Following The Way
And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers you will surely be rewarded
Matthew 10:42
Being a Red Letter Christian is perhaps not as difficult as we would first think. We initially look to all those people who have achieved great things for God and think we must follow their example. That we should become a missionary in the third world and take care of the sick and poor in these places.
Whilst this is a great ambition and all credit to those who feel called to do this and respond to it, it is not what the majority of us can do. We have families and jobs and responsibilities we cannot just turn our backs on them to follow what is really someone else’s call. Our job is to grow where God has planted us.
When Jesus sent out the twelve for the first time he specifically told them to stay local and to deal with the local people. He told them not to make big plans but to deal with the small stuff. The economist E F Schumacher coined the phrase ‘small is beautiful’ when he laid out his ideas on how to assist people. As well as the large government schemes of aid he recognised that you could make a bigger impact in someone’s life by empowering them personally, a micro loan to a farmer to buy livestock, a sewing machine to a mother to allow her to make clothes for her family and run a small business, a well to bring fresh water to a village.
Jesus instructed us to work in the same way. We don’t have to be part of a crusade in our town or put on a big show. We need to be kind to our neighbours and show then a good example. By doing this we will get a chance to practically demonstrate Gods love in action and perhaps a chance to talk to them about Gods kingdom. Sounds underwhelming doesn’t it. We all want to be super heroes. But by following Jesus’ Red Letters we can. After all are you going to tell him he was wrong?