Do I Care About the World? - Pastor Ed
How much do I really care? On several different topics in many different situations we tend to have an opinion. Sometimes that opinion is voiced loudly with authority and sometimes with just a passing thought. Over the past several months while being involved in conversations and seeing Facebook posts and discussions, I wonder how much people really care about the things they comment on or argue about. Often I believe our level of caring is reduced to offering an opinion or making a complaint. Do I care enough to do something?
For me, this meant to truly search my heart. In a spiritual sense, how much I care begins with my relationship with God. How can I care about the things happening around me if I care little about my relationship with Him? I often pray that I can see the world through the eyes of God. In order to do this I must seek Him and know Him. So I had to ask myself the question, do I care about my sin? In my Bible reading time, I just finished reading I and II Kings. As the kings are introduced, the author either states “They did right in the sight of the Lord,” or “They did evil in the sight of the Lord.” These were heart issues. Sin comes from the desire of my heart. We must be more passionate about our relationship with God than about anything else in our lives.
As I think on all the hot issues of our world and as I ponder my relationship with God I have to wonder what role I play. The political climate, abortion, racism, poverty, sexual orientation, and violence in the world are just some of these issues. If I truly care about these issues, then I must see the people involved through the eyes of God and be willing to invest myself in them. Do I care enough to offer more than an opinion or argument? Do I care enough to offer my time, money, and/or energy to personally be part of an answer?
Each of us has to decide for ourselves what our role is in whatever area that God leads us to be involved in. Here is my prayer: God, help me to care about the things you care about. Give me your passion, your eyes, and your heart for the people around me. Direct me to those that I can personally invest in. My desire is to be your hands and feet. I don’t want to be empty chatter, but a willing vessel for you. Help me to seek you. I desire to be broken for my sin and the sins of my community. Help me to be an answer to this prayer.
-- Pastor Ed