THE ASSIGNMENT
The Statue of Liberty
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name,
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
We all have our little “guilty pleasures.” One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the television show, “Trading Spaces.” I could literally spend an entire Saturday watching a Trading Spaces marathon. After which, of course, I am then prepared to transform every room I enter (or so I think).
While the finished room is the ultimate reward, the transformation process is what captures and holds my attention. My favorite part of the show is the assignment segment. This is the part of the show where the supervising designer assigns homework to the participants, to complete in his/her absence. Sometimes the homework assignment seems easy enough; however, at other times, judging from the reaction of the assignees, it can sometimes appear to be quite strenuous. The designer has a vision of what he/she wants the room to look like, but the participants can’t always see it: this is especially true when Hildi is at the helm (LOL! just kidding, I love her, she brings the unexpected). Still, the designer always leaves the workers with instructions for completing the assignment. When the designer returns, and the finishing touches are added to the workers contribution, whether to the pleasure, or on occasion, displeasure of the homeowner, the completed work is unveiled.
When I think about it, from a Biblical standpoint, my affinity toward this show makes complete sense to me: In that it’s concept is arguably comparable to what is required of us as Christians. (I know it seems like I’m reaching, but stay with me) In the same way that assignment is given to the show’s contestants; Jesus, by declaring “The poor, you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want,” has likewise, given an assignment to His followers. While some people embrace this assignment as a fulfilling gift which serves to add to the God’s Kingdom; unfortunately, others view it as a problematic, unfair sacrifice, in that repayment from the recipient is unlikely. Yet, how many of us would have traded places with Jesus in fulfilling His assignment? We must run the race set before us. Jesus gave His very life that we may share in the His inheritance of “life everlasting;” and yet all He asks of us is to share our world’s goods (our stuff, which by the way, He also gave us; And we have the arrogance to balk?!) But, I guess it’s a matter of perception. The position of our heart and the perspective from which we approach our assignment will determine whether or not Jesus, the designer, THE DECISIVE VISIONARY, will be satisfied with our contribution to the finished work. The good news is that, just as the decorators on Trading Spaces provide instructions for their workers; before He went away, Jesus likewise provided comprehensive instructions for us:
(Matthew 25:32-46) 31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
MOREOVER,
A person, a church, a city, a nation, even the world must know when it’s being tested. God often used and still uses prophets to test a people; and while many in the church only operate in response, from the approach, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” While that is absolutely, scripturally correct and evident of God’s kind mercy; it is the bare minimum of what God requires of us: It does not render those exceeding, abundant blessings where God: “will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Consider Cain and Abel: though both gave; Abel’s gift came from a spirit of gratitude and reverence, while the selfish spirit from which Cain gave, ultimately, cost him his blessing: “God loves a cheerful giver.” Costlier, even more so than losing his blessing, was Cain’s forfeiture of his relationship with God, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD.” God’s presence means everything to me.
SO THEN,
(Deuteronomy 15:7-11) 7If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Despise not the Father’s instructions. Consider Cain and Abel in your giving.
BUT GOD, sets all things in order
AMEN
Commentary: I guess this more of a question than a comment. How can a nation issue an open invitation, even emblazoned on “it’s monument” to life and liberty; then get mad when people accept its’ invitation?
On a more personal note: I give thanks to God for my enemies, despite their evil intentions, God, not only used my situation to give, those who heeded His command, a chance to meet His criteria of giving, thereby earning reward by good works; He also gave me an unprecedented opportunity to add to my own treasury of good works by: caring for the elderly in a homeless shelter, feeding the hungry in a soup kitchen, praying for the sick in hospitals, witnessing to inmates in the jails, speaking as an advocate for the outcasts on the streets, and continuing to lift His name, through my testimony on this worldwide platform. These things He did before the whole world, in the physical presence of man and through my written testimony, that there be “a cloud witnesses.” Will I continue to write about these things? Yep! For Jesus said “I, and if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” Thank You LORD, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The Statue of Liberty
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name,
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
Emma Lazarus 1849 – 1887
(And again, “Lazarus come forth”)
(And again, “Lazarus come forth”)
We all have our little “guilty pleasures.” One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the television show, “Trading Spaces.” I could literally spend an entire Saturday watching a Trading Spaces marathon. After which, of course, I am then prepared to transform every room I enter (or so I think).
