No, It’s Not a Shopping Mall
Romans 12:9-13 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honour than you give yourself. As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes.
When was the last time you went church shopping? You know – it’s time to find a new church. The current one – well, you know … it’s not the best. Surely there must be a better one out there!
It’s amazing the extent to which consumerism has invaded our psyche. In fact, you could argue that as a society we’ve become one big shopping mall tribe. We have so many choices these days of things to buy; experiences, holidays, cafés, restaurants, entertainment, TV channels, clothing, knick-knacks, cosmetics, cars, jobs, careers … on and on it goes.
You might actually be surprised at how adept you’ve become at sifting through your choices – from the big ones to the little ones – to make sure that you get the best deal each and every time.
So when it comes to this thing called “church”, why is it any surprise that we approach it as consumers, sifting through the options until we get the best deal?
And yet, that was never God’s plan. No. His plan was always for us to come at church with a servant’s heart.
Romans 12:9-13 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honour than you give yourself. As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes.
Consumerism and servanthood – they’re chalk and cheese. So which one are you? Chalk or cheese?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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