I’ve had writers block for what seems like months and months. But something keeps popping up in my mind over and over again; Have you ever thought about how far out of our means we live?

This is something that used to never bother me but a few months ago I listened to Radical by David Platt and he tells this story about a man who, no matter how much his salary increased, he capped his lifestyle at $20,000. The money he had leftover, he gave back. Whether it was to his community, to his local churches, to fund mission trips, or to charity… he gave every penny over $20,000 back. What an incredible, giving way to live. It’s really the way we’re supposed to live but somewhere along the way, we started to want more and more for ourselves. I used to never think about the amount of unnecessary stuff we all have and let’s be honest… I’m no stranger to some online shopping (I’m working on that), but the world has a serious greed problem. The problem is that everyone believes that all this money we have is ours, and it’s not. It’s God’s. If you’re keeping for yourself, you’re stealing from God because even if you worked hard for that money, there is nothing in this world you can accomplish without God.

In this book (which honestly changed my life), he explains why some of us are so blessed, and then why there’s still people living in countries across the world and they have nothing. Why doesn’t God bless them with as much as we have? The reason we have so much is because we are supposed to use our resources to giveback.Christians today have gotten comfortable in using the phrase “I wasn’t called to mission.” Actually you’re right, you weren’t called, you were commanded to.  One of the things we are commanded to do as Christians is to go among the nations and spread the gospel. What good are we doing to spread the gospel by just going to church on Sundays, and having bible studies in our homes? We need to be getting out there and reaching people! I’m not saying you have to go to Nicaragua or to Haiti or anywhere out of the country for that matter, because that’s not something everyone is able to do (me, for example). But you don’t have to go that far to reach the lost. There are lost people right in your city, your state, your own community.

This has been the hardest habit for me to break, is not spending so much on me and giving back more to those who need it. Stop cussing? No problem… No getting drunk? Easy… but no shopping?? Not so easy! Not to say I don’t give back but I know I could be doing much more, I know I’m not perfect. But I’m also not blind to what is going on around me. Who are we to turn our noses up at the homeless man on our streets? We should be giving back to him, not avoiding him. God created us all completely equal in His eyes so who am I to develop this idea that I’m more deserving than anyone else? You do not get to choose the circumstances of life that you’re born into. I was blessed to be born into a financially stable family and I live in a gated neighborhood and in a nice home. I drive a reliable, nice car that my parents were gracious enough to provide for me. But that doesn’t mean I am any better than someone who was born into a life with a single parent that struggles financially or has a drug addiction. That doesn’t mean I’m any better than the prostitutes or the drunks or the thieves or the less fortunate of this world. Somewhere along the line, they were either born into these circumstances or something happened to get them there. While there are some things you can change, sometimes it takes some help from others and I think as Christians, we should be that help.

Christians are a loving people and it’s time we earn that reputation back. Be a servant for our Lord and let His light shine through you. In my bible study this past Thursday, we talked about how God is the Potter and we are the clay, He is molding us everyday into the perfect vessel He wants us to be. Let Him. Go be that perfect vessel and let Him use you for His glory and His righteousness. Listen to Him when He says to love each other. Show love to every single person you meet and see God in their eyes because the same God that created you, created them too.

So, the point of this blog post is to sort of challenge you (just as I’m challenging myself). The challenge is to start each day with a giving heart and use all your blessings as a way to bless someone else and reach the lost, even if it’s in your own community. Make a disciple out of yourself and let the Lord use you to help other people find salvation.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that people see You through me. I pray You use me as a vessel to do the good work and speak the gospel. I pray You use me to reach the lost and the broken and show them that there is salvation and a new life waiting on them, that it is never too late to start over. I pray I can be a light for You and that people see love in everything I do. I pray I speak graciously to everyone and I see You in the eyes of everyone I meet. I pray You clear my heart of anything that breaks Yours.

In the name of our Lord and Savior,

Amen.

©The Ansley Foundation