Continuing our previous article, what is John the Baptist really telling us?
Really love God, and really love people. We are called to real love.
It’s a faith revealing itself in OUR cross. Yes, “OUR” cross. Show me your faith without works, and I’ll show you mine by my works!
The cross really is the perfect picture of Christianity, and if your actions don’t fit that picture, then you’re not following Christ. You may be following some success guru, or weak version of Christianity, but you have not gotten into the real stuff of life yet, because God’s word is not about making us “first”, it’s about us learning to love being “last”. Wow. Somehow, the place where my teepee is going, must fit that picture.
“The Golden Rule”
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” (Matt.7:12)
I painted a cross on the side of the teepee, not yet knowing how meaningful that was going to be.
How can I be last? What is God showing me I could do, but in the doing of it, I put others first? I’m talking real sacrifice based on your real love for God and people.
Donald Trump may well usher in a new age of prosperity in this country, but what will the average Christian do with it? “Blessings” have always been our greatest “temptation”. A failure to properly handle God’s blessings has always brought our greatest judgements. The church has always thrived best in hard times. Sad but true statements. Like Constantine blessed and empowered the church, and it led to idolatry, does today’s church really know how to handle more prosperity?
There is a simplicity to God’s call. Really love God, and really love people. Embrace your cross.
Consider what your gifting is when you look for your place. Now that we have the vision of the Priest/Servant, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find fulfillment in our sacrifice. The Christian walk is a call to a life of “meaning”. Meaning is more needed than happiness. I believe we search for real purpose and meaning. In this we find fulfillment. These kinds of people know what true happiness is.
So when you look at the world around you, where do you see yourself standing in line? Last? No?
Me neither. And that’s got to change for me! This Path of the White Feather has been a path of revelation personally challenging me. The ministry at Tumble Pigeon Farm must be a place teaching this personal God, personal love, and personal cross. I may never reach the very end of the line, but I’ve got to move more in that direction. I take this as a personal challenge to myself, to be more real in my faith, to really love God, and really love people.
John the Baptist declared what time it was on heaven’s clock, and he said there was an axe about to drop and chop off the original branch of the tree, and graft in something new, something different, something real. Are we at such a time again? I need to find my place in this line!
I watched a movie that was connected to a ministry called “Embrace a Village”. I don’t know a lot about this ministry, but it seemed real. God called them to help people in India with leprosy! I mean, they get right involved with them! Move towards the mess as they say.
I believe, now that I’m not so tied up inside the four walls of a modern church, I’m ready to find something “real”, to pour some of my sweat, blood, and sacrifice into. Now that I know I’m not under some law to give 10% of my income to a church, what other need is going on around me, where I might be able to make a real difference in the name of Jesus? It’s time to look with new eyes. It’s time to leave the padded pews and stage lights, and move towards the mess!
For anyone following this site, if you don’t feel you’re already doing this, I hope you will join me in making this a personal goal, a journey we can all make together, a journey towards the back of the line! Yes! I’m excited about moving towards the back! Just imagine if Christians all over the world truly caught the vision of moving towards the back of the line. Of letting God lead them towards a mess God has gifted them to thrive in, and they moved towards that mess! Wow…what a different world it could be.
This is what the true spirit of Christmas is meant to be. Not some materialistic stressful holiday of fearing people won’t think you love them if you didn’t buy for them. Or you’re cheap because you couldn’t afford them a nice gift, so you went in debt to show how much you love them. Now you’re stressed out all year because you struggle to pay that credit card that never seems to pay off, and guess what? Christmas is almost here again! Now what do I do? This is not what the baby Jesus was born for. This is not what he paid a price on the cross for! Let Christmas become going last!
God’s most powerful message is in the cross. God’s glory is in the cross. Let us bring that message back to the world by taking OUR cross and following Him. Jesus says, Walk with me. God says, Learn my ways. The Holy Spirit says, I will teach and empower you.
I did not know where this message was going when I started writing it. This is a message moving towards the mess. The mess of our own selfish materialistic lives, to a vision of embracing our cross, the beauty that can come out of that cross, and proving ourselves to actually be the Bride of the Lamb, because we really love God and are fulfilled in His ways. Amen.
(The previous article kind of led into this, so you might want to check it out.)
My first born grandson, Gabriel, who helped paint on this teepee. His current name given by me is, “Fire Keeper”. He helped to keep the fire going in the teepee.
Path Without End 