What do YOU Say?

“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)

I don’t know about you but I really can’t wait to get my hands on Apple’s new gadget the iPad. The only Apple product I have ever purchased was an iPod Shuffle and most people know that is child’s play compared to the other products Apple has to offer. To me the iPad is the answer to my inner longings to own anything Apple. I thought the iPod Touch was going to be that answer but I really wanted more than a glorified Walkman. The iPad is the poor mans entrance in to a very sophisticated almost elitist type club.

Whenever I see people typing on their MacBook, browsing the internet on their iMac, watching TV on their Apple TV, listening to music on their iPod Touch, or talking on their iPhone; I just get this feeling that iSuck. Like I’m just not as cool. In my opinion when you own an Apple product it says something about you. Things like, “You’re smart,” “You have a lot of disposable income,” “You can make better home movies than I can,” “You don’t need to carry cd’s everwhere you go,” or “You could be my Math tutor”

After learning that Apple saw iPad pre-orders come in at the rate of 25,000 per hour the first the day they were released; I began to think what that really said about Apple. Apple has done such a great job of building the value of their brand that people can’t wait to see what they’re going to do next. We trust the Apple brand so much that over 100,000 people have ordered a product that they have yet to touch. People believe that when they invest their money in an Apple product it’s going to add value to their lives.

Before you start scheduling an intervention for me please know that I don’t allow my possessions to define me but I know that many people in our society do. I believe that just like Steve Jobs has become defined by his Apple products we become defined by our products. The difference is that Jesus refers to our products as fruit in Matthew 7.20, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

We are defined by our fruit; our words, our actions, our reactions, our attitudes, and our habits. All of this considered I have begun to ask myself, “What does my fruit say about me?” My desire would be that my fruit would produce the good I know God has placed in me but I know this is not always the case. Jesus draws a clear conclusion on my thoughts in Matthew 7:17-18, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.” I don’t doubt that Christ is doing a good work in me but I know that I’m a work in progress.

Apple continues to grow a committed customer base because they invest a tremendous amount of time and energy in producing products that people can depend on. If we desire to expand the Kingdom of God the fruit (or product) we produce must continue to improve. To accomplish this best I think we can draw from the passion of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

We are telling the people we encounter each day about Christ; many times without a word ever being spoken. Take a moment to ask yourself, “What do YOU say?”

Hands & Feet

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25.40

Each year, in the United States, Convoy of Hope holds up to 50 community events with the help of thousands of volunteers who serve tens of thousands of guests. At each event free groceries, job and health fairs, and children’s activities are provided. In doing so, volunteers are given an opportunity to connect with members of their community, and guests are shown love and respect regardless of age, race, physical appearance, or spiritual condition.

Convoy of Hope (COH) is a not-for-profit organization that feeds the hungry and provides pure drinking water to people in need across the United States and around the world. To date, the organization has provided real help to 28 million people in 112 countries and 45 states.

This past weekend I had the privilege of spending Saturday morning with 9 of our Deviate students volunteering at one of these COH community events. The three and a half hours that we spent serving our community provided each of us an opportunity to put our faith into action.

The event consisted of more than 1,000 volunteers investing their time and energy to serve more than 5,000 guests. Convoy of Hope says, “Their goal at every outreach is to let every recipient know he or she is valued and respected. Each aspect of our outreaches are based on this principle.” It was an amazing opportunity to see the love of Christ in action in such an enormous and tangible way.
Our time at the event was spent with about 100 other volunteers filling over 5,000 plastic bags with groceries. Each bag totting volunteer made several trips through an assembly line of volunteers that would fill our bags with groceries. We all patiently waited in line over and over again until all the groceries were bagged.

As we made our way to the parking lot to leave I realized that neither I nor the 9 students with me had the opportunity to hand out any of the bags of groceries we helped stuff. Just as I had this thought I could hear Jesus say, “I was hungry and you fed me.”

We didn’t have the opportunity to look into the eyes of one of the 5,000 guests that were going to receive those groceries but that day wasn’t about what we were going to receive but what we were able to give. We and the other volunteers had the honor of becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. This small act of bagging groceries was creating an opportunity for others to see the love of Christ in action. When we take the time to meet the needs of others Jesus says in Matthew 25.40, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

What more could we ask for!