Mission and Vision Part 4: Become
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NASB95)
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24 (NASB95)
Take a deep breath or two and read the holy words of Jesus:
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24 (NASB95)
On Sunday, we talked about what Neil Postman called the “information-action ratio.” We noted that the change in how much information we receive and how that information is transmitted has changed our posture towards information. Because of the glut of information at our fingertips and because most of that information (news, etc) is coming from afar, we cannot possibly act on most of it. So, while in times prior to the last 150 years, the information to action ratio was nearly 1:1, we currently live in an age where we can know far more than we could ever possibly act on. The ratio is obviously incalculable, but I would guess it might be 1000’s to 1.
As a result of this, we are accustomed to learning information, having an opinion about it and then necessarily discarding any consideration of action related to that information. We tend to acquire vast amounts of info and do not feel the burden of acting on any of it.
But, it is action that changes us and not information.
Jesus affirms this: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them..”
So, on Sunday, I (Isaac) reminded us of how Jesus said we are to lead in the world:
“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant…”
Matthew 20:26
Let’s put that into practice:
- Think of someone you will interact with today.
- Think about what their needs are.
- Brainstorm a way to serve them and meet their needs.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to serve with a willing heart and good attitude.
After you have served that person, review your experience:
- How did it feel to purposefully serve someone else?
- What bad attitude did you have to combat to follow through?
- Why is it important to take action and not just have good thoughts?
Today (and every day) is an opportunity to be trained towards love. What a gift it is to have a today!
