I saw a flash mob yesterday. If you don't know what that is, it's basically when a group of people create some kind of synchronized or choreographed performance. And, rather than announcing it and performing it in a normal venue, they choose a random location, perform it out of the blue at a random time, and then disappear into the crowd, acting as if it never happened.
It's truly fascinating to see a flash mob. And I'm not alone in this opinion. Flash mobs are known to attract large crowds of people, people who stop for a few minutes in their busy day to just watch the action, and then return to work after it finishes.
But I started thinking more about that after the crowd dispersed. People are so willing to stop, to spend a few minutes of their precious time to watch a flash mob. But if there is a homeless person who is asking for help, we walk right on past without even batting an eye. It's as if they don't even exist. And sometimes, when someone does stop and help, the other people in their party even berate them for stopping. Why are we so much more willing to stop and watch random strangers for a few minutes, then to invest in the life of someone who needs our help? What has happened to our culture, that it's ok to pass them by without batting an eye?
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
It's truly fascinating to see a flash mob. And I'm not alone in this opinion. Flash mobs are known to attract large crowds of people, people who stop for a few minutes in their busy day to just watch the action, and then return to work after it finishes.
But I started thinking more about that after the crowd dispersed. People are so willing to stop, to spend a few minutes of their precious time to watch a flash mob. But if there is a homeless person who is asking for help, we walk right on past without even batting an eye. It's as if they don't even exist. And sometimes, when someone does stop and help, the other people in their party even berate them for stopping. Why are we so much more willing to stop and watch random strangers for a few minutes, then to invest in the life of someone who needs our help? What has happened to our culture, that it's ok to pass them by without batting an eye?
1 John 3:16-24
16 This is how we know
what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to
lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need
but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
No comments:
Post a Comment