Thank you for the comment on yesterdays post that appears to be in disagreement. I totally agree with what you are saying.
Anytime a person gives a sermon, gives a speech, makes a point, it is hard to cover every angle of the topic. If I talk about love, someone asks if they should be a doormat. If I talk about sin, someone asks about grace. If I talk about grace someone asks about sin. It is just difficult to cover every aspect of a topic. And each topic has an opposing side that makes a good point as well.
The point of the sermon or the blog post was not to encourage people to celebrate their opulence or to be disrespectful to those who are hurting financially. The point I was trying to make is that in all things we should honor God and bring him into our lives. I don't want anyone to feel guilty about what they have, but I do want us all to feel responsible. When we bring God into the middle of the things that we love, they tend to get more submitted to him really quick.
Even those who are struggling in this difficult economy have things that they love and things that God should be brought into. So I encourage you all, whether you have much or little, to thank God for all things and to bring him into every moment of your life.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
4 comments:
Jeff--
It looks to me like someone was airing some serious frustration yesterday(and understandably so). You do a great job in sermons, on your blog and in daily leadership of this church. I do not envy the balancing act you perform trying to keep varied interests and perspectives in check. I do, however, respect it immensely.
You make a great point that no matter what our relative wealth is, we all lose sight of Him every once in a while. Thanks for reminding us where our focus should be! And thanks for all you do and all you are.
TW
Jeff, your sermon Sunday was right on, and needs no apologies. What I find so refreshing about your preaching, and your living, is that you encourage us to embrace the true freedom Christ died to give us. The whole of the Bible teaches that we are not to be bound by the legalism and guilt-ridden theologies that began back with the Pharisees.
Thank you for continually teaching us that "if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." The more people learn to live in His freedom, the more apt they are to be about God's business of seeing God everywhere and in everything. The more free they'll be to make their thoughts about blessing the lives of others. And "His praise shall continually be in our mouths."
Jeff, your sermon Sunday was right on, and needs no apologies. What I find so refreshing about your preaching, and your living, is that you encourage us to embrace the true freedom Christ died to give us. The whole of the Bible teaches that we are not to be bound by the legalism and guilt-ridden theologies that began back with the Pharisees.
Thank you for continually teaching us that "if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." The more people learn to live in His freedom, the more apt they are to be about God's business of seeing God everywhere and in everything. The more free they'll be to make their thoughts about blessing the lives of others. And "His praise shall continually be in our mouths."
Last year my husband lost his job and within weeks Woods Chapel helped us out financially and a Stephen Minister even helped my husband get a new job.
I would urge anyone who is suffering to contact a Stephen Minister. They are a wonderful "entity of the church" and are there to HELP YOU not to BRAG about what they have.
CALL THEM TODAY!!
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