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Changing The Planet One Small Act At A Time

The joy, happiness and transformation that results from acts of generosity are felt by the giver…the receiver…and beyond. The small acts of generosity make the biggest impact when compounded over time with many people.

I may not be able to change the whole world, but I am able to make a small impact here and there that have ripple effects that I will probably never see.

Too often, people choose to isolate, look the other way, and distance themselves from the very real needs they encounter.

I get it…
The needs are always there…
You can’t fix everything you see…

But as God is a generative God, and He dwells within us…we are being transformed by His presence into His likeness which means that I am growing in generosity.

A friend sent me the following video…about 2 minutes in I teared up. Take a look, and may your heart grow in generosity.

 

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I Could Have Got More: Schindlers List

In our conversation at SVA this weekend on the return of Christ, one area we discussed was how followers of Christ are to live and engage the world while waiting for His return. Three key thoughts we discussed were that we needed to:

  • Stay Awake…His return is imminent, He could come back at any moment so we need to be ready. Every person is responsible for their faith and relationship with God. You can’t live on someone else’s faith…You can’t but or work your way into the kingdom…and when Christ returns, there are no more chances. In light of this we need to make sure that our lives are connected to God through Christ. His grace is waiting for everyone…there is nothing you need to do, figure out, or clean up before you come to God…simply come. 


  • Stay Engaged…God has given everyone a purpose and mission to live out. The followers of Jesus are not to “bunker-in” and disengage from life, but rather, we are to invest all that God has given us to make a positive impact for His kingdom with every breath that we have. If you are still breathing, you still have a purpose and mission to fulfill. 


  • Stay Missional…As you read the parables of Christ it quickly becomes apparent that those who follow Jesus live in such a way that mercy, grace, justice and compassion are not just deeds that they do, but rather a lifestyle that they live. When we are tethered to Jesus and when we long for His presence in our lives, there is a transformation that takes place deep within us. This transformation is birthed from God’s love releasing mercy and grace like a burgeoning river breaking through a dike.

For me, the Second Coming of Christ comes down to a question of love… If I truly love Jesus with all that is within me, I will long to be with Him, and in the meantime that love will propel me to live in such a way that other’s long for His return as well. The contagion of love creates a Christ-reality and at the same time waits for a Christ-reality.

Love is a verb…

Love requires expression…

Love is why Jesus is coming back…

Love is the means and the method to reach seekers…

Love is the definitive mark for those who follow Jesus… 

When we allow God to perform a heart transplant within us,  our motivation to share Christ with others moves from religiosity to compassion expressed through love.

This reminds me of the closing scene from Schindler’s List where Oskar Schindler had purchased the lives of 1100+ Jews from concentration camps to work in his factory during WW II. Initially he saw the use of Jewish prisoners as a way to make great profits, but something happend…he changed…his heart changed…those Jewish prisoners became people who mattered and Oskar’s profiteering turned to redemption.

Even though Oskar did so much, spending his income to purchase/redeem those 1100 Jews from a certain death…he knew it wasn’t enough and he could have done more.

When it’s all said and done, and we stand before God I hope we can all know we made a difference.

We are here to help people find their way back to God.

Here’s that final scene from Schindler’s List…

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The Power of Words

This is the clip I used in our Planet Changer conversation today at SVA. So many of you were wanting to see it again, so here ya go 🙂

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To care or not to care…

Sometimes it seems that people spend more time and energy trying to justify why they won’t or shouldn’t demonstrate compassion and love instead of simply engaging. Jesus didn’t provide us with any “opt-out” clauses…In fact, His take was more along these lines:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” ~Jesus Matt. 5:43-45

Somehow, a follower of Jesus moves beyond judgement in order to love. I have found that it is very hard to love and grace others when my mind is locked into a judgmental, black and white set of propositions. I might be right, and I might be wielding some truth, but if I employ it without love, I have missed the transformative crux of the Gospel, or as St. Paul would say:

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”           ~Paul, 1 Cor. 13:2

But, on the other hand, I have also learned that I move towards people from the motivation of love without judgment, I am invited to share what I believe to be true and generally, it is received well.

The mindset of our culture/world is eye for an eye, you get what you deserve, look out for #1 first…but the command of Christ is to love and forgive those who are against you, you receive grace instead of what you deserve, and look out for everyone regardless of whether you like them or agree with them.

Christianity takes courage, strength, and integrity. The call to follow the Rabbi require a new way of thinking, feeling and acting…it takes a new heart as well. The good news is that God promises all of that and more as we choose follow Christ allowing His life to be lived through our own.

So, the next time we encounter an opportunity to be Jesus with skin on, let’s not look for an excuse, but rather express love in the face of brokeness.

Monty