Week of Awe- Charity

This past week many, I pray most, at Connections have been spending some time in awe of our God.
We invited folks to enter a week of Repentance, Prayer and Charity.

This is how the the people of God prepared for their new year during the the time following Moses.  They took ten days to prepare their hearts for the coming year.  They knew that to be lead and used by God they had to be fully submitted to God.

Which is what the Week of Awe is all about- lives fully submitted to God.
Repentance- turning from our past, from sin, and turning to God.
Prayer- three times a day in connection with bible reading.
And finally, CHARITY!

I'm not going to say this is what matters most, but I will say that not engaging charity is like running the ball down to the goal line, but stopping just shy.

Without acts of charity, our repentance, prayer and time in God's word does not get out of our devotions and into God's world.  We simply must make the final, and most costly, step.

You can't truly repent and not feel God's pull in a new direction.
You can't read the bible and not be overwhelmed by the radical charity of our God.
You can't be in prayer and not hear God calling you to deeds of charity.

This is what I propose true "new years resolutions" are all about.
Resolutions to lives of greater charity.

So what kind of charity is God leading you to do in 2010?

• Start giving a tithe to God?
• Start volunteering on a ministry team?
• Start volunteering in the community?
• Start planning your own ministry or mission trip?
• Start loving your neighbors in tangible ways?
• Start fostering needy children?

Matthew 3:8 makes it real clear- "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."