A look through the New Testament quickly reveals the dangers of greed. In its pages we are taught that a greedy person will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:10, Eph 5:5). Christians are warned not to allow greedy people to assume roles of leadership in the church (1 Tim 3:8) and to not associate with greedy people (1 Cor 5:11). Paul goes as far as to instruct Christians not to even discuss greed amongst one another (Eph 5:3).

2 Kings, Chapter 5 is a perfect illustration of how greed can damage a person.

 ¹ Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded because through him, the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease. ² Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.” ⁴ So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵ Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go and I will send a letter [with you] to the king of Israel.” So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 changes of clothes. ⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease. ⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Think it over and you will see that he is only picking a fight with me.” ⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel tore his clothes, he sent [a message] to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”

It may seem odd to some that Naaman, who was an enemy of the Israelites, had been given many victories by the LORD (verse 1). More than likely, Naaman’s victories had been over the army of the Assyrians who were the dominate threat at the time.

Naaman suffered from a serious skin disease known as leprosy. In the pages of Scripture, leprosy is parallel with the concept of being unclean, or “unfit” for a relationship with God.   

Consider if you will the unclean heart of the unrepentant sinner. Christ taught that it isn’t the outward behavior of a person that makes them unclean; but rather the condition of their heart. It is evident from this passage that Naaman is unclean both on the outside and inside. He does not have a relationship with the living God yet he travels to Israel on the promise of being made wholly clean. He travels with large sums of money to make sure he gets what he desires.

Notice how the king of Israel throws up his hands at Naaman’s request. The most powerful man in all of Israel is unable to make Naaman clean. Only God (in this case through the prophet Elisha) has the power to cleanse the unclean (Verses 7 & 8).

⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease. ¹² Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage. ¹³ But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more [should you do it] when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

Notice how Elisha instructs Naaman to wash in the Jordan River (The same river Christ Himself was baptized in) seven times. Scholars seem to agree that these instructions were intended in part to test Naaman’s obedience. Would he be willing to do what was instructed of him by God? Because of his pride, Naaman bulks at first. Certainly the rivers of his homeland were cleaner than the Jordan (verse 12). The same man who had brought large sums of money to “buy” his cleanliness was too prideful to follow Elisha’s instructions. Only his servants were able to convince him otherwise.

Questions:

• To what extent does pride interfere with the unbeliever accepting the salvation and cleanliness available in Christ?
• In what ways does God want us to be obedient in our walk with Christ?

¹⁴ So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored [and became] like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean. ¹⁵ Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶ But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, I stand before Him. I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

Naaman was persistent in offering Elisha a gift for his healing; thus, the prophet faced a choice. He could take the gift and send Naaman on his way, or he could refuse it. Elisha was adamant in his refusal, “As the LORD lives, I stand before Him. I will not accept it.”

Questions:

• How would Naaman have been affected had Elisha taken the payment? Would it have changed the state of his heart to have gone away feeling as if he had bought his cleanliness?
• Elisha could have taken advantage of Naaman’s appreciation. How have you seen church leaders take advantage of believers?
• How can Christians model Elisha’s example in today’s culture?

²⁰ Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought: My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him. ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” ²² Gehazi said, “It’s all right. My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them 75 pounds ^[of silver and two changes of clothes. ' "

In light of Elisha’s graciousness, Gehazi’s greed is especially deplorable. Here’s a guy who had nothing to do with Naaman’s healing and yet sought gain in the event. He was able to justify his greed because he felt Elisha had made a mistake by not accepting Naaman’s gift. This passage presents the reader with a choice: follow Elisha’s example … or Gehazi’s.

Questions:

• You may not consider yourself a greedy person, but can you identify a time in your life when you acted in a selfish manner?
• In what ways have you justified selfish behavior?
• In what practical ways can we follow Elisha’s example and not Gehazi’s?

²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from them and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left. ²⁵ Gehazi came and stood by his master. "Where did you go, Gehazi?" Elisha asked him. "Your servant didn't go anywhere," he replied. ²⁶ But Elisha questioned him, "Wasn't my spirit there when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Therefore, Naaman's skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever." So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased—[white] as snow.

Notice how Gehazi was unable to hide his greed despite his best efforts. In the same way, we are unable to hide our sins from God. Gehazi’s punishment was the same disease Naaman has been cured from – leprosy. He had been made unclean on the outside just like the condition of his heart was unclean on the inside. The irony of Naaman, a foreigner and enemy of the Israel, being made clean while Gehazi, a Hebrew, was revealed to be unclean is representative of one of the Bible’s major themes. God’s plan from the beginning was to offer salvation to everyone through the Hebrew people. It doesn’t matter who we are, if we are able to humble ourselves and accept the salvation available in Christ’s act on the cross, we will be made clean.

