He Actually Said This!
“It’s not about you!” Yes, that is right. He actually said that! Those were the opening words of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life. Shocking but true to a great extent. As I awoke this morning the very first thoughts that came to my mind were…. never start a sentence or conversation with I, me or my but rather our, we or us.
Looking back at what Jesus said when he taught his disciples to pray alludes to the idea that “we” is more important than “I.”
Jesus said to….
Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one. (Mat 6:9-13 NLT)
When Jesus taught us about prayer, he used plural pronouns and not the singular. in this short passage there are nine references to community. Christianity is not a game of solitaire. We do not do this by ourselves and for ourselves although that maybe the starting point it doesn’t take long for us to see that there are more involved than just us. As most of our coaches, if you had one, have said to us at one time or another “There is no “I” in T.E.A.M. We belong to a TEAM of believers aka the body of Christ. The focus and conversation of a growing believer should begin to shift from the singular to the plural. It is unfortunate but social media has robbed us of true community and replaced it with a citizenship of I’s. We have now become a community of individuals and the idol of the day is me. Mine is the communication topic. I, me, my has become the focus. My theology, my church, my outreach, my exploits, my family and my life…. you get the point. I am special but so is everyone else.
We belong to the worldwide body of Christ and this body is made up of every nation, every tribe and every tongue. We belong to a brotherhood of believers across the globe who share in both the goodness of God and challenges from the enemy.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1Pe 5:8-9 NKJV)
So, pray Jesus’ model prayer, take a moment and lean into the awareness of the worldwide brotherhood of believers and consider the needs of the larger body of Christ. I believe that we will find much peace and favor from heaven that will minister to the longing of our hearts to belong to tribe and find greater purpose and meaning than just “me.”
How can I pray for you?
Prayer page — Vineyard Moss Bluff (vineyardmb.org)
~ pastor Tim