IS BEING SAVED ENOUGH?

That's the question God has laid on my heart. I am a born again Christian, I love Jesus, I know without doubt that I am going to Heaven. I am a member of a wonderful Spirit filled Bible based church. Until recently I thought that was good enough.  I have been feeling the urgings of the Holy Spirit telling me it's not enough.  It's all fine and good that I am going to Heaven, but who am I going to take with me?  What am I going to say to Him when He asks me why I just sat around waiting for Heaven when there were so many lost souls and so much suffering?  I am a daughter of the Most High God.  Would He have me be content with my own salvation while the prince of darkness devours those in my circle of influence? There is so much pain, despair and darkness all around us.  In a small community like the one I live in it's not always glaringly obvious, but it's there nonetheless.  There are hurting people all around us.  There is lack all around us.  Abuse is happening all around us.  Addictions are being fed all around us.  So I put to you the same question that God has laid on my heart.  Did Jesus suffer unspeakable agony, unbearable pain, humiliation and the separation from His Father and death on the cross so that we could just hang out and wait for Heaven?  He is calling us for so much more!  There are 100,000 children every year in this country, THIS COUNTRY, who are involved in  human trafficking! There are homeless people living on our streets, children going to bed cold and hungry.  We may not be able to go to some of these places of need, but we can give money to those who can. I know, I used the same excuse.  I can't afford to give more.  Let me gently  remind you as the Lord has reminded me.  It's not our money, it's His. We have so much because he generously gave it to us. He expects us to give to the Kingdom of Heaven.   There is so much in our own communities that we can do.  Deliver food to the elderly, volunteer at a shelter or nursing home, bring someone to church, just be a blessing to others, shine your light into the darkness any way you can and at every opportunity.   
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So, I ask again...Is being saved enough?

A CALL TO ACTION

I recently attended a 2 day Women's Conference with Lisa Bevere entitled Moving Forward.  She is an awesome woman of God!  The jist of her message  was a call to action to the women of the Church...God's Church, the Body of Christ.  A call to actively do something!  The fact is that God has called each of us to do more than to love him.  We are to love one another.   Jesus gave us a just one new commandment before he left:
³⁴"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:34-35
It's easy for us to say that we love our neighbors, actually pretty easy to do when our kids play together, we chat with each other over our picket fences, they water our flowers for us when we are on vacation, invite us to BBQ's, we watch the big game together. But what if... our neighbor is a prostitute or gay or infected with AIDS?  What if he's an addict, is elderly, or a poor widow with children, homeless, fatherless, lonely, destitute, abused, hungry?  Those are the neighbors Jesus was referring to.  Not such a pleasant thought now, is it?   Look around you.  No, I mean really look!  Most of us try not too look to closely.  It's uncomfortable.  Easier to look the other way.  After all, what can we do? We are just one person, right?   WRONG! Together we are many.  Not every one was called to the mission field in a 3rd world country .  We have our own mission field right here in America, our own backyard.  My goal with this blog is to bring to light the needs all around us.  We can do what God has called us to do one person at a time, one family at a time, we can right one wrong at a time.  Let's start a chain reaction of love! 

I'm asking you to look around your community and see the needs.  Decide what you can do and take action.  It could be as simple as visiting someone in a nursing home, reporting suspected abuse when your tendency is to "not get involved, it's none of my business".  Well darnit, it's God's business, so it's your business!  I'm asking you to pray fervently about it.  Ask God to show you what he wants you to do, to open your eyes to see where you can make a difference.  Because if we would get off our butts and take action, just do something, we can make a difference.  I hope you will think long and hard about what you can do. I hope you will continue reading this blog and be inspired.  I hope you will share it with as many people as you can.

The Call to Action God placed in my heart is to start a revolution to uncover places of darkness in our communities and bring them into the light.  Light overcomes darkness every time.  It must!  I hope you will be inspired to leave a comment about the needs in your community.  Let us know what you do to show love in your community, and what your call to action for the sake of others will be.  Let's be accountable to each other.  Take action this week and let us know about it!
 
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Shine your light in the darkness.
God Bless You,
Celene Harrelson