Questions:

• How have you seen greed poison the lives of those around you?
• What are the ramifications of leading your life in a greedy way today?
• How can we reverse our selfish tendencies and display grace to everyone that we encounter?

Conclusion

Examine yourself and ask God to reveal to you those areas of your life where you are the most selfish. Ask Him to help you to replace greed with grace as the motive for all your actions.

Sources

Explore the Bible Quicksource Guide Winter 2010-11. Lifeway.
Quest Study Bible (NIV)
E-Swords Bible Software

If it is belief that separates the disciple from the unbeliever, what happens when we no longer live like we truly believe in Jesus?

We have hit critical mass in the western Christian world. Study the news for a few days to see what kind of impression Christ’s “disciples” are leaving on the world. Televangelists are hitting everyone up for money. Priests are abusing children. Preachers are turning away from the Gospel of Christ to preach a gospel of the world. In our attempt to make Scripture palatable to the unbeliever, we have turned our backs on the Bible. We live in a world that values pluralism and relativity and we have sought that world’s opinion over the approval of our Master. There is so much popular culture within the church that they are virtually indistinguishable. The church is like the small child who underestimates the ocean’s tide and finds himself dangerously far from the beach. We have drifted so far out that we can barely see our Father. At this distance, the face of our Lord and Savior blurs in with the crowd.

What then can we do? First, we must ask ourselves if we truly believe. Are we Christians because we truly believe or do we just go to church because that’s what Americans are supposed to do? Does Christ really reign supreme in our lives or do we use Him to support our pet causes or our favorite politician? Have you sought out a pastor who uses Scripture as the basis of his sermons? I’m not asking if your pastor mentions the Bible. Rather, does he begin with the Bible and throughout his sermon teach it in a way that reproves, rebukes, and encourages? Or does he preach a different gospel and occasionally use Scripture to back up what he is saying?

Many of have fallen into a snare that we can’t even see. We call ourselves disciples yet we have no clue what it means to truly disciple Christ; however, it isn’t too late. We have a gracious God who has communicated to us through Scripture. There is still time for us to study the Bible and press the global reset button on our discipleship. But to learn what discipleship truly is we must go to the Word.

The word discipleship(s) occurs in the New Testament over two hundred times. It comes from the Greek word mathetes. It is defined as a learner or pupil. It can be argued that we are all disciples of someone. We have all learned how to live our lives from someone. It may be our parents, our school teachers, our friends, or even reality television. We all disciple someone.

In the case of Christians, we have chosen to learn from Jesus Christ. We have chosen Christ as out Master because He is worthy. This choice is of vital importance. Matthew 10:25 says that if your master is called Beezlebub, those who follow him will be called even worse. Not only was the name Beezlebub another name for Satan, it was also the name of the Chaldean dung god. Roughly translated this means that if the master you choose is a piece of crap, you’ll be an even bigger piece of crap! Jesus is worthy of our discipleship. We can rest assured that our choice of Jesus as Master is well placed.

Once we’ve chosen Jesus, the Bible also teaches us how that choice should be demonstrated in our lives. Based on Scripture, we can create a profile of the perfect disciple of Christ:

• First, the perfect disciple recognizes that he is not above his master (Mat 10:24). The perfect disciple must maintain a humble spirit and continually recognize his master’s authority over his life.
• The perfect disciple must love his master above all other things including his wife, parents, children, brothers, sisters, and even himself (Luke 14:26). If one of these people is standing between us and Christ, we must hate them as compared to our feelings for Christ. Many people have a problem with the prospect of loving Christ more than their family. I can relate. I love my wife more than I love oxygen. There have been times in my life when my children were what inspired me to keep going. However, if I truly believe in Jesus, than I have to believe that He will teach me the best way to relate to and love my family. The perfect disciple puts Christ first and allows all other relationships to fall into order.
• The perfect disciple must be willing to carry heavy burdens in her pursuit of Christ (Luke 14:27). The perfect disciple isn’t perfect because she has never suffered. Rather, she is perfect because she follows Christ in the midst of her storm regardless of how difficult it is. She carries her own cross in pursuit of Christ.
• The perfect disciple is willing to give up all that he has to follow Christ (Luke 14:33). Discipleship to Christ is the most valuable part of the perfect disciple’s life. Think of your most valued possession or relationship. Imagine what it is that you treasure the most in your life. The perfect disciple would give that treasured item up in a heartbeat to continue in discipleship to Christ.

