Disillusioned Saints...

I'm finding that my patience proves more worn by entertaining the Church's "saints" than by enduring the wait for the world's sinners. My hearts eyes are becoming increasingly aware of the sad state of our believer's lacking desire for the masses to know the Savior we claim to worship. "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship." Our bodies? ... our arms, our legs, our minds, our hands, our feet, our ears, our eyes.....how much of my body is devoted to self and not to God!? When we go to work in order to earn money, do we do so with hopes of using that wage to bring glory to God? To send Bibles to those without, to put food in the mouths of those who have not? If this were our purpose, and if we truly rejoiced in seeing God glorified, would not even our jobs become a tool of praise? I am so tired with myself and others! Seeing the Church, Jesus' bride, turn our backs on the One who gives us life eternal. We give our tenth, if we give that at all, and somehow fool ourselves into believing we've done our duty. If I'm not mistaken the woman who gave her two coins was not praised for her abundance, but for the fact that she completely emptied herself for the sake of God.

How much have we forgotten the love of Christ that we're not only apprehensive to do, but even refuse to do the just minimal task for our Savior. When approached with an opportunity to serve we spit our excuses out by the bucket full, as if our excuses pardoned us from our duty to Christ. What a sad state we'd all find ourselves in had Jesus decided to give His Father an excuse in the Garden of Gethsemane rather than being willing to "offer" His "body as a living sacrifice."

The realization we all need to come to is that every time we're unwilling to deny ourselves of whatever pleasure it is we cling to instead of serving God we are very likely denying someone the opportunity to know about the Good News Jesus came to share with the world. The Bible says we should "offer" our bodies. An offering is a willing transfer. God's not going to force us to serve...but should we choose contrary to Him, what does that say of our love and devotion for the one who pulled us out of the muck and mire. Do we want Jesus to be our Lord and Savior...or just our Savior?