Food, money and a few things in between.

As I said before, each week I would like to give you some more food for thought regarding Sunday's message. (pun intended!) Having subscribed recently to a magazine that keeps me informed of much of the culture around me, November's issue of WIRED magazine speaks about the whole issue and future of food in the world. If you are interested in reading what I am, you can find the specific article here. As per usual in our culture, our so-called smartest people believe that to solve the global food shortage crisis we need a scientific solution. Although I think science will help us create healthier food, science can never stop us from being greedy or idolatrous in our food addictions. This worldly solution is an example of what I was speaking about when I said that often we are 'outside-in' in our thinking--meaning that we sometimes believe that changing our external behavior first will then affect what is in our hearts. The Bible says the complete opposite however. Jesus in fact said, 'Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him . . . For from within, out of the heart of a man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.' (Mark 7:15-22, ESV) Let us be reminded then, that simply not eating, or eating only what we need will still never truly solve the problem. What we need is Jesus to change our hearts to the points where we begin to see our intake of food as a way to bring glory to him. One way this is done is by being thankful for our food. Another way, is by inviting others to partake of the goodness that God has given to us. In fact, regularly inviting strangers to take part of our mealtimes is the true definition of hospitality and a requirement of God's leaders. (See 1 Tim. 3:2) May we be reminded of God's goodness and grace to us as we eat today.

Hello everyone,

This is our new attempt to connect more of what is said on Sunday with what is lived Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, November 2nd, I preached a message on Idolatary that was particularly intensive for me personally. If you heard it you will know that it came at an unlikely time in my own life, but for that very reason, it was particularly helpful and meaningful for me to both study and preach at the same time. At the end of the message, I simply read a list of questions that I used in the powerpoint presentation on Sunday morning. There were reasons why I did not make them available in a handout, the foremost of which when I asked permission, said it would be a copyright infringement by the author of them, Darrin Patrick of The Journey Church in St. Louis. It is not a copyright infringement however for you to visit the church website and copy or print this list for yourself, and this post serves to direct you there if you would find them helpful. I certainly did. You can find them here.

Of course not all of the questions will cause us to reflect deeply, but surely a couple of them will hit home. As I reflected on the questions, the one that probably bit the deepest was, ‘What do I do to cope?’ I admit that rather than seeing more evidence of the glory of Jesus Christ, I often dream about leisure activities or sports. These things in and of themselves are not wrong or bad, in fact they are God’s good gift to me, but too often I find myself drawn to hope in them or wish for them when things aren’t going my way on any particular day. Since Jesus promises that He in fact is my strength in anything and everything, I am amazed at my own sinfulness to turn first to leisure or sport rather than my Saviour in my time of need. And that’s just the beginning. What I am also thankful for is that in spite of my own terrible knack for finding new ways to sin, I have a real Saviour who can not only draw me away from my idolatry, but can turn my worldly passions into new desires for friendship and worship of Him. What an awesome Saviour we have.

I would totally welcome your feedback on this.

Trev