Do Something Hard

There are moments in our lives when we are given the opportunity to “put our money where our mouths are”. We go to church, we sit in Bible studies, we listen to Christian radio, we may even maintain a consistent devotional life.  These are all excellent and good for our spiritual development.

At First Students we spend loads of time encouraging our students to start and maintain these habits.

But what we’re talking about here is the “religion” of it all. Religion is the outward structure of faith. It’s the habits, rites, and liturgies that give form to what we believe. It helps us to feel part of a community and to be encouraged and supported in our faith.

But someone can be an active member of a religion and have no faith in the subject of that religion. They might find their place of belonging, and the actions of the people around them might communicate the story of the Gospel, but otherwise the spiritual expression of the rites of our religion falls flat.

Isaiah 29:13: Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me, and their reverence for me consists of tradition learned by rote…

So, what is it that gives spiritual value to our religion?

First, our religious rites and habits and liturgies have spiritual value for us when they are practiced from an inside-out expression of faith. When our hearts and our actions are aligned in adoration of our Creator, that is a beautiful moment of worship that brings maximum value and impact in our lives. This is why we spend so much time helping our students understand the basics of our faith, so when we sing deep lyrics about what Christ did for us, they resonate to our core. When we hear compelling preaching that reveals the deep things of Scripture, it clicks in our minds and encourages us through the week. When we wake up 15 minutes early to spend time in meditation and prayer, it’s not from external compulsion, but an internal desire to know God and be known by Him.

Second, our religious liturgies hold spiritual value when they ultimately lead to a reflection of Grace and love to the vulnerable and oppressed in our communities. “Pure and undefiled religion”, James tells us, “in the sight of our God and Father is this, that we visit the orphan and widow in their distress, and keep ourselves unstained by the world.” This is why we emphasize loving our neighbors well at FBCLS. This is why we’re invested in Tabitha ministries, Lee’s Summit Social Services, Hillcrest, and so many other local and global ventures geared toward meeting the physical and spiritual needs of hurting and marginalized people.

But even with our church so intertwined in these ministries, it’s easy for us as church members to soothe our consciences by claiming corporate involvement by giving money to the general budget to fund them (or even throw in a little extra from time to time) without getting our hands dirty through direct involvement with the people we claim to care for.

So, what is it that gives spiritual value to supporting these ministries?

First, when this activity of giving or involvement comes from an inside-out expression of faith.

Second, when they ultimately lead to a personal reflection of Grace and love to the vulnerable and oppressed in our communities.

For the next few weeks our students will be planning a “get your hands dirty” kind of community involvement that will hopefully be an expression of their inner faith, and an ongoing reflection of Grace and love to people within our community.

We’re calling it, “DO SOMETHING HARD”.