Lost Generation

I listened to a powerful message at Church tonight. Watch this video:



So which generation are you?
Our society has become a reflection of the first half of the video. And many are worried about the current state of our country and economy. So who is going to fix it? And who do we place our hope in? The government?
Regardless of your political affiliation, it should be apparent that if we place our hope in the government, we're bound to be disappointed. So then where do we find hope in times like this.
Our hope is to be in Jesus, and with that hope, we know that no matter how 'bad' our economy gets, He will provide for us.
If we pick our head up and look around the world, we realize how good we really have it. While things are down right now, and people are losing jobs and houses, we still have a better standard of living than most of the world.
The message centered around Matthew 26:6-19, where Mary anoints Jesus with a bottle of expensive perfume. The apostles were "indignant", in other words, ticked, that Mary 'wasted' the expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus. They simply grumbled and complained about how much good that money could have done. But Mary understood something that the apostles don't seem to grasp at this point: Jesus was about to die. Mary understood this and was showing her devotion to Jesus by anointing Him, part of the Jewish custom preparing Him for burial. But I think she understood more than His impending death. She understood that He was the Messiah.
Judas, on the other hand, was so ticked, that he goes out and sells Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver.
So many Christians sit behind their pews and complain about how other churches operate, and others complain about their own church, or complain about all of the injustices in the world, but never do anything about it. Instead of complaining about our church, we need to understand that it's not about us. If you don't like the music, or the message, or the ministries, then who are you focusing on. There's no doubt that we need to have our souls fed while we gather as the church, but the point of the church isn't for our gratification. It's for worshiping God. So instead of complaining, go out and do something. Go out and find a lost soul within your line of site, and help them. Love them where they're at, just as they are. No preaching, or evangelizing. Who wants to be evangelized? Just do something to better their situation. Love them like Jesus did. Jesus never "evangelized" anyone. He always loved them where they are at, just as they were. And through that love he convinced them to turn from their sins and to them.

We are a great nation. We're arguably the most blessed nation on earth right now. But to whom much is given, much is required. And instead of just watching the world go by and complain about how bad it is, and ask "Why does God allow bad things to happen?", we need to do something about it. God gave us clear instructions for our responsibilities, when he described those who will get into heaven, those who will not. And for those who profess to be christian, we have been given some responsibilities:

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Matthew 25:34-40
It's up to each one of us to make a difference. It's up to us to no longer look the other way when we see the homeless, the hungry, the naked, widows, or those in prison. God had given us the gifts, blessings, abilities and resources. It's up to us to go and use them to bless people. It's time for us to stop asking why God isn't acting, and for us to start acting. God acts through us. So when we feel God isn't acting, it's because we are not acting.

So which generation are we going to be? The Generation that doesn't care about anyone but themselves, but really likes to complain about everyone else, or the generation that's going to reverse the trend, and start making a difference in people's lives by being the hands and feet of Jesus?

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
And we do that by serving others.