Devotion 9.15.15

Thriving organizations - private, public, non-profit - are organizations that understand their mission and act on that mission daily.  We know there are characteristics that separate a thriving organization above others that are merely good, satisfactory, or maybe even better than good.  Thriving organizations seek a sense of societal well-being as part of their fabric of who they are.  Consequently, thriving organizations give back to the community in significant ways, and you can think of many examples of companies and organizations big and small that leave a positive footprint on the landscape through their donations, their matching fund drives, and their giving of employee time and effort to a cause.

With that, a church would be a logical body that would do just those things, wouldn't it?  Believe it or not, the biggest chasm I've witnessed within churches personally is a divide over the purpose of the church.  Are we here for members, or are we here for non-members?  Great churches, like great organizations, realize the church is here to be a part of the community while conducting the tenets of faith (teaching, preaching, sacraments) for the purpose of preparing members to go out into the mission fields.  It really isn't either/or.  It actually is "all of the above."

Solomon reminds us in Proverbs, "Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered."  (21:13)  Throughout that Proverb, Solomon strikes the theme of doing "God's will."  "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.  To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." (21:1 - 3)  We may argue, at times, about the role of the church in our lives and others, but God's Will will be done.

Christ says it this way, "But when you give to the needy, do not let you  left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that you giving may be in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:3 - 4)  Christ also reminds us in Matthew 7, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (12)

Charity, mission, outreach are a part of who we are as Christians, and it must be done in balance within our faith lives.  Our mission field workers returned safely from Uganda, learning from the Lutheran Christians in Uganda and supporting their efforts with work in infrastructure and financial support (buildings for schools, seminary, church, wells, etc.).  We don't do so to gain favor in God's eyes, but we do so as an extension of ourselves. Like thriving organizations, we hope to do so to see beyond our walls of our church and give to our community locally and throughout the world.

Pray for our mission in Uganda and pray that our efforts spread God's Word.  Pray we learn from the Ugandans as they also teach us about faith and its application in our daily lives.

Hope Men's Ministry