfill and He will, Himself be there to help me carry out.

And right along with that, recently also, it's been a burden and passion on my heart for the church to understand we are the body of Christ, wherever we are. And I'm saying this just as much to myself as to any of you who may read this... You may be all alone in your work place, or at your school, the only Christian around, but you are the body of Christ in that place. You may not feel like it, but you do have an opportunity to reach people, to minister to people that your Pastor, your small group leader, your mentor cannot, and quite possibly will never reach. The Lord has given that responsiblity to you. And dear friend, redgardless of how you feel about it. He will equip you to do it.

I heard just this past week, someone talking about our being the body of Christ wherever we are. So often, she was saying, we wonder why He even allows us to participate in His plans for His people. He puts before us a task, that He is completely able to do - without us. And yes, of course He is. But, my friend, He want to use us... with all our weaknessess and failures and downfallings to bring about His purpose. So that we will give Him the glory.

So let's get busy people!! Take this to heart. "You may be the only Bible someone may ever read. You may be the Jesus someone may ever see." Let them see HIM in you!

Can I hear an AMEN?!

Hannah

hannah.blogspot.com

I don't understand

Last night at Bible Study, Beth said something that really hit home with me. She made the comment, that so many times people, in the midst of deep, real pain and tragedy will ask, "Where is God?!" But in turn, God replies by asking, "Where are my people?! I am where My people are!" It started me thinking... It's so true! There's a lot of hurt outside the four walls of our Churches and so many of God's people aren't giving everything they have to serve and to love that world unconditionally. Instead they're arguing amongst themselves over spilt kool-aid on the carpet and next week's bulletin. I don't understand! When did the Christian life become all about us and our stainglassed Church buildings? We're wasting our time becoming enemies with our own family instead of working together to strengthen and grow it! The Church building should be the place for our send off into a hurting world. We are friends and family meeting together in the Lord, and meant to be a tremendous encouragement to each other so that we can BE the body He wants us to be. HIS body - reaching to HIS world - to the people HE loves. When we get sick and our physical bodies don't work the way they were made to, we feel miserable and all our energy is put into healing what is hurting. My friend, when the body of Christ spends so much time in strife and frustration against itself, it seems to me that it is acting in sickness! It pains me that we would act so amongst ourselves. The battle is not between believers! - That's what Satan wants! We've got to overcome! We've got to stop fighting against ourselves and turn against Satan's schemes. The real battle is out there! Let's ask the Lord to help us heal His body, and put our energy first to do our part to mend relationships within so we can then TOGETHER build relationships without!

My Pastor loves to say, "We are never more the Church than when we are outside these four walls..." Do you agree?

Hannah

www.hannahseale.blogspot.com