God's acceptance is the power that liberates us from sin, not the reward for liberating ourselves. - JD Greear
I recently listened to a seminar on rightnow.com (I recommend this site to anyone wanting to obtain a great resource in ministry) by JD Greear, and he suggested a number of ideas. It was mostly things I agreed with but never had heard them articulated so well. I've always believed that the Gospel was inherently in opposition with the world because its source is not of this world. Meaning often, if not always, its teachings suggest we live and believe the opposite of what we might naturally do!
We say payback, the Gospel says love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. We say stay in the boat, the Gospel says step out!
Our thinking is different.
Consider the initial quote in this post. Too often, we consider the blessings of God as the goal and end result of a life well lived. When in reality, they are the basis for which our lives should be lived. Matthew 6:33 says to seek his righteousness first and 1 John says we ought to love because He first loved us. No longer let us think or see God's gifts as rewards at the end. Let us instead recognize them as the fuel injected into our spirits to power our lives thereafter!
God doesn't merely want our love and obedience. He wants us to desire to love and obey Him! Our relationship is offensive to God if it stems from coercion. He doesn’t want the love of trapped people; rather, He desires the love of the free who willingly submit themselves to Him and live for Him.
What does that look like? I believe this type of love and obedience looks unplanned. There's no scheme or hidden agenda. It is rooted in "because," not in "to get." Imagine if a child did their chores because it was one less thing their parents had to worry about, rather than to get an allowance. Now imagine if we applied this to our relationship with the Lord.
I’d like to challenge us all to live like we are accepted by God and not to get accepted by Him. Let's not pay God with our love, but let us love Him because of the price Jesus paid.
Dear Lord, you died and rose again because you loved us, not to get our allegiance. I pray that we may, in turn, live because we love you and not to get the acceptance already afforded to us by your great sacrifice.
Written by Lt. Darell Houseton
Newark Ironbound Corps
One of the lesser known programs of The Salvation Army is its
residential camping program for children aged 6-12. There are eleven
such camps in the Northeastern states. In New Jersey, our Camp Tecumseh
is a beautiful 400 acre property nestled in the pastoral farmlands of
western New Jersey, not far from the Delaware River. It offers a full
array of traditional camp activities, such as swimming, boating,
athletics, horse rides, arts & crafts and hiking. Its petting farm,
with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits, give inner-city children
an opportunity to discover the wonders of the animal world in a
personal way, without cages and restrictions. All of these traditional
activities are enjoyed in a Christian camp setting where the love of
God and Christian ideals are modeled, taught, experienced and
celebrated.
Camp Tecumseh is named after Chief Tecumseh of
the Shawnee Nation, who lived from 1768-1813. It is accredited by the
American Camping Association and licensed by the State of New Jersey.
The staff is a very diverse group; they come from across New Jersey,
other parts of the United States and around the world. They are
carefully chosen for their maturity, enthusiasm, compassion, love for
children and dedication to making a difference in the lives of others.
At
the conclusion of camp, one child said: "My counselors helped me make
the right choices." Multiply this statement by the hundreds of children
who enjoy the Camp Tecumseh experience each year, and The Salvation Army's
camping program is impacting the future of the State of New Jersey.
Chief
Tecumseh would be pleased. History has recorded his words of wisdom to
his people - words that challenge us, more than two hundred years later:
"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Love your live, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and its purpose the service of your people.
Show respect to all and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When
it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled
with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in I different
way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
-Chief Tecumseh, 1768-1813
One
little boy from the inner-city of Newark, exclaimed "Camp is the best
place in the world!" That positive experience is the objective of all
staff members for every child who arrives at camp.
The Salvation
Army's ministry to suffering humanity is not just a special seasonal
project, identified by the famous "Red Kettle." It is true that ”Need
knows no Season” and for the disadvantaged children in New Jersey, Camp
Tecumseh is a special week that gives memories to last a lifetime.
Jesus
said: "Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of
Heaven belongs to those who are like these children!" (Matthew 19:14)
For more information on Camp Tecumseh, visit http://www.camptecumseh.com, or to donate, visit http://www.salvationarmynj.org/donate
Written by Gloria Hohn
Asbury Park Corps
