Burning Chaff

Over the past year or so I’ve packed my ideological bags and have taken a journey.  The road has been narrow at times, steep at times, muddy at times, an full of forks.  Although I am still traveling there is one thing I know for sure.  I started on the Left but I will not be returning there.  The currancy which I have will not afford the trip back there.  As a Christian I have subscribed to God’s economy. YWHW’s economy to be exact so not to confuse which god I speak of.

There are many reasons for my decision but the one I will focus on is a highly charged one.  As a human we all have rights.  Every right has a positive and negative side to the equation.  For example, I have a right to be happy.  Being happy to me means living.  Living is a positive.  But in order for me to have my happiness and live it means that others must aquiesce to my right by not killing me.  To give me my happiness it requires a negative burden on other.  Now lets take the example of human’s right to water.  I have a right to water.  Even if I don’t have a dime to pay for it, it is still my right to have it.   Any sensible person would agree that in this case I need assistance in order to pay and receive my right to water.  Now from the Lefty’s point of view, which I will call The World’s economy, that assistance should be provided by the Government.  Well, in order for the Government to provide me assistance it requires resources.  To obtain these resourcing it turns to the society which it governs.  It does this in the form of taxes.  So in order for me to have my right which is a positive, a negative burden is placed on the government.  The government then places a negative burden on society since it’s ability to provide is limited or depenent on society.  Now society has to give up their right to use their resources as they choose in order for me to have my right to water.

This example is a classic one on how the World’s economy works.  Now let’s play this out in God’s economy.  Mark 6 gives a great picture of how His economy works.  In the feeding of the multitudes the apostles appeal to Jesus to feed the thousands of people because they had nothing or very little to do it themselves.  Jesus responded to their plee by saying “You feed them”.  Take what little you have and feed them and I will take care of the rest.  So they did and the result was that all were fed with lots of left overs.

Here is the difference.  In the World’s economy we depend on others (the Government) to provide for those in need.  The need is great so the Goverment has to grow.  Yet the Goverment doesn’t have an endless supply so it turns to society to fund it’s machine.  This vicious cycle never ends because the needs are never fully met.  In God’s economy, we as Christians meet the needs and depend on God to supply.  God has no limit, God is the eternal supply.  There is no negative burden placed on anyone.  There is only positive.  The needy are blessed by us, we are blessed by God, and God is glorified.  This is a foundational Christian concept that can be applied across all needs whether is be physical, mental, or emotional.

As a Christian I must subscribe to God’s economy.  YHWY’s economy.  That is why I’ve left the Left…

Gen 50:19 – 21 NIV “19But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

Have you arrived? Are you in God’s place? Joseph was subjected to great evil in life due to the treachery of his brothers. Yet through it all his heart remained focused on obedience to God. Culminating in him become the most powerful man in Egypt and saving lives. He understood who the footsteps in the sand belonged to and rather than filling his heart with vengeance he allowed God to repay the evil with good.

There will be trials and severe struggle in life. People will do evil things to you. If we take our eyes off God and the plan He has for us (and He does have a plan for everyone) and focus on or repaying the evil we will miss it and get side tracked. Grow through what you go through and you will arrive at God’s place (Romans 8:28-39).

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Could you give 3 references? When a potential employer asks you for references for a worldly temporal job you could list several. Could you do the same for God’s work?

I wrote in part 1 of this series about how all believers are given a spiritual gift that are to be used in the body of Christ. They are the tools of your ministry.  Believers are to produce work. Work that has spiritual results. Work that is measured in changed lives.

When one says yes to Jesus life no longer is about oneself. You have given up on trying to be god of your life and have surrender to the one true God. God’s work isn’t about producing widgets. God’s work is about seeking and saving that which was lost. He chose to use His church/the body of believers as the means to complete His work. As believers our spiritual resume should be filled with God glorifying references. Can you produce 3 references?

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

“7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

Hey Believers…still searching for your purpose? Still wondering what on earth are you hear for? Well, it really isn’t a mystery. 1 Corinthians sheds some light on your significance.  There isn’t a need for Rick Warren to put out yet another study on our search for significance.  We have been gifted and we are to use the gifts to teach, edify, strengthen, encourage, guide, and heal. Instantly, upon accepting Christ we are grafted into the body of Christ. Instantly, upon accepting Christ we have been given significance. Instantly, upon accepting Christ we have been portioned the same manifestation of the Spirit as Jesus. In John 16 Jesus tells his disciples it is better that he goes away so he can send the Holy Spirit.  We not only receive the Holy Spirit, instantly upon accepting Christ, but instantly we also receive gifts from the Holy Spirit.  Those gifts are to be used.  Those gifts give us significance.  A butterfly understands it is not a caterpiller anymore and utilizes its gift of flight to pollinate.  Its life is no longer about crawling and consuming for itself. We would be wise to take a lesson from the butterfly and start pollinating.