becoming something better

Perhaps you've heard the old saying, "God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to leave you that way."  Sounds trite, I'm sure.  But there is profound truth in that little saying.  And that truth is at the root of what we talked about on Sunday - the two different kinds of people represented in the judgment story we call, "The Sheep and the Goats."

After the division on Judgment Day, those who had cared for the poor and the needy were welcomed into eternal life.  Those who failed to care for them were sent away to eternal punishment (Mt 25.46).  Both were loved by God, but only one group had entered into a relationship with him to the extent that they allowed his grace to transform them into something more and something better.

As we care for "the least of these" Jesus mentions, their lives will be changed.  As we sponsor children through Covenant Kids Congo or reach out to those in need next door, I believe that lives, households and entire societies can be changed.  In addition, however, I believe it is equally true that we too will be changed.  Becoming the kind of people that care for the least of these as a way of life is as good for us as it is for those to whom we minister.

Our hard work and generosity towards the needs of others are not prerequisites for salvation or for God's love at work in our lives.  Not at all.  But they do play a part in helping us become the kind of people God wants us to become.  The disciplines of generosity and service toward others are ways in which we cooperate with God's Spirit and Grace, not only to create a more just and loving world, but to become more just, loving and godly people.

I pray this week you make the time to cooperate with God's grace and Spirit, that you will become more of the person longs to see you become.  Amen.