Full Pockets & Priorities^{0}

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” -Matthew 6:24

This morning I’m still thinking about Summer Gathering last night. (June 16th)
We divide into four different discussion groups and go over the questions in our booklet and then add questions on the fly when they add to the discussion.

Last night as students considered up-coming decisions they will be making soon something interesting happened. Included in their list of concerns were: what college to go to, how to pay for college, what career to pursue, who to marry, when to wed, what electives to take next year, what extracurriculars to do, where to work and various other things.

What I never heard and what I challenged them to consider is the question, “How can I best serve Christ’s Church?” I made clear I didn’t simply mean, “How can you serve Redeemer?” or “How can you serve Oak Hills?”, but the Church in a wider sense. They confirmed the never considered this in any decisions. It’s just left me wondering.

How can we, students and adults alike, who profess faith in Christ worry about so many things in this world and never consider how we are serving?

Why are we not asking, How can my life be poured out for the Glory of Christ?

How can I plan my schedule this fall so that I can meet with so and so to go through such and such book for our mutual growth in Christ?

Can I get off work this Monday to help that family in my church move?

How much could I donate to the HCA scholarship fund if I cut out Starbucks this week for cheaper coffee?

I asked if they realized the place that church often plays in our lives. Most often we see what else is going on in our life and if no sports, movies, or parties, TV shows or concerts are planned then we will totally go to Bible study or come to a service project.

The idea is not that I expect a person or family to be at everything Redeemer does, but I would say how you decide what your family is involved in communicates more to your children and reveals more of ourselves than mere verbal statements that say, “church is important.”

Every summer we have students who don’t come to RiverRanch because they work. I’ll admit, I really hate to hear that.

It’s not because I care about numbers. This is why: I know that they will make about $200 during that week if they don’t come to camp. I also know that camp costs nearly $300. That’s a $500 impact on their budget which is a lot of money.

Here is why it bothers me. I’ve yet to see a case where that $500 is needed to support their family, it’s not used to care for anyone. Mostly likely it will be used on gas money, insurance premiums, maybe college education (about 26 minutes of college education), iTunes purchases, fast-food, new clothes, smart phones and many other things that really aren’t that important. (These are all fine purchases, just not necessary.)

Camp is fun, it’s goofy, but it’s also time away from daily life, it’s time away from Facebook and twitter and video games and television. Camp schedules a week for students that puts them alone in the Word of God to begin the day and schedules evenings where they are challenged in God’s Word in teaching.

At camp we pray together, eat together, share living space, ride for hours in a bus and many hours in canoes (often sunken canoes) with brothers and sisters in Christ. It builds into the lives of teenagers a connection to others who, like them, are pursuing a life that orbits around the person and value of Jesus Christ.

So I do see a week at camp as more important than extra cash in your pocket. If nothing else this is beginning a pattern in your life as a Christian determining what real priorities are.

The question of priorities is one for all of us. Laura and I have to re-evaluate our priorities on a regular basis. When we don’t (and that happens often) my concern becomes how do I get more time for myself? More time for video games, movies, just relaxing. How do I free up more money for gadgets, entertainment, bicycles, home improvements, eating out, soccer stuff? What worthless waste.

What I want to be asking is how can I get more time to serve and love people at Oasis?

How can I get more time to meet with students and point them to Christ?

How can I free up more money to help so and so pay for school or to buy great books for people or to help Redeemer pay down the debt or to give to that missionary in India or South Africa who is passionately taking the gospel to faraway lands?

We must evaluate our hearts, we must consider texts like Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

We need to honestly ask ourselves, Who is my heart bowing to? Before making decisions ask the same question, Who is my heart bowing to?

And when we find our hearts are bowing to anyone but Christ the King we must go to God in prayer and plead that He will give us right passions for God alone as the supreme joy of our lives.