Post by tbhas6 on Nov 4, 2007 17:06:20 GMT -5
Today we had a guest speaker at our church. Our guest spoke from John 15:1-10, a very familiar passage about Christ being the vine and us (Christians) the branches. However, he had a new perspective on this passage:
He asked us examine who we are trying to be. Are we trying to be the best (you fill in the blank) ? Do we were clothes we don't like so that others will tell us how nice we look or approve of our appearance? Do we drive autos we can't afford so that others will look and think we are doing well? Do we live in big houses that we struggle to pay for because we want bigger, better - we want others to notice us? Do we neglect our spouses, children, parents, etc. chasing after the next promotion or higher salary? Are we constantly chasing the bigger better (you fill in the blank) ? Who are we trying to be? God has given us one job. Only one. That job is to be ourselves. We cannot be the vine - we were not created to be the vine. We are the branches - we were created to be only branches.
On being connected: Americans, in general, are in constant pursuit of more and more and more. We want more house, we want more car, we want better education, we want more money, we want, we want, and we want some more. All this constant chasing has left many feeling like they are on a treadmill - running, running and running but getting nowhere. How do we stop this madness? We get connected. To what or whom do we get connected? GOD
Seven months ago our 33 year guest speaker was looking face to face at death. He was lying in a hospital bed and the doctors were telling his young wife and him that they weren't sure he would survive his illness. The doctors told them to plan for worst and hope for the best. The best being - blindness, deafness, paralysis. This young man had an opportunity to look in the mirror at himself. He saw himself as one who had been chasing the American dream of the bigger better career/house/car/bank account/etc. at the cost of the most important things a man could have. He began asking himself (by the way this young man has been an evangelist for 8 or 9 years): Will I go to heaven? Will my wife know that I love her? Will my children know that I love them? Do my parents know that I love them? His answers were heartbreaking - to every questions he answered, "I don't know". When looking at death's face, he didn't care about how big the next youth conference would be, he didn't care about what kind of car he drove, or the kind of house he lived in - He didn't care what other people thought of him.
This young man has preached thousands of sermons and at some of the largest youth conferences in America, prayed the sinners prayer with thousands of young people, seen thousand delivered from sin, watched thousands begin a new life in Christ; and when faced with death he questioned his own salvation. He questioned his relationships with the people he cares most about. Is it that he wasn't truly saved? Was he living lie all those years? Was he so incredibly selfish that he truly didn't love his wife, children, family. NO. He questioned because he had lost his connection with God. In his pursuit of the bigger better (you fill in the blank), , while pursuing the "stuff" others thought was important, his connection with God became disjointed. The branch was not properly connected to the Vine.
While sitting in a hospital bed he realized that his priorities had become askew. He realized that he was not doing his job, but trying to do God's job. His one and only job is to be himself - Not the greatest youth evangelist America has ever had, not the best provider America has ever had, not the best dressed, not the most educated, not the most (you fill in the blank). Again, he realized that he has only one job - to be himself. It is his job to be a branch - God's job to be the vine. If he is going to produce any fruit he must stay connected to the Vine. The Vine is the source of ALL.
In being himself he is responsible for loving God with all his heart, all his mind, all his soul; he is responsible for loving his wife (and making sure she knows it) as Christ loved the church and laid His life down for it; he is responsible for loving and training his children to honor God and be lovers of God; he is responsible for honoring his parents, even if they are dishonorable because God commanded that he honor them. The bigger better career, car, house, clothes, status, (you fill in the blank) are way far down the priority list. God doesn't care about how fashionable he dresses, how new his car is, how big his house is or even how powerful his career is.
The only thing God cares about is how connected we are to Him. When we work on being a branch and stay connected to the Vine, we will have all we need to produce an abundance of fruit.
Who are you? Are you connected?
He asked us examine who we are trying to be. Are we trying to be the best (you fill in the blank) ? Do we were clothes we don't like so that others will tell us how nice we look or approve of our appearance? Do we drive autos we can't afford so that others will look and think we are doing well? Do we live in big houses that we struggle to pay for because we want bigger, better - we want others to notice us? Do we neglect our spouses, children, parents, etc. chasing after the next promotion or higher salary? Are we constantly chasing the bigger better (you fill in the blank) ? Who are we trying to be? God has given us one job. Only one. That job is to be ourselves. We cannot be the vine - we were not created to be the vine. We are the branches - we were created to be only branches.
On being connected: Americans, in general, are in constant pursuit of more and more and more. We want more house, we want more car, we want better education, we want more money, we want, we want, and we want some more. All this constant chasing has left many feeling like they are on a treadmill - running, running and running but getting nowhere. How do we stop this madness? We get connected. To what or whom do we get connected? GOD
Seven months ago our 33 year guest speaker was looking face to face at death. He was lying in a hospital bed and the doctors were telling his young wife and him that they weren't sure he would survive his illness. The doctors told them to plan for worst and hope for the best. The best being - blindness, deafness, paralysis. This young man had an opportunity to look in the mirror at himself. He saw himself as one who had been chasing the American dream of the bigger better career/house/car/bank account/etc. at the cost of the most important things a man could have. He began asking himself (by the way this young man has been an evangelist for 8 or 9 years): Will I go to heaven? Will my wife know that I love her? Will my children know that I love them? Do my parents know that I love them? His answers were heartbreaking - to every questions he answered, "I don't know". When looking at death's face, he didn't care about how big the next youth conference would be, he didn't care about what kind of car he drove, or the kind of house he lived in - He didn't care what other people thought of him.
This young man has preached thousands of sermons and at some of the largest youth conferences in America, prayed the sinners prayer with thousands of young people, seen thousand delivered from sin, watched thousands begin a new life in Christ; and when faced with death he questioned his own salvation. He questioned his relationships with the people he cares most about. Is it that he wasn't truly saved? Was he living lie all those years? Was he so incredibly selfish that he truly didn't love his wife, children, family. NO. He questioned because he had lost his connection with God. In his pursuit of the bigger better (you fill in the blank), , while pursuing the "stuff" others thought was important, his connection with God became disjointed. The branch was not properly connected to the Vine.
While sitting in a hospital bed he realized that his priorities had become askew. He realized that he was not doing his job, but trying to do God's job. His one and only job is to be himself - Not the greatest youth evangelist America has ever had, not the best provider America has ever had, not the best dressed, not the most educated, not the most (you fill in the blank). Again, he realized that he has only one job - to be himself. It is his job to be a branch - God's job to be the vine. If he is going to produce any fruit he must stay connected to the Vine. The Vine is the source of ALL.
In being himself he is responsible for loving God with all his heart, all his mind, all his soul; he is responsible for loving his wife (and making sure she knows it) as Christ loved the church and laid His life down for it; he is responsible for loving and training his children to honor God and be lovers of God; he is responsible for honoring his parents, even if they are dishonorable because God commanded that he honor them. The bigger better career, car, house, clothes, status, (you fill in the blank) are way far down the priority list. God doesn't care about how fashionable he dresses, how new his car is, how big his house is or even how powerful his career is.
The only thing God cares about is how connected we are to Him. When we work on being a branch and stay connected to the Vine, we will have all we need to produce an abundance of fruit.
Who are you? Are you connected?