There are things in life that just seems gross or strange to us. For instance I can stand the smell of a small child, baby really, that decides to leave a "gift" in his/her diaper. The smell just does something to me. It becomes even worse if I have to change that child's diaper. When my son was at the age of wearing diapers I always had the fear that he would leave that gift for me without me catching the warning whiff & then I would pick him up only to discover a substance running down my arm of all over my shirt. Thankfully this never happened to me, but there were time when I was in Target with him & got a whiff of the warning smell. If you have children still in diapers or hope to one day have children, then here is my advice to you for changing that diaper with the "gift" in it. I call it the "t-shirt over the nose" trick. Just simply apply the collar of your shirt over you nose, make sure it is secure, then dive in a take care of business. Men, if you can master this move & get your child clean in under 3 minutes, then your wife will see you as her hero when you volunteer every time to change the dirty diaper.
In John 13 we find Jesus doing more of the most unusual, dirty things ever. Jesusgets up from the table where he is sitting with the disciples, takes off his robe, wraps it around himself and then proceeds to wet a cloth in a basin of water and wash the disciples feet. You see, washing a person's feet was meant for the lowliest of servants. The air was hot and dry which made the land dry and dusty. Not everyone wore sandals and even if you did your feet would still get sweaty and dirty.
For Jesus to do this made him a new kind of leader. A leader that was willing to serve the ones who followed him. Jesus knew that the day was getting near when he would be arrested and crucified. This was his way of preparing the disciples for what they were about to go through. Through the foot washing Jesus was showing the disciples the full extent of his love which he knew they would understand after he had died. On this day he loved them so much that he was willing to get on the dusty floor and wash their dirty feet. He was willing to serve them. In a few days he would love them so much that he would die on a cross for them. Not only the disciples, but everyone.
In our lives there are times when we can't see what is up ahead. Actually we never know what is going to happen tomorrow or even later on today. The disciples were uncertain about what was coming in the days ahead. Jesus had been telling them that he would be arrested, die and rise again, but only he knew the time. The disciples didn't. Jesus, though, didn't want to disciples to focus on what was yet to come, he wanted them top focus on serving others. "And since, I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you." (John 13:14-15) Things happen, lives crumble, and problems will always come our way. Jesus doesn't want you to focus on all that is going on around you or to you, but to stay focused on Him. And when you stay focused on Him you will want to help or serve others because when you do your thoughts come off of you and get back onto Jesus because you are doing what he wants you to do.
Jesus washing the disciples feet
1. Jesus loves you: He loved the disciples enough to wash their feet and get his hands very dirty. He
loved you enough to be severely beaten and die on a cross so that you could
spend eternity with Him.
2. When in doubt, follow Jesus: When things happen in your life that cause you to take you eyes off
of Jesus, follow what he did by serving others. This will bring you
back to following him & then we grow closer to him.
3. Jesus wants you to
choose and trust Him: When uncertainty comes Jesus wants you to trust and follow him because
it will strengthen your faith. Then as you grow in Jesus those times
become easier to go through.
Remember this one last thing. Jesus washed the feet of all 12 disciples. Meaning, he washed the feet of the one who would betray him, Judas. Jesus served even the one who would turn him over to be killed. We must do the same because Jesus ti follow him and wash one another's feet. We must serve those who may hate us, lie about us and even betray us. His love is greater than all those things. So my question to you is, Whose feet have you washed today?
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Follow Me: Jesus Casts Out Fear
As I sit here in front of this screen on Tuesday September 11, 2012 I can't help but reflect on what I was doing at this time on Tuesday morning 11 years ago. My morning started off the same everyday, get up, shower, eat breakfast while I watch the Today show, finish getting ready and then head off to work. I was engaged to my future wife at the time living in Tyler Texas where I was working at a fairly new job. I was going to fly back to Cleveland, Tennessee in a month to get married.
My morning went by its usual OCD like routine except that when I sat down to eat breakfast on this morning something was different. There wasn't the normal small talk between hosts on the Today show there was discussion about a plane that had it the World Trade Center. Speculation was rampant as to whjat kind of plane and why this had happened. The sky was crystal blue in NYC, in fact it was crystal blue across the country. Absolute beauty from the sun covered the whole country. The news certainly perked my interest, but I con't on with my morning routine. Then as I flipped through the channels and made it back around to NBC & the Today show I saw it. I witnessed a passenger jet traveling as fast as it possibly could fly straight into the 2nd Tower of the WTC. I couldn't help but stare in shock. My eyes didn't seem to blink for an eternity. I heard the shock and terror in the voices of the hosts on the Today Show. The video played, as it would for the rest of our lives, over and over again. The thought it me the same as it did everyone else in our country at that moment, we were under attack.
