I find Luke 6:46 to be one of the most chilling verses in the Bible: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Last weekend we celebrated the Fourth of July. The convictions of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence drove them to revolutionary action—and it cost them. Some were imprisoned. Two saw their sons captured or killed in battle. Many had homes and property ransacked and looted in the Revolutionary War.
Have your convictions ever driven you to action—even if it cost you?
Luke 6 makes me uncomfortable—and that’s good. We read a verse, hear a sermon, or feel deep joy at worship, and are convicted that God wants more of us. But how deep is our commitment to respond, and what do we do about it?
You don’t have to be a missionary to India to be a completely devoted follower of Christ, but you cannot turn your back on Christ’s call to surrender all.
Christ sent us into the world as His hands and feet to change it, claim it, redeem it and reform it…for Him. But we retreat into our churches and stay in our comfortable routines instead.
Here’s just one uncomfortable question: Is it right and fair and biblical for people in Africa to be starving while people in America are dieting because we eat too much?
It starts with surrender. There are lots of people who care, who are convicted, but then do nothing.
In addition to our free study guide, we’re working to develop more tools to help you, your small group, and your church answer the question many of you are asking: “Now what?” I’ll share more on that in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, what is God calling you to do? It’s a personal answer for each of us, uniquely designed for us. How do you translate conviction into action?
Less than 24 hours ago I returned from a mission trip to Africa, where I saw children drinking brown water and mother’s and father’s struggling to feed their hungry families. But the saddest thing I saw was a widow I met in the village. Her 5 children were so very thin and one boy was dying. They brought him to me and with their eyes said, “Please, do something.” So I did. The boy has been taken by public transport to the nearest medical facility, which is 3 hours away on a bumpy, dusty dirt road. The entire family was registered for healthcare and school fees were paid because none of the children could afford the required school uniform (less than $15) or books (less than $5). Two female goats were provided to help with family income. But most of all, the entire family heard about the love of Jesus and his offer of Living Water. The local village church is now involved in the care of this precious family. This is just ONE family. There are so many more. My conviction to action is to tell this story to as many people as possible and collect funds so other village widows can feed their children.