Extravagance
A bunch of us who play in the worship band at church went over to Oahu this past weekend for a worship conference lead by Bob Fitts. We learned about focusing on God and bringing glory to Him, instead of focusing on exterior factors like whether we had enough practice time, whether the sound is mixed properly, whether that guy in the third row likes our music, etc.
Part of the teaching that really stood out in my mind was on extravagance. God didn't just make a paper box for us to live in- he crafted the amazing detail of every flower and placed every rock on the mountain just so, just for our pleasure. He loves extravagantly- enough to give His Son for us. Therefore, we shouldn't be afraid to express our love to Him in worship, and we should be looking to Him instead of looking at others, wondering what they think of us. I was thinking about this as I left the church and this tree commanded my attention. It shone in all its golden glory with a backdrop of bright blue sky and poofy, white clouds. When I looked at it I saw a picture of God's extravagance towards us.
2 comments:
How true - and I'll tell you something else that gets my goat: those who think that God wants us to be rich.
He (or she) wants us to live well, but making money is way down the list of Christian priorities.
In the Bible, there are more warnings about the trappings of wealth than there are about other evils perceived by Christians, such as homosexuality. Too many Christians - and non-Christians - value wealth and have a "you're own your own" philosophy to the poor.
Wasn't it written that it is harder for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?
Folks call that the "name it and claim it" Gospel. They say as God's children we deserve to be rich and perfectly healthy in this life. It's a ridiculous notion.
Clearly, the lives of Jesus' disciples were marked with suffering. They were poor by the world's standards, and all but one suffered a cruel death as a result of their religious convictions. If God wants us to be rich, what did the apostles do wrong?
You're right that Jesus warns us time and again not to get caught up in material wealth. We're to store up treasure in heaven- where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
The Bible also talks about our judgement, when we will stand at Christ's throne and account for everything we've done in this life good and bad. Everything impure will be burned up in a fire. The things we did for God with the right motives will remain, and we'll be eternally rewarded. When I look at it from that eternal perspective, I realize believers who are poor and persecuted have a pure faith and are really a lot more blessed than I am.
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