This concept of the perfect disciple seems a little daunting. After all, if any of us were capable of being the “perfect” disciple to Christ we probably wouldn’t be visiting a blog titled “The Imperfect Disciples!” We can take heart, however, in that we serve a gracious and merciful God. The apostle Paul likened our discipleship to a marathon. I’m going to liken it to something a little different. In southern Ohio there is an annual bicycle event called the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV). Every year, on Mother’s Day weekend, cyclist set out from Columbus in central Ohio and pedal all the way to the Ohio River. The next day, these crazy cyclists make the return trip totaling over two miles by the end of the weekend. All of us that live along the TOSRV’s route find great amusement in those cyclists that get lost along the way. They may all set out from the same point and with the same destination, but there are always a few that get lost along the way and find themselves way off course. This is how our discipleship works. We all begin with a belief that Christ is a Master worthy of discipleship. Along the way, some of us get lost. We may not pedal as fast as the other disciples. We may not all be prepared physically and emotionally for the trip, however, we all have to cross the same hills. It takes effort. We may even have to get off of the bike and walk. However, if we strive to keep Christ as our master and to make our discipleship to Him our most important relationship, we will all reach the river!

There may never be a “perfect” disciple to Jesus Christ. Peter’s belief faltered. Thomas doubted. Paul referred to himself as the chief of all sinners. The point is that even Lance Armstrong crashes his bike every once in awhile! Thankfully, Scripture teaches that discipleship to Christ is a process.  Luke 6:40 says that when we are fully trained we will look like our master. We are all still in training, however, if we all profess to believe that discipleship is a journey worth taking, we must begin by making the right decisions now. We must begin by evaluating ourselves and living as if we truly believe Christ is our Lord.

For without belief we are no different than anyone else.

Let me explain. A few years ago, I was passing out free water at a church outreach. It was during a street basketball tournament in the middle of summer when the temperature was approaching triple digits. Here I am with my shopping cart full of water bottles on the hottest day of the year and I had a seriously hard time giving them away! There were no strings attached. I wasn’t preaching at anyone or passing out tracts … I was simply trying to pass out free water. It became obvious right off the bat that the idea of accepting a free bottle of water from a stranger made people highly uncomfortable. Those that did take the water tried repeatedly to pay me or trade something for the drink. Once people realized what I was doing, there were even some that would hurry to the opposite side of the street to avoid being offered a drink.

People couldn’t understand why some stranger was offering them a free drink. They had to offer money for the water to make themselves feel better about taking it because they knew they hadn’t done anything to deserve it. In the back of their minds, I think they were wondering if there was something wrong with me for offering the water in the first place.

If free water freaked people out that much, how much does the concept of free grace (not to mention a Savior who died for them) freak them out. I think grace makes people as highly uncomfortable as my water did on that hot day. We know we don’t deserve it, but we try anyway. We try to trade our works for God’s grace only to realize later it isn’t a fair trade. I think we may even wonder at times what is wrong with the God who would offer His grace to miscreants like us in the first place. Often times, we reject His grace and replace it with false gods that don’t make us so uncomfortable. We would rather fool ourselves into believing in false gods than accept free grace from the true, living God …. we’re crossing to the other side of the street to avoid Him.

I noticed something when passing out water that applies here. There were three categories of people who had no problem accepting my water. Those that knew me took it quickly. They recognized I wasn’t some freak wandering the streets for no reason. They would take the water and chit-chat for a little bit with ease. They second group of people who took my water were the ones who were really thirsty. The ones that had just come off the basketball courts and were on the verge of passing out from heat exhaustion. Their need outweighed any uncomfortable feelings they had about accepting my water. They had to take the water to keep from passing out! The third group of people that accepted my water without a second thought were little kids. There were even some kids who came back for seconds and thirds … they recognized the value of free water on a hot day without worry because their lives hadn’t taught them to be suspicious of things that came with no cost.

If we approached God’s grace in the same way as these people approached my water, I think it would help us be less uncomfortable. First, we should get to know God a little more. Spend time with Him in conversation. Pray to Him and listen to Him. Secondly, we should recognize our thirst. We should realize that without His grace we’re going to die! We need His grace more than we need water on a hot day. Finally, we should approach Him like little children. Jesus himself said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – (Matthew 18:3 NIV).

Perhaps then, God’s grace wouldn’t make us so uncomfortable.

The problem comes in when times are tough, or the treatment from the ‘other’ is not to our liking.  The problem is exacerbated when those who would be ‘the enemy’ take to this role in any meaningful measure.  The vast majority of humanity responds to tough times with determined tough resolve, and similarly to harsh treatment with harshness in kind.  The response to ‘the enemy’ is usually much, much worse.  This response is endemic to the fallen sin nature and as such is the normal inclination of humanity.

