Doug Stringer and relational equity

"The seed is always sown for the a future harvest...and the degree of return you get is based on the level of investment you make..."  This sounds like an economics lecture, but in truth I just returned from a wonderful gospel presentation by Doug Stringer, President of Turning Point Ministries, at Western Washington University's Faculty Forum.  

Doug spoke about relational equity and the need to serve people, even our enemies in order to have the right to speak frankly about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He shared how the Lord took him, a broken man, engaging in all the vices of life and brought him to his knees at the foot of the cross.  He talked about how the Lord has opened up opportunities to share the gospel in Indonesia, Africa and other places among rich and poor, ruler and ruled, all because God is more important that man.  All because God deserves our complete service and surrender, but all too often we are more interested in personal face than in worshipping God completely and fully.  

He asked what the difference is between cosmetic Christianity and costume jewelry?  Nothing, they are both full of glitter and glitz but devoid of true substance.  He traced the movement of Christianity from following a person and knowing a man in palestine, to its introduction in Greece where it became a philosophy, to its movement to Rome where it became an institution to its traverse across the ocean to America where it became a commodity.  He concluded by telling us that the time has come for us to return to a personal relationship where we live our lives according to the direction of the master, for his glory, not our own.

Are you willing to sow seed by living all of your life for the Jesus?  This is the beginning of relationship, letting him lead and direct our every step.  Soli Deo Gloria.