Let there be no mistake, my life has been completely changed by the act of acknowledging the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as my only hope of reconciliation with God. Here are just a few ways that Jesus has changed me.
1.My relationship with people
This should e an obvious one. The way I view people has been utterly changed since becoming a Christ-follower. I now view each person as someone with incredible value—being made in the image and likeness of God, even the guy that punched me in the eye back in eighth grade when I made fun of his sweater. If I had it to do over again I would not make the comment. Not because it would help me avoid a black-eye but because it offended God. The way I treat people has been forever changed by knowing Christ.
2.My relationship with the environment
Yes, it’s true. I would not consider myself an environmentalist in the least. I would consider myself someone that has been charged, by God, to care for the environment. I choose not to litter because it helps care for creation. I choose to recycle because it honors God. I choose use energy saving light bulbs because it honors God—not because it decreases my “carbon footprint”.
3.My relationship with money
I view money differently than I did in my pre-Christ days. Money is something that God has entrusted to me. That means I need to use it in a way that reflects the wishes of its true owner. That means 10% goes to the church. That means taking care of my family’s needs. That means getting out of debt. That means a whole lot of things. Again, the motivation is not to get rich or anything like that. The motivation is to honor God with my actions and my resources. That will likely mean having what I need, when I need it—because God is a faithful God. Think about what this world would look like if more people followed God’s plan for care and use of relationships, the environment, and money. I have a feeling that we would be in a different place. I know I still have a lot of room to grow, but I am convinced that if Christians would think through what God has to say about these three areas of life we would see a different world.
That is what LIVEº is all about—helping people gain a better view of God’s perspective on the use of resources. That is why we are sending teams to parts of the world that are suffering because of an absence of a godly view of resources.
