Consume or Contribute?

Tonight there was a meeting at church.  We met to celebrate that several of the groups have multiplied.  During the discussion that ensued, a consistent thread became evident.  There were many in the group who were consumers.  They come to be taught.  They do not really engage in the process.

The image of the plant in Little Shop of Horrors leaps to mind.  “Feed me, Seymour!”

Toward the end of the meeting I asked what would some options for a contrast to consume.  One of the men immediately said, “Contribute.”  He nailed it.

There were several conversations about how to move from consuming to contributing in the groups.

Nehemiah 3 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  The passage is a list of names and the part of the wall on which they worked.  A great work cannot be brought to fruition without many hands coordinated and joined by the same vision.

The Body is a great work.

Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that the growth of the Body is a function ALL of the members contributing based on the exercising of their gifts in the Body.

It is not an easy transition from consumer to contributor, but it is a transition for which we are all called to make.

The Timeline of Training

Genesis 14:14 (here @ Bible Gateway) is striking. 

What interests me here is that Moses had built an army capable of defeating four kings.  He had trained them, equipped them when he did not need the force.

Leadership seems to train people for what may, will come and not what is on their plate now.

Some of the things that I have seen in the past year that people needed to know to navigate well the circumstances of their lives:

• The Love of God
• Trusting God
• The Sovereignty of God

If you need help with these.  Let me know.

Responding to Sin

Look at Ezra 10:6 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Nehemiah 1:4 (here @ Bible Gateway).  .

The response of the Ezra and Nehemiah over the sin or circumstances of others was to mourn and pray.

To be honest, that is not my first response.  My first response may be something like, “They should have known better.”

That’s certainly helpful.  It’s a thought with such eternal significance and effectiveness.

Truth is, when I catch myself in sin or difficult circumstances, my first response is not to mourn and pray either.  Probably, it is to justify.  Claim special circumstances, blame shift, or try to figure a way to solve the problem.  (We come by blame shifting genetically – check out Genesis 3:12 – 13) (here @ Bible Gateway).

It occurs to me that Ezra and Nehemiah had it right, I have it wrong