It’s so amazing when you go to church on Sunday and hear that sermon you’ve been needing all week. This morning sermon was like that. Even though the main subject of the sermon was selfishness and generosity, there were many more lessons to be learned from our Genesis 13 passage. At the end of the sermon Pastor Jeff gave 5 applications.
1. In your spiritual journey, try to become more dependent on God and less dependent on people. I love my life in Greeley, and I have made so many amazing Christian friends at college. The problem is that I get very attached to them, and it’s hard for me when I move back home for summertime. This summer has been especially hard as I have been realizing that I will only be living with my friends for another year and then life will be much different after I graduate. Although it is a blessing to have so many close friends, it is not good to become too attached to them and cease trusting in God. It has been a worry on my mind the past couple of weeks trying to imagine what it will be like after college. The problem is that I’m WORRYING about something that hasn’t even happened yet. Instead I need to trust that God will provide for my every need in every season of life.
2. People of faith go to great lengths to be peacemakers. Sometimes it’s so easy to be selfish and demand what is rightfully yours. Abram showed us in Genesis 13 that keeping the peace is the godly thing to do in a situation like this. It is our natural tendency to go to great lengths to get what we want when Christ teaches the opposite. Last night I was feeling angry at someone (really for no reason at all). This application point made me realize that I need to reconcile the “wrong” and not cause conflict in a relationship just because I did not get my way.
3. Be generous–let others have the first and the best and then trust God to take care of you. This point really opened my eyes. Sometimes it’s very hard to be generous because you feel as if you need to also take care of yourself. There are times when God calls us to be generous with the gifts He has given us and to trust Him to provide for our every needs afterwards. I want to strive to be selfless in every aspect, putting others above myself.
4. The greener grass is not always what it’s cracked up to be. It is so easy for me to see that the world’s view is to strive for the “greener grass.” As much as I love country music, it’s hard for me to always fully embrace it because I find that so often the message is in the world’s view. The song I’m thinking of in particular is Tim McGraw’s song about living where the green grass grows. I love the fiddling and the rhythm of the song, but if you really listen to the lyrics, it is the view of the world. He sings about living “where the green grass grows” and basically living the best and easy life. But if you strive to live “where the green grass grows” you will never be happy because once you acquire one thing that you think will make you happy, you see something else that you want. I also watched The Pursuit of Happyness last night. Overall, I liked the movie, but again, the main theme was that riches will make you happy. The main character, Chris lived homeless with his son for most of the movie. In the end he finally got a good job, and the movie ended with the portrayal that this made him “happy.” Because the movie was inspired by a true story, it went on to say that this man eventually became a millionaire. So he acquired success and riches in life…but these things do not save you for eternity. Pastor Jeff said this morning that “there’s always some brown in the greenest of grasses.” Acquiring riches and success may seem like green grass, but these things become idols in a person’s life and take their focus away from the Lord Jesus Christ, who should always be first.
5. Choices have real consequences, therefore, pray, seek wise counsel, and be cautious before you act. One thing I have already been learning this summer is patience. This is something I’m sure everyone struggles with, especially in a fast-paced world like the one we live in. But in life we much look beyond the present gratifications and pleasures and beware of the causes and effects things will have on our lives. Patience is a big part of living as we pray and wait on the Lord. The Our Daily Bread today was on the times that we fall. As humans, it is inevitable that we will fall, but it is what we learn from these times that is most important. When we fall, we learn to be more cautious in living and trusting in God for our every need.