I continued to get ready for work becasue it had not been called off. I listened as a reporter from the Pentagon broadcasted that it too had just been hit. Reports started racing in the another plane or planes were headed for Washington D.C. and that the FAA had ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport. When I got to work I saw the first tower come crumbling to the ground. Then just a few minutes later I witnessed the second one fall. These large towers that were believed to withstand anything now looked like a tower of blocks falling to the floor. The world watched at almost 3,000 people lost their lives. Our shock and horror of the days events turned into fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of tomorrow. Fear of what possibly lied ahead.
In our study from this past weeks College Connect Group we looked at how Jesus overcame the fears of his disciples. In Matthew 14:22-36, we see fear overtake the disciples as they are caught in a vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus comes walking towards them on the water and calls out to them. The disciples at first think he is a ghost, but then recognize his voice. Peter calls out & says, "If that is you Jesus command me to walk to you." Jesus does and Peter steps out of the boat onto the water and starts walking to Jesus. He could walk on the water becaue he was focused on Jesus. But Peter would take his focus off of Jesus becasue he remembered the storm that was raging around him. Fear then took over Peter and he began to sink. Peter screamed for Jesus to rescue him which Jesus did. Jesus asked Peter where his faith was and then asked the disciples why they doubted.
There are 5 ways that Jesus casted out the disciples fears and ours too.
1. Jesus is in control: He is in control over creation and in the circumstances of our daily lives. Nothing happens that God is unaware of.
2. Jesus Never Shows Up Too Late: His timing is perfect. we let the storms of our life block us from seeing him.
3. Jesus Wants To Protect Us: He is our protection. With him on our side we can fight knowing that we won't be fighting forever or alone.]
4. Jesus' Love Trumps Fear Any Day: In your most scary and difficult circumstances, Jesus is always available to come to your rescue. When you feel like your faith couldn't be any weaker, Jesus' love is as strong as you'll ever need to be.
5. Jesus' Power Is God's Power, & It's Unmatched: The magnitude of God's power should never get old. When we're reminded of God's power in the midst of our fears, our response should be like the disciples: We should worship him.
After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, this is exactly what the body of Christ did, we worshipped him. If we continued in fear, we would let that overcome us and then our focus would always be on us. Instead, we remembered that God is in control, put our focus back on Christ as he pulled us back up and worshipped him. We need to remember that in all that we do, in all that happens in our life we must continually praise Jesus. When we do that we know that He has conquered all of our fears.
My morning went by its usual OCD like routine except that when I sat down to eat breakfast on this morning something was different. There wasn't the normal small talk between hosts on the Today show there was discussion about a plane that had it the World Trade Center. Speculation was rampant as to whjat kind of plane and why this had happened. The sky was crystal blue in NYC, in fact it was crystal blue across the country. Absolute beauty from the sun covered the whole country. The news certainly perked my interest, but I con't on with my morning routine. Then as I flipped through the channels and made it back around to NBC & the Today show I saw it. I witnessed a passenger jet traveling as fast as it possibly could fly straight into the 2nd Tower of the WTC. I couldn't help but stare in shock. My eyes didn't seem to blink for an eternity. I heard the shock and terror in the voices of the hosts on the Today Show. The video played, as it would for the rest of our lives, over and over again. The thought it me the same as it did everyone else in our country at that moment, we were under attack.
I continued to get ready for work becasue it had not been called off. I listened as a reporter from the Pentagon broadcasted that it too had just been hit. Reports started racing in the another plane or planes were headed for Washington D.C. and that the FAA had ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport. When I got to work I saw the first tower come crumbling to the ground. Then just a few minutes later I witnessed the second one fall. These large towers that were believed to withstand anything now looked like a tower of blocks falling to the floor. The world watched at almost 3,000 people lost their lives. Our shock and horror of the days events turned into fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of tomorrow. Fear of what possibly lied ahead.