With this normative human state being understood, the problem for the Christian is much more complicated.  It occurs when the individual disciple interfaces with the teaching of Jesus on this issue.  Jesus contends our response should be the polar opposite of our natural inclination.  He contends our response to tough times isn’t toughness, but rather generosity.  He contends our response to harshness isn’t harshness in kind, but rather gentleness.  He contends our response to hatred and violence is peace and love.

These contentions of Christ are so radical and so out of step with the normative state of humanity that they are nothing short of a paradigm shift.  Love those that hate you.  Bless those that curse you.  Those two statements alone are difficult in the extreme to implement.  In the heat of the moment, the struggle to respond in kind to hate filled vitriol or venomous anger is a definite internal conflict of the highest order.  In my case, it nearly causes a stroke in me as I struggle to not repay evil for evil.  And most of Christianity, me included, handles this conflict poorly; thereby failing the test of character.  In so doing, the world sees the words of Jesus and fails to see them at work in the life of the average Christian.

This creates a fundamental disconnect between what we should aspire to be as Christians and where we currently dwell.  This disconnect leads many to believe that Christians are hypocrites, espousing Jesus, but unable walk out the faith they claim to have accepted.  On some level, this is true, and I am just as guilty of this as any.

The question becomes, how do I live out these commitments on this subject?  How do I walk out a life characterized by love, generosity, and peace in a fallen world?  How do I deny the basal instincts of my humanity and respond with the traits Jesus claims we should?  What does love instead of hate look like in application?  What does it amount to?  Where is the entry point for a life lived like this?

It begins in the depth of relationship with Jesus.  If we are only wading in this relationship in a lip service fire insurance expression of faith, then one should expect to at best only be able to respond in a wading faith fashion to these dilemmas.  If our desire is to erase the hypocritical disconnect, then our relationship with Jesus must be fully immersed.  It is only in doing so, that we will be able to access the love instead of hate response paradigm.  It is only in allowing our walk with Jesus to transmute, transform, and transmogrify the totality of the thing we call self.

This is a tall order to be sure.  It however doesn’t require harder work on our part.  In fact, no amount of work on our part will ever transform us.  No increase in Bible study, or devotional time, (although important to be sure), will carry out the transmutation that has to occur.

What is required is encapsulated in a single word; surrender.  We need, I need, to give up and surrender.  We need to realize that we can’t study long enough, can’t pray hard enough, can’t spend enough time in devotional study, or worship with enough ferocity to manage this.  All those things are important, but they can’t force of their own volition the fundamental change that’s required.  In short, we can’t earn enough points on our power to get this to happen.  We can’t make it happen under of our own strength of will.

We have to realize that the process only starts and works when we are surrendered to it.  It only works when we see this as an adjunct to the grace equation.  It is only in allowing God to flow this grace into us by our surrendering, that we can be transmogrified.  The element isn’t a work we can do by memorizing the principles, Bible passages, or core concepts and doing it on our own.  It works only by setting aside our pride and entering the relationship with Christ in a deep and meaningful way akin to a  pauper, a beggar, as one who has nothing of value to merit, to earn, or to purchase the change explicitly stated here.

In accepting this position of humble prostrate similitude, we become pliable in the master’s hands.  It is only in doing so, that our fundamental core can be remade by the creator.  It is only in doing so, that we can access the different instruction set that comes with this change.  It is only in having our heart remade in the love relationship with our savior and Lord, that we can see the responses that are necessary in each situation.  It is only from this place, that we can consistently walk the extra mile, give sacrificially of our self and life, and take the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without responding with slings and arrows of our own.  It is only in doing so that we can fulfill the purpose set within our hearts by God.

The problem with answering this question is this.  This is as far as the answer can be taken realistically.  The process for resolving the rest of this is individualized in nature and will take on whatever form God chooses to use for the individual in question.  The God that created individualized snowflake formations is the same God, which wants to radically alter the hearts, minds, and spirits of men.  God works as He wills, and according to His purposes.  If it was possible to just be a better person, and love more and hate less, a dry recitation of the Bible passages, (and trust me there are many), would work to help the disciple in question.  Simple inculcation of principles, concepts, and data is not enough to assist the believer in making this change.  The process God is interested in here, is so much more expansive than that.  It is so much more than just loving more and hating less, even from an external perspective.

