Conspire to Love

I'm on a blogging kick right now. Something that is really on my heart is this movement call Advent Conspiracy. If you have not heard about it I would encourage you to go and visit their website at www.adventconspiracy.org They are trying to unfold the true meaning of Christmas that we seem to have lost in our world today and specifically in America.

The reason I think that this is so powerful, not only to the world but to us that are on the faith journey together, is that Jesus almost directly speaks of this very need over 2,000 years ago.

In Matthew 10:40 Jesus says,

"We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing."

One simply thing like giving a cool cup of water makes us a true apprentice of Him. But an apprentice does not stop and in getting the basics of what the master is trying to teach, but he goes further and tries to understand the overarching meaning behind why the master is teaching this. I think Jesus wants us to stop thinking about ourselves and to start loving others deeply. I think that He would even say that He wants us to cure this water crisis that we have in the world today.

I was so convicted when I saw some of the videos on the AC website. I just wrote a check for $2,000 dollars to pay down my truck debt. When I saw this video and spoke with some people deeply involved in this movement I found out that $3,000 dollars would have rehabbed a well so that a whole village of people could have clean water for 7 years. 7 YEARS OF CLEAN, COOL WATER and I decided to pay off a truck for one! Does that sound like an apprentice to you? I would say no, and go so far as to say Hell No!

Never again God, let me think about my own needs and desires before the well being of the forgotten and overlooked. Teach me how to be your apprentice by starting to extend a hand with a cool drink of water.

How are we being His apprentices in this movement? How are we loving those in the world that are overlooked and forgotten? Are our hands extending a cool cup of water for those in need, or are we hording our riches to ourselves? God help us that we may be your apprentices!