Recycling Christians
If you go to McDonald’s, read the newspaper, or go to the store you are confronted with the challenge to recycle. Although I’m not always impressed with everything the media promotes, I have to admit recycling does have some valid points. Consider that one fast food chain alone produces over two million pounds of trash per day. That’s an incredible amount when you understand that most of that is the light weight substance of paper! In pondering over the obvious inundation of catastrophes in the lives of God’s people, a thought came to mind that I believe came from the Lord: Recycled Christians!
1. Recycling is the processing of waste to recover materials that can be reused.
God said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11. The phrase, “...to give you an expected end.” In the Hebrew, understanding means “a future with a hope.” It’s good to know God has hope in the future of His children. Let’s not consign our fallen brother s to the dump when there is hope that with God’s help and our love they can be recycled.
2. Recycling conserves natural resources.
If the foliage and forests are removed without discretion, not even the mighty redwoods can prevent land erosion. By the same token, don’t think for a moment that all of God’s children aren’t valuable to Him! Don’t think we can just do without our fellow Christians by writing them off as insignificant to God’s kingdom. The grass holds the shrub; the shrub holds the tree. “For the body is not one member, but many. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all members rejoice with it “ I Corinthians 12:14,26).
3. Recycling reduces pollution.
Mahatma Gandhi is on record for saying, “I would have become a Christian had it not been for other Christians.” Let’s clean up the landscape of Christendom, not by plowing other Christians under or “smoking our skies” on their remains. Let’s allow God to use us to break this vicious cycle! “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” John 13:35.
4. Many communities have established recycling centers.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our churches would look upon themselves as recycling centers where not only souls are saved, but Christians are salvaged. Some recycling centers specialize in one type of waste, such as glass, metal cans, or paper. May the Lord help us to specialize in recycling a confused youth, a catastrophic marriage, or contaminated individual. “Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction” Philippians 4:14. Ryrie says the phrase “communicate with” literally means “to make common cause with.” Being known as a people who see the fallen not as objects of ostracism, but as ones whose cause to champion could earn us the title of: “friends of sinners.” Any objections?
- Pastor Pope -