I used to ask in staff meetings and church board meetings a question meant to prod the congregations I served into retrospection and action. The question was, "If our church was not present in this community, would anyone notice?" I wanted us to think about whether or not we were making a difference in the name of Jesus to the people outside of our walls. It often created discussion and raised questions that needed to be raised, and helped us reassess our mission and our purpose.
This morning I find myself asking a similar question- "If I was not here (in my church, in my community, on the Internet, etc.) what difference would it make?" Is my life, my testimony, this blog or anything else lifting high the name of Jesus, or is it just a lot of noise? This is NOT a question I am asking you- it is a question I am asking myself. It is difficult to compare my life now with the very visible impact I had during my 28 years of professional ministry. But that is no excuse for not being faithful, and for not serving God through serving others. I need to become more engaged with my community and my church. My past has been so blessed, and my future is secured. It is the present I must focus on.
My prayer today is this: LORD, take my life and use it to bring glory to you. It's that simple. Through my words and my actions, I want to be someone whose life SHINES with the love of Jesus. I pray that for you as well, because sharing that love is how we change the world. Have a blessed day.
Because of Jesus,
What a great question to ask of ourselves and our churches! Many of our congregations need to be afraid of the answer... -Chris Cooper
ReplyDeleteLast week someone said some really hurtful things to me. I felt like pulling away from everything and I wondered if I would be missed. But I'm not sure I have ever asked if I would be missed in this way. Thanks for sharing this Carl. I needed the heart check.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of service, Amy. And I would miss you very much! :)
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