Jesus - Invitation or Innovation?

For many people Jesus was simply a teacher of moral innovations and an agent of change.  Many people give Jesus credit as one of history’s most influential moral forces and innovators. Attributing to Jesus any power or sustainability beyond his ideias and innovations does not fit the modern view of Jesus. He died, they say, but his ideias and innovations live on among all the other competing ideias and innovations.

People who see Jesus in this way have never come to grips with the Jesus of history or the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible and history never called people to his ideas and innovations. and he never said he was an innovator ready to compete.

Jesus called people to Himself not  to His ideias.  In fact, He did not traffic in ideas or innovations. He stated facts over which he claimed to have total authority given to Him from His Father. He was singularly focused on His own facts as the facts that matter.

Perhaps to best way to see Jesus is as a personal, loving invitation given  to each of us written in flesh and blood.  Everything Jesus said and did is an invitation to us to come home to the original idea the Creator has always had for humanity which is Jesus.  Jesus embodied this original human ideal and turned it into a personal invitation to live Him.

One does not evaluate the ideas of an invitation. One evaluates the one who invites.  Take a good look at Jesus. See Him and listen closely to Him.  If He appears to be generous, loving and caring, say ´yes´ to His invitation.  There will never be a better one that comes to us.  He is the God we all hoped exists!

Bud McCord

Abide International

Generosity

A Christian who is walking in the Spirit of Christ is generous.  The Spirit of Christ in every believer is a river of generous living water.  A Christian does not have to create or sustain this river of generosity.  The Christian must believe Jesus within is the source of this river and simply release the river of generosity.

Human generosity exists because Jesus exists.  Jesus and generosity are one and the same.  The Christian and generosity should also be one and the same.

Generosity and sin do not mix.  They are opposites.  Sin is afraid to be generous.  Sin is concerned with acumulating and taking.  Generosity is open and unafraid.  Generosity always believes the source named Jesus will never run out of resources.

All of the metaphors Jesus used to describe the kind of human life and behavior the Father desires are metaphors of generosity.  Light is generous.  Salt is generous. Seeds are generous.  Sheep are generous.  Even children are happilly generous when deeply loved.

If we want to witness to others about who Jesus is, we would do well to begin with acts of generosity and then speak generous words.

“Preach the Gospel always and when necessary use words.”  These words attributed to Francis of Assisi are a good place for generous Christians to start. Perhaps we can also say “Be continuouly generous. When the right moment comes explain with words that Jesus is the source of your generosity.”

Walk in the Spirit and you will walk in generosity.  Sooner or later someone will want to know where your generosity comes from.

Bud McCord

Abide International