Volunteering – Who Really Benefits?
December 29, 2009
By Duane CarebPresident RVchurchesUSA
Volunteering is very noble, necessary and noticeable. But have you ever considered who benefits more – the recipient of your efforts or you?
Wikipedia defines Volunteerism as the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain.
I love that definition because it is so succinct:
- Willingness of people – as in God’s will manifested through you. In Christianity, that’s referred to as submission to His will or following a Godly leading. A cause stirs within you that just won’t go away.
Soon, that leading develops into a passion for the cause. Time after time you are emotionally touched by this cause and soon find your self sincerely desiring to respond in some way which leads to ………
- Working on behalf of others – as in expelling an effort to be “used” to the degree that a personal sacrifice ensues. To volunteer means to go “beyond” the realm of the normal work load most of us execute because of financial needs, among other reasons.
It is during this stage of the definition that we joyfully grasp at any one of the “gifts” we each possess such as teaching, administrating, helping, leading and (yes) even following! Actually there are twenty three “spiritual gifts” described in the Bible that fit the bill for volunteering. We all have them – sometimes it takes the act of volunteering to bring them out which leads to ………
- Volunteering without being motivated by financial or material gain – as in not having any expectations of compensation (monetary or tangible) or acknowledgement.
To not expect anything in return for volunteering is the essence of submission mentioned earlier. Whether we processed the thought of serving others in some meaningful way for quite a while or made an impromptu decision based on the genuine passion of our heart, having realistic expectations – no compensation or acknowledgement – is the key to volunteering joyfully.
Regardless of the type organization you volunteer for – political, educational, medical, religious etc – I challenge you to serve with passion, excellence, intention, joy and an encouraging word.
There is a book I read almost every day that says it all: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Phil 2: 3-5 The book, of course, is the Bible which offers excellent guidance for all who desire to volunteer.
By volunteering one can gain experience in areas outside their “comfort zone”, help meet real needs of recipients, realize personal satisfaction putting other’s need ahead of their own and fulfilling a passion for a cause that requires personal sacrifice.
Try volunteering then evaluate who benefits most – the recipient or you!.
Got Fruit?
December 29, 2009
by Duane CarebPresident RVchurchesUSA Recently my good friend, John Imler – a regular author here on Marina Ministry Association – and author of It’s Never Too Late), emailed me a picture of this peach
tree in his back yard in California (where else?).
He was trying to entice Erika and me to return for another visit to his home. I must admit, I was stunned to see just how much fruit was remaining in that tree!
He told me that Ruth (his wife) and he had picked sweet nectar peaches that were juicy, plump and fuzzy. He raved on bragging that there were hundreds still hanging on the tree even though they harvested more than a hundred already. “John”, I said, “that has to be one incredible tree that continues to bear fruit even after you have plucked much from it!” He snickered and replied, “Seems like a spiritual message in itself, doesn’t it?”
My friend John was right – there is a biblical application regarding our worth to God as trees that continue to bear fruit even when we feel we have been picked apart by others.
If you’re anything like me when I’m “ministry spent” – drained or feeling depleted with no more to give – you have experienced a temptation to retreat from serving, encouraging or even being God’s showcase to others day after day. It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
John 15:8 relates Jesus’ own words for us while in Philippians 1:11 the Apostle Paul writes about bearing fruit for the Kingdom. What is the fruit of the spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 offers us encouragement by identifying specific Christ-like characteristics for us to consistently emulate – even when we are “spent” or exhausted.
Is your tree continually bearing fruit? What can you personally do to renew (grow) the fruits plucked from your spiritual-growth tree?
Like John’s peach tree, with God’s grace and a personal relationship with Jesus, we continue to bear fruit that is sweet, pleasant and encouraging to those who need to pluck them from our branches. We renew our fruit through the process of reading scripture, communicating with Jesus and, yes, even plucking the fruit from the tree of others to help us regain our perspectives.
Christianity No Longer America’s Default Faith?
December 29, 2009
as appeared on Barna Group
For much of America’s history, the assumption was that if you were born in America, you would affiliate with the Christian faith. A new nationwide survey by The Barna Group, however, indicates that people’s views have changed. The study discovered that half of all adults now contend that Christianity is just one of many options that Americans choose from and that a huge majority of adults pick and choose what they believe rather than adopt a church or denomination’s slate of beliefs. Still, most people say their faith is becoming increasingly important as a source of personal moral guidance.