It is really about taking up our cross and following him, every day, but not in the manner you might think.  It is about bearing the Yoke of Christ, which Jesus himself said was light and easy, and contained the rest that our souls that we ache for.  It is about being compliant with the work of the spirit in our life that spurs us on to the greater things of the spirit that God has in store for us.  It is about reaching with the help of our creator for the nobler aspirations of our spirit.  It is about being changed by God, and then living out that change each and every day of our lives.  It isn’t easy, but it is what we’ve been called to.  It is the faith that we’ve chosen to live.  And it is only by allowing God to carry us that it can ever work even to the smallest degree.

I am sorry that there isn’t an easy answer to this question.  I am sorry that there isn’t a secret formula to resolving the dilemma expressed in the question.  I am sorry that there isn’t a short-cut to loving more and hating less.  The answer is a heart fully surrendered to our maker, living out a love relationship with him.  It is in the context of this relationship that we become different people.  It is only in living out this commitment that the external things matter less, and the things of God matter more.  It is only when we realize that loving the creation is equivalent to loving God and ourselves that we find the bridge across the chasm of the disconnect.

We need to become different people.  And only God can realize this change for us.

This I believe. I believe in almighty God. I know that simple sentence might seem small, dated or cliché, but it is the one true thing that I believe in more than anything else. I believe in the God that hovered over the waters looking into the soon to be heavens and spoke, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!” I believe in the God that created something that he called GOOD in man on the first try. I believe in the God that flung the stars into their orbits by the simple spoken declaration of will. I believe in the God that provided this perfect place for us to dwell, it might not be the Garden of Eden (thank you Eve.),but it sure beats the heck out of Jupiter (especially this time of year).

I believe in the mighty God that we see displayed in the Bible. The God of creation we see at work when he performed the amazing act of will that was creation in six days. I believe in the God of Holiness who could not abide the fall of man in the garden, the time of the flood, or in Sodom. I believe in the God of compassion who acted to part the Red Sea, provided the ram to spare Issac, and ravens to feed Elijah in the wilderness. I believe in the God of mercy that relented and gave Hezekiah, currently on his death bed twenty more years of life. I believe in the God of forgiveness that we find for the murderer in Moses, the adulterer in David, the liar in Abram, and the weakness in Peter.

I further believe that this God has not wandered off to some more interesting bauble or is somehow uninterested in the affairs of men. I don’t believe in an inattentive maker that created everything we see and hear and then somehow became more interested in playing the back nine at Augusta, because as God he gets an awesome tee time. I believe in an active interventionist God. The God that intervened to save his people in Egypt still exists. The God that sought out the confrontation with his people at Mount Carmel still exists. The God that sent his people into slavery not once but twice in an effort to bring them back into a right relationship with him still exists. The God that placed a Queen in the right place at the right time to save her people from genocide still does that very thing. The God that placed a sea of flaming chariots around his prophet to protect him from those who would blindly seek his destruction still works that way. I believe in the God that placed an angel in Balaam’s path to kill him if he failed to heed the warnings of a talking ass.

I know all of this to be true, because God has provided mercy and compassion in my life countless times. Through amazing mercy I found the path out of alcoholism. Had this path not materialized when it did, I would either be a mindless gibbering idiot or dead. God granted me mercy when I fell asleep at the wheel of my Beretta for thirty or so miles in the desert at seventy plus miles an hour without incident. This same God drove me into the wilderness by joining the Navy which was the equivalent of slavery. He brought me home again without any lasting scars at the end of my tour.

God saved my life when I was hit with high voltage power of the active sonar system of the submarine when I made a mistake in doing a voltage check. This mistake drove me across the torpedo room of the submarine like a rag doll in the gaping maw of a rabid dog. Luckily this knocked me unconscious either from the force of the electricity or from the blow to my head as I smacked the business end of torpedo. I laid there in a crumpled heap with a smoking beard and everyone wondered when I came around how I survived.

This same God blessed me beyond measure with my wife. He has taught me what it really means to love unconditionally as I have taken on the role of both husband and father. I didn’t earn any of this. I don’t deserve any of this by any means. I have been and continue to be the fortunate and grateful recipient of his mercy and favor.

So the issue of my belief all boils down to this simple set of statements. I believe that the power that turned on the sun still resides in the very being of God. The mercy that granted Adam and Eve clothing still resides in the arms of God. The compassion that parted the Red Sea still resides in the hands of God. The forgiveness that was experienced by the thief on the cross still resides in the mouth of God. If we as Christians had but mustard seed sized faith in the God we profess to believe in, imagine the things that could be accomplished. God stands at the door waiting for us to seek him, He stands at the door of our faith waiting for us to be the hands and feet of his mercy and grace.