In our study from this past weeks College Connect Group we looked at how Jesus overcame the fears of his disciples. In Matthew 14:22-36, we see fear overtake the disciples as they are caught in a vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus comes walking towards them on the water and calls out to them. The disciples at first think he is a ghost, but then recognize his voice. Peter calls out & says, "If that is you Jesus command me to walk to you." Jesus does and Peter steps out of the boat onto the water and starts walking to Jesus. He could walk on the water becaue he was focused on Jesus. But Peter would take his focus off of Jesus becasue he remembered the storm that was raging around him. Fear then took over Peter and he began to sink. Peter screamed for Jesus to rescue him which Jesus did. Jesus asked Peter where his faith was and then asked the disciples why they doubted.
There are 5 ways that Jesus casted out the disciples fears and ours too.
1. Jesus is in control: He is in control over creation and in the circumstances of our daily lives. Nothing happens that God is unaware of.
2. Jesus Never Shows Up Too Late: His timing is perfect. we let the storms of our life block us from seeing him.
3. Jesus Wants To Protect Us: He is our protection. With him on our side we can fight knowing that we won't be fighting forever or alone.]
4. Jesus' Love Trumps Fear Any Day: In your most scary and difficult circumstances, Jesus is always available to come to your rescue. When you feel like your faith couldn't be any weaker, Jesus' love is as strong as you'll ever need to be.
5. Jesus' Power Is God's Power, & It's Unmatched: The magnitude of God's power should never get old. When we're reminded of God's power in the midst of our fears, our response should be like the disciples: We should worship him.
After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, this is exactly what the body of Christ did, we worshipped him. If we continued in fear, we would let that overcome us and then our focus would always be on us. Instead, we remembered that God is in control, put our focus back on Christ as he pulled us back up and worshipped him. We need to remember that in all that we do, in all that happens in our life we must continually praise Jesus. When we do that we know that He has conquered all of our fears.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Following Jesus: He Changes Everything.*
As the start of a new college school year begins it brings along with it some great things happening in the College Ministry at First Baptist Cleveland. One is that my wife, Emily, and I have joined an awesome team of people to work in this ministry. We join Dean and Debbie White & Curtis and Jackie Crumbley who have been working hard over the last couple of years and have made a big impact on the lives of college students in Cleveland. We are looking forward to what God has in store for this upcoming year. Second is that the lesson taught on Sunday mornings in Connect Group at 11am will now be in blog form so that those who couldn't make it Sunday morn or those who are in school in another city can see what we are studying & stay on track for when they return. We want to make sure that everyone is connected & up to date on all that is going on. This is the first of the Connect Group blogs.
Change can be both a fear or a motivaion. To some of us change can be a scary thing or it can be a challenge that we can overcome. How do you view the word change? One thing is for certain, we have all experioenced some kind of major change in our lives. It could have been in the past, right now or there is something down the road. Two things we need to always remember about change: It happens & it never catches God off guard. In order to survive change we need to start with Jesus.
When I was 8, there was a major change that occured in my life. One week I got the flu, lost 10 lbs & was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Imagine being 8 in a hospital bed with an IV sticking out of your arm, band-aids on all figers b/c they've been pricked once every hour & developing a new hatred for the Colonel b/c you don't know if you'll be able to have any of his chicken ever again. Then, as if there wasn't enough, the dr. says that you, as an 8 year old little boy, will have to take insulin shots for the rest of your life. All I could see was no more fun. I was able to adapt to this change, but there has been more change that occured over the course of my life. I would later learn that fear was not the answer to change, faith in Christ was.
When we look closely at the disciples, we come to learn that Christ called them in the middle of whereever they were in their life. The Bible calls us to be set apart from this world & to be ambassadors for God's kingdom. When we say OK to Jesus' call to 'follow Me', at that moment everything changes. As with the disciples, they took this change, this call to be Jesus' ambassadors seriously. Peter, Andrew, James & John were in the fishing business together & left it all to follow Jesus. Matthew was a dishonest tax collector who immediately dropped what he was doing when Jesus came by & called him. Simon the Zealot was a political activist that answered Christ's call to change the world in a different way. All of the disciples left who they were when Jesus called them to follow Him & let Him change their lives.
In John 1:37-51 we learn a lot about the change Jesus brings into our life by seeing how He was when calling the disciples.
1. Jesus Is Approachable. John 1:37-39. The two men here were just tagging along & not yet committed to following Jesus. What we learn is that God desires for us to approach Him daily and that Jesus is welcoming when we do approach.
2. Jesus Impact Would Be Unforgettable & Central To Their Lives. John 1:39. This moment with Jesus was a life-altering experience with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus should be a living, breathing relationship that has a distintive beginning point-whether you remember it or not.