Choosing a Faith
The survey shows half of Americans believe the Christian faith no longer has a lock on people’s hearts. Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agreed that Christianity is no longer the faith that Americans automatically accept as their personal faith, while just 44% disagreed and 6% were not sure.
Two-thirds of evangelical Christians (64%) and three out of every five Hispanics (60%) embraced that position, making them the groups most convinced of the shift in America’s default faith. The study also showed that residents of the Northeast and West were much more likely than those from the South and Midwest to assert that Christianity has lost its place as the first faith option people consider. People who said they are politically conservative, however, saw things differently than did the rest of the country: a slight majority of conservatives claimed that Christianity remains the natural choice of most Americans.
Faith and Moral Guidance
By an overwhelming margin – 74% to 23% – adults agreed that their religious faith was becoming even more important to them than it used to be as a source of objective and reliable moral guidance.
This perspective was championed by born again Christians: 91% concurred with the survey statement. In contrast, just two-thirds of the people who consider themselves to be Christian but are not born again (67%) embraced this view, and only four out of every ten Americans (39%) who do not affiliate with Christianity also said their faith has increasing influence on their moral judgments.
A sizeable majority of almost every subgroup of the population accepted this perspective as an accurate representation of their personal experience. African Americans were the ethnic group most supportive of the notion (84%). Conservatives (84%) were far more likely than either political moderates (70%) or liberals (65%) to agree – although comfortable majorities of those segments adopted the same view as conservatives.
Choosing Specific Beliefs
The United States has well over 200 different Christian denominations, a testimony to the historic importance people have attached to doctrinal accuracy. But things have changed dramatically in recent decades. The Barna survey underscored the fact that people no longer look to denominations or churches to offer a slate of theological views that the individual adopts in its entirety.
By a three to one margin (71% to 26%) adults noted that they are personally more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a particular church. Although born again Christians were among the segments least likely to adopt the a la carte approach to beliefs, a considerable majority even of born again adults (61%) has taken that route. Leading the charge in the move to customize one’s package of beliefs are people under the age of 25, among whom more than four out of five (82%) said they develop their own combination of beliefs rather than adopt a set proposed by a church.
Evidence of people’s willingness to part with church teaching was shown in other data from the survey regarding what people believe. Among individuals who describe themselves as Christian, for instance, close to half believe that Satan does not exist, one-third contend that Jesus sinned while He was on earth, two-fifths say they do not have a responsibility to share the Christian faith with others, and one-quarter dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
Implications of the Research
Asked to describe what the research means for American society today, researcher George Barna offered several insights.
- The Christian faith is less of a life perspective that challenges the supremacy of individualism as it is a faith being defined through individualism. Americans are increasingly comfortable picking and choosing what they deem to be helpful and accurate theological views and have become comfortable discarding the rest of the teachings in the Bible.
- Growing numbers of people now serve as their own theologian-in-residence. One consequence is that Americans are embracing an unpredictable and contradictory body of beliefs. Barna pointed out, as examples, that millions of people who consider themselves to be Christian now believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the lessons it teaches at the same time that they believe Jesus Christ sinned. Millions also contend that they will experience eternal salvation because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior, but also believe that a person can do enough good works to earn eternal salvation.
- In the past, when most people determined their theological and moral points of view, the alternatives from which they chose were exclusively of Christian options – e.g., the Methodist point of view, the Baptist perspective, Catholic teaching, and so forth. Today, Americans are more likely to pit a variety of non-Christian options against various Christian-based views. This has resulted in an abundance of unique worldviews based on personal combinations of theology drawn from a smattering of world religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam as well as secularism.
- Faith, of whatever variety, is increasingly viral rather than pedagogical. With people spending less time reading the Bible, and becoming less engaged in activities that deepen their biblical literacy, faith views are more often adopted on the basis of dialogue, self-reflection, and observation than teaching. Feelings and emotions now play a significant role in the development of people’s faith views – in many cases, much more significant than information-based exercises such as listening to preaching and participating in Bible study.
Why Do I Celebrate?
December 19, 2009
by John ImlerJohn is the author of It’s Never Too Late
As I enter this season when the refrain of love, joy, peace, and good will to all men is frequently heard—when everyone seems to be gushing out words of cheer and happiness—I ask myself “Why am I celebrating?” Perhaps I should ask “What or who am I celebrating?”
