Giving Back

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

– Luke 22:26

Over the past several years, companies have promoted their philanthropy — also known as giving back — to both drive sales and separate themselves from the competition. For example, during the 2018 holiday season, Subaru of America announced that it would donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at hundreds of its retailers nationwide. Customers could opt for the $250 to go to a popular cause including The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels America and the National Park Foundation. And in some cases, they could choose a hometown charity.

Giving back also goes hand-in-hand with being a Christ-follower. Indeed, we’re

called to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet on earth while we wait for his return — or at least until that day when he calls us back home. That means we’re to help prepare God’s kingdom by sharing the many gifts and talents he’s given us. And it’s in this way that we become a beacon of hope amidst the utter darkness of today’s so-called enlightened society.

“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise you Father in heaven.”

That’s how Jesus puts it in Matthew’s gospel. But what sort of light is he talking about? It’s really that spark or inner power that God grants each Christ-follower for demonstrating his goodness through their words and deeds. For example, we can shine a light and serve by running a much-needed errand for an elderly neighbor. We can help clean up a neglected school or a community park — or even work in a food pantry or visit the residents of a local assisted living community. Whether it’s down the street or across the globe, there’s no shortage of opportunities for giving back.

Why is the principle of service so important for Christ-followers?

“In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served,” Jesus explains. “He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Christ exemplified a service-focused life. So as his modern-day disciples, let’s do the same by turning our faith into action and giving back to the ones he called the least of these.

Whatever It Takes

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me
— the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

– Acts 20:24

The Super Bowl — one of the world’s most-watched sporting events — is just days away. Just what does it take to get there? The entire NFL schedule covers 333 games including 65 in the preseason, 256 regular-season match-ups, 11 playoff games and the Pro Bowl. And in addition to overcoming 17 weeks of hard-hitting competition, a ticket to The Big Game calls for intense discipline featuring countless hours of on-field practice, classroom study and game-tape reviews.   

Kurt Warner understands how discipline and perseverance make all the difference between a champion and a runner-up. The NFL Hall of Fame quarterback excelled in football, basketball and

baseball in high school, and even led his gridiron team to victory in Iowa’s Shrine Bowl. This success, however, didn’t translate into a big-name college scholarship. So for the next three seasons, Warner rode the bench at the University of Northern Iowa until his senior year. It was then that he guided his Panthers to an 8-3 record while garnering honors as Offensive Player of the Year.

Although Warner had talent, no NFL team picked him in the draft. So he stayed in shape and supported himself financially by stocking shelves in a supermarket. Before long, he joined an Arena Football team. And NFL scouts eventually noticed his abilities, but he was cut during tryouts for the Green Bay Packers. Warner finally broke through by starring in the NFL’s now defunct European League, and later signed a contract as the Los Angeles Rams' third-string quarterback. The following year, when the starter suffered a season-ending injury, Warner got his chance. And he responded by leading his team to a 13-3 record and an unlikely victory in the Super Bowl.

“People think this season is the first time I touched the football; they don’t realize I’ve been doing this for years — just not on this level — because I never got the chance,” Warner told reporters. “Sure, I had my tough times, but you don’t sit there and say, ‘Wow, I was stocking groceries five years ago, and look at me now.’ You don’t think about it, and when you do achieve something, you know luck had nothing to do with it.”

The Bible also endorses the value of discipline and training. For Christ-followers, that means developing and using our God-given gifts and talents to make a positive difference in our community and the world. For example, we’re called to explain the basis of our faith to anyone who asks us. But how can we answer questions from a neighbor or coworker if we don’t set aside time each day to read and study the Bible and know what we’re talking about? This type of spiritual discipline is also a great way to grow closer to God by developing the ability to listen for his voice. And in turn, it helps us to discern right from wrong when faced by those modern-day scenarios that are so rarely black or white.

Although the NFL wasn’t around 2,000 years ago, the sport of long-distance running was popular back then when the apostle Paul used it in 1 Corinthians to illustrate the value of spiritual discipline:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

It takes a disciplined regimen, and plenty of bruises along the way, to make it to the Super Bowl. Likewise, it takes discipline and endurance for Christ-followers to become the faith-driven champions God wants us to be.

The Company We Keep

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

– Proverbs 13:20

The saying goes that you can know someone by the company they keep.

How about for you? Are most of your friends other Christ-followers … and is your day filled with Bible studies, Gel Groups and Christian music? Or maybe you’re on the other end of the scale. Most of your friends don’t know about Jesus — or even know that you’re a Christ-follower. Of course, you might be somewhere in the middle — spending your time with believers and non-believers alike while serving as Christ’s hands and feet in the community. Jesus calls his followers in this third group the Salt of the Earth. And it’s through these special people that God’s kingdom grows by influencing those from all walks of life: from the rich and famous to the infamous and obscure.

That’s the way it’s been since Jesus invited his first follower over 2,000 years

ago in a remote outpost of the Roman Empire. And it’s unlikely that his disciples would have been chosen by any respectable rabbi of the day. After all, some were fishermen, one was a tax collector and another (Simon the Zealot) might be considered a terrorist by today’s standards.

Yet Jesus chose them anyway. And they changed the world. One of these Regular Joes was a fisherman named Peter. A flawed character by his own admission, Peter, like everyone, had his strengths and weaknesses. One of his darkest hours was when he three times denied even knowing the Savior — even after years of following Jesus and proclaiming him the Son of God! But after visiting Jesus’ empty tomb and later conversing with him after the Resurrection, Peter’s actions and words portrayed an utterly changed life and outlook.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter would soon preach to crowds of thousands, who we read were torn to the heart when he proclaimed that Jesus — the one they had crucified — was their long-awaited Messiah. Scripture reports that Peter’s words so disturbed the High Priest and the religious leaders that they demanded to know by what power the apostles dared to declare Jesus and the Resurrection:

“But when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,” we read in Acts, “they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Centuries later, Jesus continues to change the lives of those who seek and trust him. And his followers still come from all over. They work for insurance companies, supermarkets, fast food restaurants and banks. Others are homemakers, sales representatives, police officers and marketing executives. And still more are between jobs, retired or work part-time. But for all their differences, there’s a basic commonality: their fervent belief in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Families are fed, clothed and housed through their contributions and work in local food pantries, the Salvation Army and similar organizations. The sick are cured through the healing touch of healthcare professionals, who also happen to trust Jesus. Meanwhile, other Christ-followers teach the illiterate to read and the undereducated to gain critical job skills.

What’s obvious is that Jesus likes to mix it up! His Church — meaning all the Christ-followers on Earth — is a living, breathing entity of immense diversity. And it’s also a place where all races are present; a mingling of the rich, the poor and the middle class. But above all, it’s where everyone who seeks Christ and a changed life through him are welcome among the company we keep.

Just Live It

My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you?

— James 2:14

One of the fantastic benefits of being a Christ-follower is that our faith in Jesus assures us of a clean slate with God. Think about it — everything we’ve done wrong throughout our lives — none of it

will be held against us! All the pitiful ways we treated others, the lies we told and the potential we wasted over the years: it’s all forgiven because Jesus paid the penalty we deserve when he died for us on the cross.

What’s perhaps the most familiar passage in the Bible (John 3:16) sums it up:

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

It’s a wonderful promise, but let’s keep in mind that having faith in Jesus is more than an intellectual exercise. The reality is that becoming a Christ-follower should mean a tangible change in who we are, what we think … and especially what we do. It’s all about walking the talk, putting our faith in action and being doers of the Word.

The Book of James explains it this way:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Of course, we’re not saved because of any good deeds (“works”) we can do. If that were the case, it would be possible to earn our way to God’s acceptance. Our feeble efforts and good intentions are never enough. There’s nothing we can do except to follow God’s plan and accept his free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Rather than being saved BY our good works, our faith leads us to being saved FOR good works. It’s as Christ-followers that we’re to be his mouth, eyes, hands and feet in our community and around the world — and all to demonstrate God’s love in action. So with apologies to the famous Nike slogan, let’s Just Live it.