I was recently having a conversation with someone in the sanctuary of our ministry center. The ministry center is located in what used to be a Methodist church. There were red cushions on the benches in the sanctuary there that have been there for quite awhile. This person said to me that someone had taken some of the cushions home in hopes to repair or re-cover them. Some looked pretty ok to me, but some were in need of new coverings, and some had areas that needed to be repaired.
When they took the covers off of the cushions, there was nothing but dust inside.
I quickly looked at my friend and said, “I hope if you cut me open, there would be more than dust inside”.
Then it made sense.
We all have our “covers” - what we look like on the outside. Some of us work very hard to make that outside look good, and it does. Some of us have lots of “patches” - areas that need work. And some of us are worn completely out.
And if someone wanted to fix that “cover” on us, and attempted to remove it, what would they find? They break through that cover and find….
Dust.
That’s where I feel like I have been lately. Someone cut my cover off and found only dust. I have been doing “ministry” work because it is what we are supposed to do…but what I forgot was that I needed to be doing the things God has called me to do, and doing them because I love Him; not doing things that other people think God has called me to do because I fear their opinions if I say no.
Was I serving God or serving man?
Most of my “works” kept me inside the church building and had me doing nothing to bring lost souls to Christ. I sat in judgment of people I didn’t understand, instead of having compassion on them.
And saying that I love Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul; yet, I do not know Him. I know what other people have told me about Him, but I have not taken the time in 6 years to KNOW Him.
If you cut me open, you would find dust.
If you open the doors of most churches, you would find dust.
We have become lukewarm, and we have forgotten our first Love.
We judge others for things that God has forgiven us for. But somehow we think we are “better” than the lost. Hear me, Jesus died for all. And I was lost, and the only thing that makes me different now is I have accepted the grace and mercy that God showed me when Jesus died on the Cross for my sins.
But it doesn’t make me better than anyone else.
We have made the church a club instead of the house of God.
We have turned the sanctuary into a concert hall.
The altar has become a stage.
We go to church to be entertained instead of forgiven.
We eat and socialize, when we should be fasting and praying.
The words “prayer” and “Jesus” are almost like a foreign language.
We sit back and wait for the lost to come to us, instead of going out and sharing the Gospel with them.
I have recently been reading a book about Mother Teresa and in reading of her call to the slums of Calcutta, she reminded her superiors that we should not sit back and wait for the lost to crawl out of their holes and come searching for Jesus, that we should be crawling into their holes to them and taking Jesus with us when we go.
I am full of dust.
And I was reminded of the following song by Keith Green:
“Rushing wind, blow through this temple
Blowing out the dust within
Come and breathe Your breath upon me
For I’ve been born again
Holy Spirit I surrender; take me where You want to go
Plant me by Your living waters
Plant me deep so I can grow
Jesus, You’re the One who set my spirit free
Use me, Lord; glorify Your Holy Name through Me
Separate me from this world, Lord
Sanctify my life for You
Daily change me to Your image
Help me bear good fruit
Every day You’re drawing closer
Trials come to test my faith
But when all is said and done, Lord
It’s been worth the wait.”
I’m praying for that rushing wind to cleanse my heart.
It’s just what’s on my mind.