It is easy for us to get caught up in the festivities, to take it all in, and to allow ourselves to just go along with the crowd. To shop till we drop, to sign card after card, and to run hither and yon from open house to open house partaking of friendship and food and not ask ourselves “Why am I doing all of this?”
But I must ask myself, for I recall the truth that “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). So, though it is cliché, I must ask myself “What is the reason for this season?” Are these things, although not wrong, all that are calling me to celebrate?
No! This is the Season when we remember the coming of the Prince of Peace—the Season when we remember the Giver of Every Gift—the Season when we remember the Greatest Giver of Love to all mankind. It is the Season when we remember the One who truly brought Peace for all mankind.
Why do you celebrate this Season? I invite you to join me in celebrating this Season for its real reason.
If you have not accepted God’s Greatest Gift of Love, Peace, and Joy, consider Him above all else during this Christmas Season (John 3:16-18).
John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com
A Gift for Him
December 18, 2009
by John ImlerJohn is the author of It’s Never Too Late During this season we become obsessed with giving and exchanging gifts with family, friends and associates. However, I wonder how many of us are giving thought to what we will give the Giver of all gifts.
The words of the gospel song keep running through my mind. What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou who didst die for me. Shall I give less of what I possess, Or shall I give all to Thee?
Unfortunately, many will allow this glorious time of year to pass without thinking of giving a gift to Christ, the One who gave so very much for us. (John15:13)
From that starry night in Bethlehem’s manager to the cross on Calvary is a story of God’s constant giving gifts to man. While John 3:11 records the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem, their worshiping Him and presenting Him with gifts of great value, few other such gifts are recorded. That is fitting, since His entire mission of earth was to be the Giver of gifts.
Christ has asked us for a gift. He desires our love. He desires that our love be “not just a part or half of our heart” but that it be our all. He has commanded us in Matthew 22:37 to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind.
Most of us give some of our time, money, and talents feeling that we have fulfilled our obligation. However, it is the ALL that we have which troubles us. We are challenged in I Corinthians 10:23 that, while everything is permissible,” not everything is beneficial or constructive.” In verse 31 we are further challenged that “whatever you do, do it ALL to the glory of God.”
What will you give the Master at this time as we celebrate His birthday? Will it be part of yourself or will you say with the songwriter: “I will not hold time, talents or gold – For everything shall be Thine. I will give all to Thee.”
John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com
Is Jesus Glutten Free?
December 4, 2009
by Duane CarebPresident of RVchurchesUSA
When many of those same just-fed people caught up with Him there, Jesus declares they only followed Him to get more free bread and fish instead of seeking food that provides life-time spiritual nourishment that only comes from The Son of Man (John 6:26).
They countered that Moses once gave their ancestors bread (manna) from heaven while in the desert – “show us what you can do!” (John 6:30-31).
Jesus then blows them away by stating that the more important principle is that while Moses may have given them bread from heaven, God is offering them real Bread right then.
More physically hungry now, the crowd shouts, “Master, give us this bread now and forever!” (John 6:33-34)
That was the open door Jesus was looking for: He said is essence, “I am the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven. If you believe in Me and follow my ways, I will always hold on to you and never let go.” (John 6:35-40)
Imagine Jew’s response to Jesus’ declaration that he was sent from God in heaven! They knew Mary and Joseph, His parents – and they certainly weren’t from heaven. How could Jesus make a statement like that? (John 6:41-42)
Jesus then scorns them by saying that they are not in charge there, but it is God, through Jesus, who orchestrates what happens on Earth. Anyone, He says, who has spent time learning about Jehovah-God is then led to Jesus to experience the truth of Scriptures. This is because God has sent His Son to fulfill all promises that have been written in the Old Testament – give “living” bread and provide eternal life without death (separation from God). John 6: 43-51
Despite their confusion, Jesus continues to explain that by eating “my flesh and drinking my blood”, they enter into Him and become connected as He is to the Father. “Your ancestors..”, He said, “ .. ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live forever always!” (John 6: 56-58)
Many in my immediate family have a common medical condition referred to as gluten intolerance – predominantly found in bread. In essence, we are allergic to wheat or it’s derivatives.
But Jesus bring us Good News – we can eat all the Bread we want and we’ll never feel bloated, uncomfortable or have any negative or detrimental side effects!
Jesus is gluten free, indeed!
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