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Man in the Mirror
Tue, Jul 14 2009 07:03
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You couldn't possibly have avoided the recent media attention surround Michael Jackson's death, even if you lived somewhere outside our solar system. We heard fans raving about his songs, his music, and the effect on their lives until we couldn't bear it any more.
That only took a couple of minutes for me, I'll admit. Perhaps you are more tolerant or a bigger MJ fan.
Despite my cynicism, I couldn't help going around humming Michael Jackson songs. Probably because I'd heard them playing on the radio or the television, and Michael's career took off when I was just starting to listen to pop music. This one got stuck in my head:
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways,
And no message could have been any clearer:
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.
As I hummed it and then sang the lyrics out loud, I started to think about what the song was saying. No, I really thought about it. ‘What does that mean?' I asked myself. ‘Can we, as individuals, even try to make the world a better place? Does the improvement of society depend on one or two people trying to make a difference?'
It was this passage in the Bible that brought my thoughts into some sense of clarity. I've added the bold print myself:
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25
The change we so desire – the one we hope that somehow we can effect on the world – is a conscious decision. The question is not whether or not we can make a difference, if there is really any message for us to tell the world, or if what we as Christians have to do is important.
It's not enough to long for change, to hope for it, talk about it, or even empower others to do it. We have to act.
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.
S. Pierce
Peace in the storm
Mon, Jun 8 2009 01:48
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Have you ever wanted peace in the midst of life's storms? If so, you appreciated Major Clay's message on Sunday.
Reading from 1 Kings 19, we were reminded of the way God spoke to the prophet Elijah.
I thought of the words of an old songster piece:
“Not in the storm, nor yet in the earthquake,
here do but whisper, and I will obey.”
But the secret is the relationship. Elijah had a special one with his Lord – a relationship that was built in spending time with God, one on one.
Don't forget to take time every day this week to be still with God.
Share a moment with him, or better yet, an hour, and get to know God better.
And let Him get to know you, too.
