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Musical Chairs
By Carisa Long Sanders
In trying to come up with a subject for this article in my own “self” I found it difficult with so many things in this world today encompassing our beliefs which in turn fuel our actions. I prayed for God to show me what to write. I was waiting for Him to call me on the phone and say this is it. Needless to say that didn’t happen . But around 1 am in the morning while I was in bed falling asleep this is what The Holy Spirit spoke to me for this article.
The title musical chairs seems childish but it’s appropriate as many adults act childish. Not just any adults but God’s own children. Close your eyes and envision a group of adults walking around a group of chairs waiting for the music to stop one person out of the group will be left standing without a chair. Finally, in the end there will be two people standing and one chair left. As the music stops and the two remaining begin to sit in the last chair one of them snatches the chair from under the other one sits in the chair and shouts “I won, I won” all the while looking at their teammate on the floor.
While this game may seem innocent if it was a group of real children the rightful winner would've won instead as adults we tend to be more selfish and scheming so we snatch the chair from the rightful winner. In today's church it's no longer about loving your brother as yourself it's about me. When the love of God should be more alive today than ever among Gods children we seem to have lost the basic principle of our Christianity altogether and that is Jesus and His example of loving one another by Him sacrificing Himself on the cross.
Jesus said how can we say we love God if we do not love our neighbor (1 John 4:20). It is one thing to say we love our neighbor out of our mouth but it is another thing to love our neighbor in our hearts. In Luke, Jesus said “why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46). The key word here is “do” we as Christians love to talk a good game and we often expect the best of others but fail miserably at giving the best ourselves.
I was sitting in a women's breakfast meeting at church while my pastor was teaching on the submissive wife and a godly woman. He made the statement “you can win the argument and still lose with God”. This statement hit me like a ton of bricks because the title of this article is really what this statement is all about. We are the bride of Christ we are called to be submissive to one another in love as brothers and sisters in Christ. The musical chairs is the argument the real winner is left on the floor and the person who thinks they won the argument actually took the chair and lost with God.
When it comes to the word of God it's never about right and wrong it's always about love and truth. The word of God needs no defense it’s like a lion let it go and it can defend itself. Truth without love is hypocrisy. The reason behind telling the truth is because we love. The reason Jesus died on the cross for us is because God loves us. We will never win with God at the expense of our neighbor's downfall. You may be the first one to the finish line but that doesn't make you the winner. If you are the last one to the finish line but carrying your neighbor on your back you win with God and He is your only audience.
Love and humbleness go together. In (1 Peter 5:6) we are instructed to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall exalt us in due time. While I love this Scripture as Christians we should not want to be exalted. All we do should be to exalt the name of the Lord. Our actions, our talk, and our hearts should be to bring glory to God. When we don’t treat each other in love and mercy we are not exalting the name of the Lord. We are to see one another in the same eyes that God sees us through the eyes of Jesus. If not we are acting like adults playing a game of musical chairs.
Carisa is a volunteer ministry counselour & mentor for womens facilities, Bible study groups, chapels, shelters & prisons. Focusing on recovering substance abuse and abused women.
The director of (Homeless People Matter to Jesus). Where basic needs of food, clothing and the Gospel are given to those on the streets.
Carisa's husband is a Minister of the Gospel & founder of Homeless People Matter to Jesus.
Carisa attends: Word Of Life Counseling Training Institute Wichita, KS
contact:
Po Box 65757
Orange Park, Fl 32065
carisasanders@comcast.net
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/?sk=ru#!/profile.php?id=100000173512308
Homeless People Matter to Jesus
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=140912812597220&ref=mf
The title musical chairs seems childish but it’s appropriate as many adults act childish. Not just any adults but God’s own children. Close your eyes and envision a group of adults walking around a group of chairs waiting for the music to stop one person out of the group will be left standing without a chair. Finally, in the end there will be two people standing and one chair left. As the music stops and the two remaining begin to sit in the last chair one of them snatches the chair from under the other one sits in the chair and shouts “I won, I won” all the while looking at their teammate on the floor.
While this game may seem innocent if it was a group of real children the rightful winner would've won instead as adults we tend to be more selfish and scheming so we snatch the chair from the rightful winner. In today's church it's no longer about loving your brother as yourself it's about me. When the love of God should be more alive today than ever among Gods children we seem to have lost the basic principle of our Christianity altogether and that is Jesus and His example of loving one another by Him sacrificing Himself on the cross.
Jesus said how can we say we love God if we do not love our neighbor (1 John 4:20). It is one thing to say we love our neighbor out of our mouth but it is another thing to love our neighbor in our hearts. In Luke, Jesus said “why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46). The key word here is “do” we as Christians love to talk a good game and we often expect the best of others but fail miserably at giving the best ourselves.
I was sitting in a women's breakfast meeting at church while my pastor was teaching on the submissive wife and a godly woman. He made the statement “you can win the argument and still lose with God”. This statement hit me like a ton of bricks because the title of this article is really what this statement is all about. We are the bride of Christ we are called to be submissive to one another in love as brothers and sisters in Christ. The musical chairs is the argument the real winner is left on the floor and the person who thinks they won the argument actually took the chair and lost with God.
When it comes to the word of God it's never about right and wrong it's always about love and truth. The word of God needs no defense it’s like a lion let it go and it can defend itself. Truth without love is hypocrisy. The reason behind telling the truth is because we love. The reason Jesus died on the cross for us is because God loves us. We will never win with God at the expense of our neighbor's downfall. You may be the first one to the finish line but that doesn't make you the winner. If you are the last one to the finish line but carrying your neighbor on your back you win with God and He is your only audience.
Love and humbleness go together. In (1 Peter 5:6) we are instructed to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall exalt us in due time. While I love this Scripture as Christians we should not want to be exalted. All we do should be to exalt the name of the Lord. Our actions, our talk, and our hearts should be to bring glory to God. When we don’t treat each other in love and mercy we are not exalting the name of the Lord. We are to see one another in the same eyes that God sees us through the eyes of Jesus. If not we are acting like adults playing a game of musical chairs.
Carisa is a volunteer ministry counselour & mentor for womens facilities, Bible study groups, chapels, shelters & prisons. Focusing on recovering substance abuse and abused women.
The director of (Homeless People Matter to Jesus). Where basic needs of food, clothing and the Gospel are given to those on the streets.
Carisa's husband is a Minister of the Gospel & founder of Homeless People Matter to Jesus.
Carisa attends: Word Of Life Counseling Training Institute Wichita, KS
contact:
Po Box 65757
Orange Park, Fl 32065
carisasanders@comcast.net
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/?sk=
Homeless People Matter to Jesus
https://www.facebook.com/group.