3. Jesus Not Only Wanted To Change Their Lives, But The Lives Of Those Around Him. John 1:40-42. Andre went & found his brother Simon & brought him to Jesus. The very nature of the Gospel is that it was meant to be shared.Jesus made himself available to all people for all time.
4. Jesus Not Only Knew Them As They Were, He Knew Who They Would Become. John 1:42. When Jesus looked Simon, He saw who he would become, later Peter. God knows you, & He knows your potential. He accpets you as you are b/c He sees who you can become when transformed by Him. Don't discount yourself or those around you.
5. Jesus Was Pleased With Honesty & Questions. John 1:43-46. If these men were going to committ their lives to journeying with Jesus, they were allowed to question who He was. We don't have to be perfect & have everything figured out in order to follow Jesus. We are to give our lives to Him, trust in Him as He sanctifies & grow us along the journey.
6. Jesus Knew About These Men That No One Else Knew. John 1: 47-49. When Jesus told Nathanael about seeing him under the fig tree, He established himself as God to him. He knows everything about us & yet He still chose to die on the cross for us. He chose to love us & He still does. He knows our dreams, desires and hopes.
7. Jesus Desired To Teach Them More Than They Could Ever Imagine. John 1:50-51. In Vs. 51 Jesus is referring to Genesis 28:12, Jacob & the dream about the angels going up & down the ladder. Jesus established Himself as the Ladder, greater access to God. Jesus assures you that He will show you greater than you could ever imagine. You should never stop meeting wiht Him, but be careful not to settle in a place of comfort, familiar communion with God. He wants more for your life.
Jesus wasn't moving the disciples through change, but towards change. He wasn't freeing them from it, but calling themm to a life of it. The disciples would later be a part of leading 5,000 people to Christ in the first few chapters of Acts. They wanted others to be changed by Jesus just like they were.
Conclusion about change: 1. The world is constantly changing. 2. God never does. 3.He is God. 4. He's worth following. 5. Following Him changes us. How can we let God constantly change us? By following what Paul says in Romans 12:2. Our lives are changes as our minds are made new through the study of His Word so that we are able to discern God's good & perfect will for our lives.
Next week we'll look at how following Jesus casts out all fear.
*The material taught in this series is from the Bible study Follow Me by Jason Hayes, published by LifeWay Press in 2011. It is a part of their Threads study for college & young adults.
Change can be both a fear or a motivaion. To some of us change can be a scary thing or it can be a challenge that we can overcome. How do you view the word change? One thing is for certain, we have all experioenced some kind of major change in our lives. It could have been in the past, right now or there is something down the road. Two things we need to always remember about change: It happens & it never catches God off guard. In order to survive change we need to start with Jesus.
When I was 8, there was a major change that occured in my life. One week I got the flu, lost 10 lbs & was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Imagine being 8 in a hospital bed with an IV sticking out of your arm, band-aids on all figers b/c they've been pricked once every hour & developing a new hatred for the Colonel b/c you don't know if you'll be able to have any of his chicken ever again. Then, as if there wasn't enough, the dr. says that you, as an 8 year old little boy, will have to take insulin shots for the rest of your life. All I could see was no more fun. I was able to adapt to this change, but there has been more change that occured over the course of my life. I would later learn that fear was not the answer to change, faith in Christ was.
When we look closely at the disciples, we come to learn that Christ called them in the middle of whereever they were in their life. The Bible calls us to be set apart from this world & to be ambassadors for God's kingdom. When we say OK to Jesus' call to 'follow Me', at that moment everything changes. As with the disciples, they took this change, this call to be Jesus' ambassadors seriously. Peter, Andrew, James & John were in the fishing business together & left it all to follow Jesus. Matthew was a dishonest tax collector who immediately dropped what he was doing when Jesus came by & called him. Simon the Zealot was a political activist that answered Christ's call to change the world in a different way. All of the disciples left who they were when Jesus called them to follow Him & let Him change their lives.
In John 1:37-51 we learn a lot about the change Jesus brings into our life by seeing how He was when calling the disciples.
1. Jesus Is Approachable. John 1:37-39. The two men here were just tagging along & not yet committed to following Jesus. What we learn is that God desires for us to approach Him daily and that Jesus is welcoming when we do approach.
2. Jesus Impact Would Be Unforgettable & Central To Their Lives. John 1:39. This moment with Jesus was a life-altering experience with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus should be a living, breathing relationship that has a distintive beginning point-whether you remember it or not.
