Love God and Love People
This past weekend our Pastor gave a profound sermon referencing the parable of the Good Samaritan. Pastor Ed and a couple of men from our church dressed in clothing that caused them to appear homeless, they strategically placed themselves around our church, to see how people would respond to their presence. They sat outside before each service in the San Antonio heat. Let me just be clear, it is hot here ya'll, triple digits! At times, they discovered while they were baking in the summer heat that they had strategically laid in fire-ant beds. They felt the shame that came with being unnoticed, ignored, and invisible as they sat in the parking lot of our beloved church. Imagine the surprise on everyone's face when the homeless man that many had seen and ignored while entering the church property, picked up the microphone and began to preach. It was profound and sobering to say the least.
Honestly, there are so many lessons embedded in this particular passage of scripture. The Lord spoke volumes in the parable of the Good Samaritan. However, as a wife, mother, and follower of Jesus, something became glaringly apparent to me. Our lives are too busy! As the pastor asked from the stage, "Be honest, how many of you saw one of us as you entered the church property?", I turned to my husband and sons and said, "I didn't see them, I didn't see any of them, did you? They responded with the same answer, "No." This reality was just as convicting as if I had noticed and chose to ignore them.
Our American culture has become so consumed with the daily grind of keeping up with our own schedules, that we don't have time to notice those around us, let alone invest in the lives of others. We have become zombies walking through life without seeing the world around us. But this, brothers and sisters, is not the faith that Christ called us to. James makes it very clear in scripture that faith without works is dead. James 1:22 warns us, "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." This reality should cause us to evaluate our lives. You see our lives are the greatest evidence of the things we put our faith in. Where our time and resources are spent, are clear indicators of the things we hold dear to our hearts.
Have you ever considered that our busyness is an intentional act of spiritual warfare by the enemy? I believe that the enemy has intentionally used busyness in our American culture as a way to keep us from fulfilling our purpose and calling as a body of Christ. Do you feel the pressure to keep up with the Jones? Do you feel pressure to make sure your children have the best education, the best opportunities and extra-curricular activities so that they can be accepted into the best colleges? Do you ever shy away from inviting people over to your home because you fear it won't measure up and others may judge you? Just so you know, there is only one Martha Stewart in this world and even she doesn't have it all together! So let's not fret about how our home looks, and start opening our doors to our neighbors.
What am I saying? Am I saying don't educate your children and provide opportunities for them to grow and develop their giftings? Of course not. Everything in life needs balance. What I am saying is maybe just maybe, we have become so self-consumed with the worries of this world that we have forgotten to keep our eyes and ears attuned to the ones crying out for the love of Christ around us. If the enemy can keep us focused on our own needs and desires, then he can keep us from the purpose we are to serve as the Body of Christ! That doesn't mean we need to have some radical transformation and sell everything we own, although God has called some to do that very thing.
What it does mean, as our pastor so simply put it, it that we must begin to, "Do what we can, with what we have, where we are at." We must keep our eyes open and our hearts tender and filled with compassion because as the church, we are called to love our neighbor, as we love ourselves. How can we do that if we don't take time to even see our neighbor?
Let's pray that the Lord would soften our hearts, that He would give us eyes to see and ears to hear, and that He would begin to show us the people around us that need more of Him! Will you make yourself available? What are some things that have so consumed your life that the Lord may be asking you to put aside? Will you be bold enough to ask Him to reveal such things to you today? Will you be brave enough to hear Him and respond? Feel free to share in the comments below, I would love to know how the Lord is speaking to you.
Many Blessings,
Vanessa Lipsit
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