Matthew 6:19 tells us "Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."
I have been serving two masters. I don't live a lifestyle trusting in God for all provisions. Ultimately then, I am serving two masters.
Lord break me. Give me the strength to follow you with recklessness. When I don't have the strength, take my life and force me to.
God is crazy (in a good way - like crazy amazing). If you look at what He has done in my life to get me to this point, you have to say he is crazy. Obviously He is a God of miracles, a God of humility, and one with a pretty good sense of humor too. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, even 2 years ago, if I would be willing to drop everything and follow Him, I would have laughed and said that He wasn't calling me to do that, that I am a teacher, and a coach, and He has me right where He wants me to be (which at that point, He did! That's whats so amazing).
I am a hypocrite. We live in a culture of hypocrites. It is what I believe (and so do theologians if you care what they think) is killing the Church in America - hypocrisies. Ask our poor neighbors if Christians are hypocrites, ask any oppressed person if Christians are hypocrites, I think they would all tell you yes. We live a life of blissful consumerism. Yes, we give our monthly tithe, we sponsor a kid in Africa, but we also live in expensive houses and drive expensive vehicles while half of the world lives on $2 or less a day. Ask that guy if Christians are hypocrites.
Unfortunately, by myself I can't change that. Most of the world is going to keep on believing that Christians are hypocrites, but maybe I can be the one who changes that for a handful of people, and God is able to write me into His story once again by allowing me to speak into the lives of the poor and oppressed (and probably even more accurately to allow them to speak into mine).
My plan? Give it all away. I'm scared, but at the same time excited. I think that is what Christ called a huge percentage of his followers to do - give it all away and follow him (he asked the disciples to drop their nets, and he also asked the Rich Young Man - some followed, some didn't, that is why he is known as the Rich Young Man and not "Bruce" or some other cool name Jesus would have given him).
Recently I shared our journey with some new friends of ours. One of them said "Well, you'd have to be 'called' to do something like that." Really, does God have to call us specifically? Didn't he already do that, hasn't he already beckoned us? As rich Christians living in the U.S., we want to find an "out," a way to keep living the American Dream, when what he called ALL of us to was something very opposite from that dream. God is calling us to give up our treasures on this earth and store up treasures in heaven. How many times have we budgeted some luxury (or even a necessity), or saved (read: stored up) to be able to do something or buy something. We have effectively taken God out of the business of coming through for us. He doesn't need to, and in our affluent culture, why would we need him to.
So, here is our proposed plan of downward spiral, hopefully it will remove any hypocrisies.
STEP #1: quit my job
STEP #2: sell our house
STEP #3: buy and convert a diesel motor home to run on veggie oil
STEP #4: pay off school loans
STEP #5: begin traveling around the country giving designated amounts of money away to the poor through clothing, food and other random acts of kindness (putting someone up in a hotel, buying them a meal or some coffee, etc.)
STEP #6: end up with nothing
STEP #7: begin truly relying on God (Really, how big is he?)
Wouldn't this force us to rely on God? isn't' that what God ultimately wants from us? To put us in a position where if God didn't come through for us we would be in big trouble? Does that mean that when we get back, God will give me a great job that I find fulfillment and joy from each and every day, a great new house in the suburbs with a brand new Suburban to go with it. Obviously not, he may not come through with any mammon - hopefully I will stop worshiping it, and come to the place God wants me to be - content with his provisions, not storing up treasures here on this earth.
Lord that is where I want to be, pull my heart and mind there. Amen.
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