3. Jesus Not Only Wanted To Change Their Lives, But The Lives Of Those Around Him. John 1:40-42. Andre went & found his brother Simon & brought him to Jesus. The very nature of the Gospel is that it was meant to be shared.Jesus made himself available to all people for all time.
4. Jesus Not Only Knew Them As They Were, He Knew Who They Would Become. John 1:42. When Jesus looked Simon, He saw who he would become, later Peter. God knows you, & He knows your potential. He accpets you as you are b/c He sees who you can become when transformed by Him. Don't discount yourself or those around you.
5. Jesus Was Pleased With Honesty & Questions. John 1:43-46. If these men were going to committ their lives to journeying with Jesus, they were allowed to question who He was. We don't have to be perfect & have everything figured out in order to follow Jesus. We are to give our lives to Him, trust in Him as He sanctifies & grow us along the journey.
6. Jesus Knew About These Men That No One Else Knew. John 1: 47-49. When Jesus told Nathanael about seeing him under the fig tree, He established himself as God to him. He knows everything about us & yet He still chose to die on the cross for us. He chose to love us & He still does. He knows our dreams, desires and hopes.
7. Jesus Desired To Teach Them More Than They Could Ever Imagine. John 1:50-51. In Vs. 51 Jesus is referring to Genesis 28:12, Jacob & the dream about the angels going up & down the ladder. Jesus established Himself as the Ladder, greater access to God. Jesus assures you that He will show you greater than you could ever imagine. You should never stop meeting wiht Him, but be careful not to settle in a place of comfort, familiar communion with God. He wants more for your life.
Jesus wasn't moving the disciples through change, but towards change. He wasn't freeing them from it, but calling themm to a life of it. The disciples would later be a part of leading 5,000 people to Christ in the first few chapters of Acts. They wanted others to be changed by Jesus just like they were.
Conclusion about change: 1. The world is constantly changing. 2. God never does. 3.He is God. 4. He's worth following. 5. Following Him changes us. How can we let God constantly change us? By following what Paul says in Romans 12:2. Our lives are changes as our minds are made new through the study of His Word so that we are able to discern God's good & perfect will for our lives.
Next week we'll look at how following Jesus casts out all fear.
*The material taught in this series is from the Bible study Follow Me by Jason Hayes, published by LifeWay Press in 2011. It is a part of their Threads study for college & young adults.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Why Did You Go to Cambodia?
It's Tuesday & I'm back to my regular job. Just last week I was on the other side of the world, sharing time in a country with a culture that I have grown to love. Me and ten nine other people were on the trip that changed our hearts and affected us in a way that will never be forgotten. The Khmer people of Cambodia were the focus of this two week mission trip that I had the opportunity of taking part in. Our church, First Baptist of Cleveland, TN, had partnered with the organization People for Care and Learning (PCL for short) to take part in their 4 day youth camp and see all the amazing things God was doing through this organization there in Cambodia. We walked with, ate with, shared with and worshipped an amazing God with these people. We went from the slums of the capital city of Phenom Pehn to a campground situated between the beautiful mountains of Cambodia and finally to the northern tourist city of Siem Reap all the while interacting with the Khmer people.
You see this was the second year in a row that I have gone to this country, but this year was different. Last year I was introduced to the people that I would come to call my friends. This year I would strengthen those friendships and learn what relationships really mean when sharing the love of Jesus Christ. I see these people as my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yeah, I know, anyone who is a Christian I must see as my brother and sister in Christ. But, to be able to return one year later to the other side of the world and have people remember your name and who you are is a real special feeling. These were people that I had not seen in a year, had very little communication with, but they remembered me because I had taken time last year to get to know them, to eat with them and to talk to them. I did what Jesus did in the Bible with those he interacted with. He formed a relationship with others by talking with them and spending time with them.
When we read of Jesus interacting with individuals we see that He always talked with them and spent time with them. In our churches today I bet we couldn't name over half of the people that attend. We have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the people we do know and then most of the time we surround ourselves with only those people and are afraid to let anyone new in. Jesus wasn't like that. One of my favorite stories is Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus Luke 19. I'm not a fan because of the awesome children's song that goes with it (please notice my sarcasm), but because of what Jesus did. Jesus called out to Zacchaeus and told him to come down from the tree because,"for today I must stay at your house." Jesus stayed with Zacchaeus, ate with him and got to know him. Yes, Jesus already knew him, but he formed a relationship with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus got to know who Jesus was had formed a relationship with him.
Jesus desires the same relationship with us. We must get to know Jesus, know Him in such a way that we want to imitate him and tell others about him. That means we must want to form relationships with other people, get to know them so that we can be Jesus to them. Jesus formed relationships with other people so we must desire to do the same. I have formed some awesome relationships with people in Cambodia, but I must also do the same in my community. The love that I have for these brothers and sisters in Cambodia, must be the same love I have for brothers and sisters in my community or wherever. It is the love of Jesus Christ. In the places that we go we must desire to be like Jesus and part of that desire is to interact with people and form relationships with them.
So, why did I go to Cambodia? Just to see my loved ones.
You see this was the second year in a row that I have gone to this country, but this year was different. Last year I was introduced to the people that I would come to call my friends. This year I would strengthen those friendships and learn what relationships really mean when sharing the love of Jesus Christ. I see these people as my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yeah, I know, anyone who is a Christian I must see as my brother and sister in Christ. But, to be able to return one year later to the other side of the world and have people remember your name and who you are is a real special feeling. These were people that I had not seen in a year, had very little communication with, but they remembered me because I had taken time last year to get to know them, to eat with them and to talk to them. I did what Jesus did in the Bible with those he interacted with. He formed a relationship with others by talking with them and spending time with them.
When we read of Jesus interacting with individuals we see that He always talked with them and spent time with them. In our churches today I bet we couldn't name over half of the people that attend. We have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the people we do know and then most of the time we surround ourselves with only those people and are afraid to let anyone new in. Jesus wasn't like that. One of my favorite stories is Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus Luke 19. I'm not a fan because of the awesome children's song that goes with it (please notice my sarcasm), but because of what Jesus did. Jesus called out to Zacchaeus and told him to come down from the tree because,"for today I must stay at your house." Jesus stayed with Zacchaeus, ate with him and got to know him. Yes, Jesus already knew him, but he formed a relationship with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus got to know who Jesus was had formed a relationship with him.
Jesus desires the same relationship with us. We must get to know Jesus, know Him in such a way that we want to imitate him and tell others about him. That means we must want to form relationships with other people, get to know them so that we can be Jesus to them. Jesus formed relationships with other people so we must desire to do the same. I have formed some awesome relationships with people in Cambodia, but I must also do the same in my community. The love that I have for these brothers and sisters in Cambodia, must be the same love I have for brothers and sisters in my community or wherever. It is the love of Jesus Christ. In the places that we go we must desire to be like Jesus and part of that desire is to interact with people and form relationships with them.
So, why did I go to Cambodia? Just to see my loved ones.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Truth About Outlet Stores
The Truth About Outlet Stores
The other day I was with my wife in the great city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Now, to understand the rest of this story you must know what kind of attractions exist in Pigeon Forge. Go-karts. putt-putt golf, various types of theatres, cool "museums" and outlet stores. Oh yeah, then Dolly Parton has a certain amusement park there that I can't mention the name due to copyright laws. It rhymes with Hollywood, just replace the H with a D.
Anyway, I went with my wife to an area of Pigeon Forge that has a a wide variety of outlet stores. Outlet stores are one of the great American inventions. When brand name stores have overstock or merchandise that is damaged or has something wrong with it, that pieve ends up in an outlet store. This merchandise is then sold at a discounted price. Well, that's how it used to be, specifically back in the last few years of the 20th century. Neglecting to remember that I was now in the 21st century and this country having suffered maybe the worst recession ever, I proceeded to enter an outlet store hoping to score some nice stuff at a discounted price. I walked over to a nice butoon down shirt that I knew I would probably be purchasing very shortly. That is, until I looked at the price. It took me some time to find it because they hide those suckers so well. When I did it suddenly hit me that the definition of outlet store had changed. Now, I am not going to mention the store or the price, but let me just say that I didn't walk out holding a bag. I was frustrated because this store was supposed to be an outlet, advertising good merchandise at a cheaper price, but just ended up being another reguklar store in the chain of stores that bear a brand name.
It got me thinking though, do we as Christians present ourselves in this way? Do we tell people we are a Christian only to continue acting and living like we aren't? Do we on the outside look like a Christian, but on the inside have not chaged one bit? One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 12:1-2, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." You see, when you give your all to God, he will change you from the inside out. When your heart changes then the rest of you will change. Your actions, behavior, talk, all of that will change. This change must continue by constantly getting into God's Word, covering your day with it. People will know that when you say you are a Christian that you truly are a Christian by your life. You will no longer try to sell to others that you are a Christian, but you will automatically live it.
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