I find it very relevant for this question to be asked on a daily basis.
We will always have usual answers such as we are to take care of our family,Have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, but it is when we have achieved this foundation of our ‘Job’ that we sit in our chairs and just enjoy our success. What makes it really bad in God’s eyes, is when we desire all those accessories to go along with basic needs, because we are not content.
I am afraid that this mindset is precipitated by the world, but also our religions. We are proclaiming our ‘fruitfulness’ in our God that says we are ‘blessed’ to be worshiping our God. I personally cringe when people get these xtra toys, or have traveling fancies and go see the world because they are ‘free’ from their humanity obligations. Is this what we are being taught in ‘our’ church’s?
If so, you wonder why God is not achieving his eternal purpose here on earth!
This pillar of Christ is one of the reasons that I left the institutional church, there was no understanding about what the ‘christian’ was or to be in God’s Kingdom! It is this understanding that is being lost in the model of ‘the body’ that has gotten us in this quagmire of a rut. We are continuing to do the same things over and over in our little ‘meetings’ without actually being ‘in the world’, to shine our light.
I am saddened when I do hear from friends or people that are exploited their gains over the years and throwing their enjoyments from sea to shining sea. I say this because I see it. and I hate it. I have been first hand acknowledgment to some of these things in various church’s that I have been in.
One such example was in a church that had a ‘program’ to give everyone this sunday a $25 gift card to ‘do’ what ever they wanted too do with it. The intention was to be an example of ‘the christian’ to ‘give’ to the needy or to make an influence on someone. Although the concept was right, it was not to be done ‘by’ the church, but thru the church by it’s body of believers. It is this that the individual believer is to ‘see’ the need on its daily journey to find and help. This is where the light is shone, and ‘seen’ by the world. Another issue, the one that I see as a real problem, in the institutional church is that ‘they’ cannot see themselves past their noses. There was quite a few people in the congregation that were hurting for money in various ways. Yet, the ‘church’ failed to ‘see’ it. Their a were a few of us that knew of one hurting family that we pooled our gift cards together and gave them to the family.
My belief is really in the concept of the Corporate Body of God, This after all is God’s intention for his creation, but I am in the belief that it is built by that one rock at a time method, Peter being the first rock next to Jesus Christ,the cornerstone. The IC* has failed in doing this or even explained it in all these centuries, thus it is in the condition that it is. My belief in the individual christian(true believer) can be seen as ‘rock’ in the world to show their ‘light’ to whomever comes by, and be a way to stay in the light. God uses this illustration for a reason with Peter for a reason with it being a shadow of meaning for his Body. It was the individual piece of the puzzle that when we build them all together that it builds the body of Christ. Gods scriptures are amazing in showing shadows and goldmines of wisdom in it.
The first example of our vocation is surprise, surprise given to us in the first two chapters of the bible. God creates His world, with man in it,all the beauty and accessories around it with animals,food, and a garden. His instructions is to keep it going, all of the above, forever and ever.
*Institutional Church
fyi -For reference of my past. I am a PK,Preachers Kid, that has been ‘in’ the church realm for 50 years when I left the building. I have been on both sides of fence of being on boards, and in the pew. so I have seen and heard everything.
The Eternal Purpose 