Jesus is warning his disciples about the dangers of using spiritual leadership for personal gain that is driven by exploiting others. This is not the last time that the church needs to hear these warnings... as we grow closer to Reformation Sunday, Martin Luther's warnings about indulgences, which prey on the fears of the poor to drive financial collections for the church, fit in with Jesus' words here. God cares about what we use our influence to achieve. If we're focused on what we get out of it... then that will corrupt us over time. Some more quickly than others, but greed will consume us. If we can focus on the Kingdom, however, and use our prayers to serve the glories of God's Kingdom, then God is glorified and the church is strengthened.
It's not a choice we make one time. Those who are corrupted are often done so through a series of small decisions, many of which seem inconsequential. As CS Lewis says, we have to think about them over the course of eternity. Which direction are we trending? The smallest of decisions, when amplified over an eternal time frame, can shape our hearts in ways we don't fully comprehend.
So may we spend time examining our decisions and watching our own hearts, praying for humility and thinking deeply about how we serve Christ's church and the members of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment