12 No. 2 Pencils
Trey Little | 29-Aug-10
"Supply List: 12 No. 2 Pencils"
I want to invite you to turn in your Bibles to Romans 12: 1-2 (Pg. 1123 in your pew Bibles).
As we read these familiar words of Paul I am reminded of what one of my mentors once told me about the word "Therefore." He said, whenever you see the word "therefore" in the Bible--pay attention and focus on what it is there for. He said the "Therefore" in Romans 12:1 may be the BIGGEST "Therefore" in all of Scripture. Why? Because of what comes after it!
Let's take a look.
So I had an idea--really an observation that turned into an idea. The observation occurred several weeks ago when Leslie brought home Luke's sixth-grade school supply list. The list is basically like most other school supply lists--it consisted of the basic necessities the teacher felt the students would need in order to have the best opportunity to excel and enjoy the upcoming school year. Such items as: no. 2 pencils, glue sticks, erasers, Kleenex, Clorox wipes (that one may be more for the teacher than the student), and a backpack to carry all of it around in. Of course, Luke had a great time shopping for all of the items on the list but he also picked up a few additionally "necessary" items the teacher failed to place on the "official" supply list.
So here is another observation--all parents/students must have some sense of faith when purchasing the supply list. Think about it--until school begins, we don't know exactly what the glue sticks will be used for. We don't have any idea of how Kleenex and Clorox Wipes are going to assist us in Social Studies. The only way we really begin to understand and appreciate the teacher's supply list is when we actually use the supplies within the context of the school year.
So here is my idea: as the Body of Christ--the only way we really begin to understand and appreciate the Teacher's supply list for us is when we actually use His teachings within the context of our daily lives. Therefore, over the next several weeks we are going to refresh our minds and hearts by taking a look at some basic supplies we need to carry around with us in order to be the people of God we have been called to be.
We begin with the first item on Luke's supply list--12 No. 2 pencils.
DON'T PANIC--I am not going to have a 12 point sermon!!
12 No. 2 pencils--this one seems so obvious, doesn't it? I mean even an Aggie can figure out that pencils are made for writing. But then I started wondering: What will they write? Will the pencils be used to write essays, book reports, math equations, exams, love notes? Yes, probably so. But then it occurred to me that in order for a pencil to be most effective it must first be sharpened.
Which leads me back to the "Therefore" in Romans 12. Paul is basically saying, "So here is what I want you to do--with God's help, I want you to make sure you stay sharp! But not just at the church building--but in all aspects of your life--not just during the school year--but 365 days a year."
Eugene Peterson said it like this: "Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."
12 No. 2 pencils--I saw that and said to myself--12:2--Romans 12:2--what a perfect Bible verse to write on our hearts; on our hands; on our calendars; on our refrigerator doors and certainly at the top of our supply list. I have two reasons for my thought.
First, like a pencil we must remain sharp in our Christian ways--and to do so we must no longer conform. Paul said, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,..." I love how Peterson put it in The Message. He translated it this way: "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking."
Do you know why the teacher put No. 2 pencils on the supply list and not No. 3 or No. 4? The reason the teacher chose No. 2 pencils is because there is something very distinctive about a No. 2 pencil--the lead is darker--the others are too light. Also, if they were to use something other than a No. 2 pencil on a scantron sheet the test will not score properly.
Basically, to conform means to seek to be identical with that which surrounds you. Unfortunately, the church has become very proficient at conforming--we have become too light. Within every denomination--not just the Presbyterians--conversations and actions are being taken that serve as evidence of the church attempting to conform to the world. Jesus said we are to BE the light, not TOO light, for crying out loud!
Like a No.2 pencil, there must be something distinctive about us as Christians. People should be able to see the difference God's grace in Jesus Christ makes in our daily lives. The church is "who" not "what." We don't simply "go" to church we "are" the church. The church doesn't have a mission the mission has a church.
If you have ever spent anytime in an airport then perhaps you have recognized that all the people in the airport are on their way somewhere. The role of the airport is to be a "connector" for people and their destination.
The church is a "connector" for the people of God--not the final destination. However, if we don't stay sharp the world is going to squeeze us into its own mold--we will begin to believe that "going" to church is what being a Christian is all about--and eventually, if we haven't already, the church will be more secular than the culture. Being a Christian is not just another "social event" among many--if that is what church is for us then we are conforming and we have forgotten our destination. So this morning, I want to challenge each of us to identify those areas of CONFORMITY in our lives and SURRENDER them to the transforming power of the Spirit of God.
Which leads me to the second thing I want you to consider from 12:2. Paul said, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Peterson put it this way: "Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out."
If conforming is something WE do--then transforming is something GOD does. Transformation is not something we can do ourselves. Transformation will not happen just by putting on different clothes, or singing certain hymns, or changing a Sunday school curriculum, or telling people we are members of a church. Transformation is an act of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and by the on going work of His Holy Spirit. A transformed life is one in which Christ lives and rules and directs every aspect of ones life. It is a life that is Christ-centered rather than self-centered.
What do you enjoy doing--what if Christ transformed it? Where do you see God at work in your life--what if He transformed your vision? What would you like to see God do in the next 6-12 months--what if He transformed you to be the catalyst for it to happen? When was the last time Jesus changed your mind about anything?
Friends, we have been blessed to be a blessing--as transformed people we are "agents of blessing." Our number one job is to bless people not impress people. When we are conformed to the pattern of this world we are burdened with impressing people--but when we have been transformed by Jesus Christ--we are consumed with blessing people--I sure like the sounds of the latter one, how about you?
This next week--every time you pick up a pencil--I want you to think about someone you can bless. But don't just think about it--allow the Lord to SHARPEN you to the point that you will actually follow through with being an agent of blessing. My hunch is you will have one of the best weeks of your life--in fact; you may even begin to carry a No. 2 pencil around with you just as a friendly reminder.
I am reminded of the something Mother Teresa once said--and I will close with this. She said: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."
How will we allow God to sharpen us?
AMEN.
I want to invite you to turn in your Bibles to Romans 12: 1-2 (Pg. 1123 in your pew Bibles).
As we read these familiar words of Paul I am reminded of what one of my mentors once told me about the word "Therefore." He said, whenever you see the word "therefore" in the Bible--pay attention and focus on what it is there for. He said the "Therefore" in Romans 12:1 may be the BIGGEST "Therefore" in all of Scripture. Why? Because of what comes after it!
Let's take a look.
So I had an idea--really an observation that turned into an idea. The observation occurred several weeks ago when Leslie brought home Luke's sixth-grade school supply list. The list is basically like most other school supply lists--it consisted of the basic necessities the teacher felt the students would need in order to have the best opportunity to excel and enjoy the upcoming school year. Such items as: no. 2 pencils, glue sticks, erasers, Kleenex, Clorox wipes (that one may be more for the teacher than the student), and a backpack to carry all of it around in. Of course, Luke had a great time shopping for all of the items on the list but he also picked up a few additionally "necessary" items the teacher failed to place on the "official" supply list.
So here is another observation--all parents/students must have some sense of faith when purchasing the supply list. Think about it--until school begins, we don't know exactly what the glue sticks will be used for. We don't have any idea of how Kleenex and Clorox Wipes are going to assist us in Social Studies. The only way we really begin to understand and appreciate the teacher's supply list is when we actually use the supplies within the context of the school year.
So here is my idea: as the Body of Christ--the only way we really begin to understand and appreciate the Teacher's supply list for us is when we actually use His teachings within the context of our daily lives. Therefore, over the next several weeks we are going to refresh our minds and hearts by taking a look at some basic supplies we need to carry around with us in order to be the people of God we have been called to be.
We begin with the first item on Luke's supply list--12 No. 2 pencils.
DON'T PANIC--I am not going to have a 12 point sermon!!
12 No. 2 pencils--this one seems so obvious, doesn't it? I mean even an Aggie can figure out that pencils are made for writing. But then I started wondering: What will they write? Will the pencils be used to write essays, book reports, math equations, exams, love notes? Yes, probably so. But then it occurred to me that in order for a pencil to be most effective it must first be sharpened.
Which leads me back to the "Therefore" in Romans 12. Paul is basically saying, "So here is what I want you to do--with God's help, I want you to make sure you stay sharp! But not just at the church building--but in all aspects of your life--not just during the school year--but 365 days a year."
Eugene Peterson said it like this: "Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."
12 No. 2 pencils--I saw that and said to myself--12:2--Romans 12:2--what a perfect Bible verse to write on our hearts; on our hands; on our calendars; on our refrigerator doors and certainly at the top of our supply list. I have two reasons for my thought.
First, like a pencil we must remain sharp in our Christian ways--and to do so we must no longer conform. Paul said, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,..." I love how Peterson put it in The Message. He translated it this way: "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking."
Do you know why the teacher put No. 2 pencils on the supply list and not No. 3 or No. 4? The reason the teacher chose No. 2 pencils is because there is something very distinctive about a No. 2 pencil--the lead is darker--the others are too light. Also, if they were to use something other than a No. 2 pencil on a scantron sheet the test will not score properly.
Basically, to conform means to seek to be identical with that which surrounds you. Unfortunately, the church has become very proficient at conforming--we have become too light. Within every denomination--not just the Presbyterians--conversations and actions are being taken that serve as evidence of the church attempting to conform to the world. Jesus said we are to BE the light, not TOO light, for crying out loud!
Like a No.2 pencil, there must be something distinctive about us as Christians. People should be able to see the difference God's grace in Jesus Christ makes in our daily lives. The church is "who" not "what." We don't simply "go" to church we "are" the church. The church doesn't have a mission the mission has a church.
If you have ever spent anytime in an airport then perhaps you have recognized that all the people in the airport are on their way somewhere. The role of the airport is to be a "connector" for people and their destination.
The church is a "connector" for the people of God--not the final destination. However, if we don't stay sharp the world is going to squeeze us into its own mold--we will begin to believe that "going" to church is what being a Christian is all about--and eventually, if we haven't already, the church will be more secular than the culture. Being a Christian is not just another "social event" among many--if that is what church is for us then we are conforming and we have forgotten our destination. So this morning, I want to challenge each of us to identify those areas of CONFORMITY in our lives and SURRENDER them to the transforming power of the Spirit of God.
Which leads me to the second thing I want you to consider from 12:2. Paul said, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Peterson put it this way: "Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out."
If conforming is something WE do--then transforming is something GOD does. Transformation is not something we can do ourselves. Transformation will not happen just by putting on different clothes, or singing certain hymns, or changing a Sunday school curriculum, or telling people we are members of a church. Transformation is an act of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and by the on going work of His Holy Spirit. A transformed life is one in which Christ lives and rules and directs every aspect of ones life. It is a life that is Christ-centered rather than self-centered.
What do you enjoy doing--what if Christ transformed it? Where do you see God at work in your life--what if He transformed your vision? What would you like to see God do in the next 6-12 months--what if He transformed you to be the catalyst for it to happen? When was the last time Jesus changed your mind about anything?
Friends, we have been blessed to be a blessing--as transformed people we are "agents of blessing." Our number one job is to bless people not impress people. When we are conformed to the pattern of this world we are burdened with impressing people--but when we have been transformed by Jesus Christ--we are consumed with blessing people--I sure like the sounds of the latter one, how about you?
This next week--every time you pick up a pencil--I want you to think about someone you can bless. But don't just think about it--allow the Lord to SHARPEN you to the point that you will actually follow through with being an agent of blessing. My hunch is you will have one of the best weeks of your life--in fact; you may even begin to carry a No. 2 pencil around with you just as a friendly reminder.
I am reminded of the something Mother Teresa once said--and I will close with this. She said: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."
How will we allow God to sharpen us?
AMEN.
