Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, NKJV)

I had thought often about going on a church sponsored mission trip. An opportunity opened up for me shortly after I retired. A local church was going to Monterey, Mexico, to spend some time working with a mission church. The trip was basically youth oriented, and I would be one of the adult chaperones.
We attended several training sessions to prepare us for the experience. Most of the group had never been to another country. We would be guests at one of the local churches, helping work on an outreach project for them. Proper dress (clothing) and societal customs were explained, along with some differences we would likely find in accommodations for personal cleanliness.
For example, lengthy showers were discouraged, as hot water would be limited. Sanitary systems in many countries are limited in what you can flush down them. That’s just the way it is; be a good guest, respect their way of life.
At one session, everyone was asked what they were expecting to do while on the trip. Some were interested in handing out gospel tracts on the streets, or participating in Bible-based dramatic presentations. Some were looking forward to working with the youth in vacation Bible school. Others planned to help with painting the storefront church building.
I had no particular task or service picked out. When it was my turn to share, I responded that I just wanted to be useful. Whatever was needed, help with that. I knew that I was limited in doing physical things, like handing out tracts, because that involved walking the neighborhoods. I was scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery later that summer.
We reviewed some useful phrases in Spanish, the local language. There were some chuckles when they covered things like ¿Dónde está el baño? - Where is the bathroom? Probably most of us never thought there would be a need for that question. However, as we had some free time to visit the local shops, some of us decided to explore the Gigante supermarket. I was with one of the adult volunteers, who exclaimed, “Man, I sure need to find a restroom.” We didn’t see any. I went up to a man stocking shelves, and asked, ¿Dónde está el baño?
He replied so rapidly that my two years of high school Spanish, fifty years previous, couldn’t follow. But he pointed. We went in that direction, and there it was: el baño. It wasn’t much, just one short phrase, but it was useful.
One of our projects was to modify the concrete block walls of the old store. There was a block layer with the group, and the local men mixed mortar. They needed someone to cut and fit block. That I could do. And I was again able to be useful.
I had prepared a mix of nuts and raisins for snacking. As I pulled out the bag of goodies, I noticed the local men watching. I offered the bag to them, and they helped themselves. The smiles and attitude adjustment went beyond language limitations. Sharing whatever you have can also be rewarding.
We were experiencing travel difficulties with the Mexican bus company on the return trip, delays that discouraged many of the youth, who were starting to wind down from their “mountain top experience.” A few well chosen words were useful in directing thoughts to blessings, rather than gloomy grumbling.
Paul covers a number of ways that we can be useful to God, and His Church, in the epistle to the Romans (Chapter 12). Little things, perhaps, like sharing, listening, comforting, rejoicing, weeping with those who weep. Showing mercy, and cheerfulness. As a living sacrifice, our reasonable service becomes the mortar which bonds the Christian community together.
Everyone can be useful — usefulness is serving God, and doing so is worthy of honor.

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Hard - Isn't It Hard?
* Scripture: Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48, NKJV

What a challenge Jesus laid out for us in the Beatitudes! It is just our earthly nature to nit-pick the rule of most anything and thereby fall short of God's plan. If we are commanded to take just one of something, we will likely pick the largest, the fanciest, the most expensive item of the lot. Or the one with the most sugar or chocolate. (Go ahead - try to convince me it isn't so!)
One young lad, upon taking the larger slice of cake, was reminded of the fine art of sharing by his mother. "Taking the smaller piece is the polite thing to do," she chided. "Well, she's got the polite piece," he said of his sister.
Then of course, there is the polite horse, who always stopped and let the rider go over the jump first. "Polite is not always "proper," not always good enough.
Jesus goes way beyond just being polite in The Beatitudes; He points to the heavenly way, the "Father in Heaven's" way. The John 3:16 way. The way of servant hood and forgiveness. Jesus was the True Vine, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd. Jesus has set the example, fulfilling the true intent of the Laws and the Prophets.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus affirms His role, giving examples where our earthly nature to nit-pick conflicts with the Divine intention behind the Laws and Commandments.
God judges the hidden sins, the thoughts and attitudes we so cleverly disguise from our brothers and sisters of the world.
We speak of road rage and spectator (especially parent) rage at sporting events, and can rightly point to examples where anger has developed to violence - and anguish.
Jesus recommends not only reconciliation - making things right after the anguish - but also steps to make reconciliation unnecessary! "Turn the other cheek." "Go the extra mile." "Give to him who asks." "Love your enemies." Hard! Isn't it Hard?
For the most part, we are polite to our friends and acquaintances. We greet them, we try to be pleasant and polite, even when our "Great!" reply to "How are you?" is a bit of a stretch. But the stranger, the person we may never see again, often gains the full treatment of our surly attitude.
And God likewise gains the full treatment of our surly attitude!
February 12, 2006