One of my besties, whom I call Sunshine, tapped into Josh Wilson and his music this summer. And through her I became introduced to him as well. :) I love it how that happens! So Sunshine went on a 7 week mission to our beloved Kenya (she and I have gone together twice) and this song really impacted her. In fact she's saying it's now on her "soundtrack of life" and I can easily see why.
If you have ever traveled to a third world undeveloped country AND allowed it to truly impact you then you'll get this song as well. You come back from wherever God had you and you say to yourself two things. 1) I'm never going back to things just being okay and 2) I refuse to not do anything any longer. This song is about the 2nd statement but really about the 1st as well.
It is NOT enough to write a check and send money. You'll note that God never called us to just that. He called us to put one foot in front of the other and GO. Get out of your cushy chair in the church sanctuary and GO. GO out into your local community, GO out into your state, GO out into the nation you live in, GO out into the world. Just GO. God understands, and I do too, that there are some who can't GO out globally but there's nothing stopping each of us from going into our local communities. I don't want to hear the excuses because I've heard them, and perhaps even uttered them myself, before. It is NOT enough to watch some moving clip on a Sunday morning and hear a sermon on going out to the least of these unless we actually do something with what we have heard. Great, your heart was moved and you shed a few tears but God wants to know, "what are you going to DO now that you know?" See once we know we are then held responsible for doing. What will it take for you to refuse to not doing anything any longer but to GO locally and globally?
I Refuse
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
If you have ever traveled to a third world undeveloped country AND allowed it to truly impact you then you'll get this song as well. You come back from wherever God had you and you say to yourself two things. 1) I'm never going back to things just being okay and 2) I refuse to not do anything any longer. This song is about the 2nd statement but really about the 1st as well.
It is NOT enough to write a check and send money. You'll note that God never called us to just that. He called us to put one foot in front of the other and GO. Get out of your cushy chair in the church sanctuary and GO. GO out into your local community, GO out into your state, GO out into the nation you live in, GO out into the world. Just GO. God understands, and I do too, that there are some who can't GO out globally but there's nothing stopping each of us from going into our local communities. I don't want to hear the excuses because I've heard them, and perhaps even uttered them myself, before. It is NOT enough to watch some moving clip on a Sunday morning and hear a sermon on going out to the least of these unless we actually do something with what we have heard. Great, your heart was moved and you shed a few tears but God wants to know, "what are you going to DO now that you know?" See once we know we are then held responsible for doing. What will it take for you to refuse to not doing anything any longer but to GO locally and globally?
I Refuse
Matthew 25:31 - 46 (NIV)
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
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