02/07/2024
Less Transactional and More Transformational
Sunday, we talked about how easy it is to fall into a ‘transactional mindset’ when it comes to relating to other people. Jesus wasn’t a fan of looking at others in terms of what they could do for him. In fact, he was much more likely to wonder what he might offer to them.
The question we need to ask ourselves this week is this:
“Who are the people with whom I choose not to come into contact with, because they really don’t have anything to offer me? How might I cool Jesus’ anger by responding to them differently than I have up to this point? How do I move from making Jesus mad to making him glad?
I came across a quote by Spencer Kimball, who said—
“Love people, not things;
use things, not people.”
When you relate to people based on what they can do for you—when you try to determine what value they will bring into your life—you might as well be buying a new laptop at Best Buy, a new gadget on Amazon, or a new car at the dealer. You’re asking, what it costs me vs. what I get in return. That is the wrong thing to do with other human souls. Another author wrote, “Sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
People aren’t things to be used,
They aren’t toys to play with,
They aren’t tools to be used to fix something broken in our lives,
They aren’t trophies to collect,
Nor are they competitors to compete against—
We are children of God. Each and every one of us are eternal souls put here according to God’s purpose and plan. To treat anyone as anything less than this is to make Jesus mad, and to demean the image of God in which they were created.
Archived Posts
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
The Rest of the Story
I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message. He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer. His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well. I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family. The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have
Leftovers Continued…
It’s not just the fact that God is un-impressed by our leftovers, it actually goes deeper than that. In a sense, Jesus is passionately and purposely opposed to anything leftover. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to work diligently to make sure that in the end nothing at all is left over.
Less Stuff and Fewer Wants
Here’s a point I left off Sunday’s sermon due to time and length. In dealing with an Entitled mindset it is very helpful if you can Reduce Materialism and Consumerism.