While the finished room is the ultimate reward, the transformation process is what captures and holds my attention. My favorite part of the show is the assignment segment. This is the part of the show where the supervising designer assigns homework to the participants, to complete in his/her absence. Sometimes the homework assignment seems easy enough; however, at other times, judging from the reaction of the assignees, it can sometimes appear to be quite strenuous. The designer has a vision of what he/she wants the room to look like, but the participants can’t always see it: this is especially true when Hildi is at the helm (LOL! just kidding, I love her, she brings the unexpected). Still, the designer always leaves the workers with instructions for completing the assignment. When the designer returns, and the finishing touches are added to the workers contribution, whether to the pleasure, or on occasion, displeasure of the homeowner, the completed work is unveiled.
When I think about it, from a Biblical standpoint, my affinity toward this show makes complete sense to me: In that it’s concept is arguably comparable to what is required of us as Christians. (I know it seems like I’m reaching, but stay with me) In the same way that assignment is given to the show’s contestants; Jesus, by declaring “The poor, you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want,” has likewise, given an assignment to His followers. While some people embrace this assignment as a fulfilling gift which serves to add to the God’s Kingdom; unfortunately, others view it as a problematic, unfair sacrifice, in that repayment from the recipient is unlikely. Yet, how many of us would have traded places with Jesus in fulfilling His assignment? We must run the race set before us. Jesus gave His very life that we may share in the His inheritance of “life everlasting;” and yet all He asks of us is to share our world’s goods (our stuff, which by the way, He also gave us; And we have the arrogance to balk?!) But, I guess it’s a matter of perception. The position of our heart and the perspective from which we approach our assignment will determine whether or not Jesus, the designer, THE DECISIVE VISIONARY, will be satisfied with our contribution to the finished work. The good news is that, just as the decorators on Trading Spaces provide instructions for their workers; before He went away, Jesus likewise provided comprehensive instructions for us:
(Matthew 25:32-46) 31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
MOREOVER,
A person, a church, a city, a nation, even the world must know when it’s being tested. God often used and still uses prophets to test a people; and while many in the church only operate in response, from the approach, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” While that is absolutely, scripturally correct and evident of God’s kind mercy; it is the bare minimum of what God requires of us: It does not render those exceeding, abundant blessings where God: “will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Consider Cain and Abel: though both gave; Abel’s gift came from a spirit of gratitude and reverence, while the selfish spirit from which Cain gave, ultimately, cost him his blessing: “God loves a cheerful giver.” Costlier, even more so than losing his blessing, was Cain’s forfeiture of his relationship with God, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD.” God’s presence means everything to me.
SO THEN,
(Deuteronomy 15:7-11) 7If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Despise not the Father’s instructions. Consider Cain and Abel in your giving.
BUT GOD, sets all things in order
AMEN
Commentary: I guess this more of a question than a comment. How can a nation issue an open invitation, even emblazoned on “it’s monument” to life and liberty; then get mad when people accept its’ invitation?
On a more personal note: I give thanks to God for my enemies, despite their evil intentions, God, not only used my situation to give, those who heeded His command, a chance to meet His criteria of giving, thereby earning reward by good works; He also gave me an unprecedented opportunity to add to my own treasury of good works by: caring for the elderly in a homeless shelter, feeding the hungry in a soup kitchen, praying for the sick in hospitals, witnessing to inmates in the jails, speaking as an advocate for the outcasts on the streets, and continuing to lift His name, through my testimony on this worldwide platform. These things He did before the whole world, in the physical presence of man and through my written testimony, that there be “a cloud witnesses.” Will I continue to write about these things? Yep! For Jesus said “I, and if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” Thank You LORD, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
I LIFT HIM UP!
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