Do something

By Jessica Connor

In our faith, I've heard it over and over again: once we are saved in Christ, it shouldn't be enough to merely rest in the knowledge we are now guaranteed a spot in the Kingdom. While nothing we physically do can get us into heaven, once we are safely in the arms of Jesus, we're not supposed to just sit around on our laurels, eat bonbons and rest comfortably in our state of grace.

Instead, inspired by the huge sacrifice our Risen Savior made for us on the cross, we re supposed to heed his command in the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15).

And not just that. We re supposed to feed his sheep. Love our neighbors as ourselves. Care for the stranger, widow and orphan.

Clearly, Jesus wants us to take this precious gift of eternal life and use it for good. Save others. Be His hands and feet in the world.

After all, in the Great Commission, we re not just called to preach the Gospel but to go into the world and do just that. Do something. Act. Advocate. All in His name.

As editor of the Advocate, it s gratifying month after month to hear stories from churches and people across the state about people who are living Christ s call. In this edition alone, we see a handful of Unite Methodists who are so concerned about being good stewards of the earth that they are fighting for passage of a new bill to allow people to more easily use the more eco-friendly solar energy. We see churches who are making cleaning buckets for disaster victims, raising money for hunger relief, helping homeless children, reaching out to immigrants, spending their vacation painting and hammering to help people without adequate housing.

Last month, at the United Methodist Women s annual Legislative Advocacy Day, Linda DuRant perhaps said it best: We have always taken the biblical imperative of ˜who is my neighbor and ˜caring for the least of these very, very seriously. If we don t do it, it might not get done. ¦ If we don t do it, who will?

We all have busy lives. But at the end of the day, if we re not doing much more than taking care of our own “ our kids, our pocketbooks, our neighborhood “ then we re not truly fulfilling what our Savior is calling us to do.

Do something. Reach out. Hear what God is calling you to do, and then act on that.

We have precious time on this earth. Let s make the most of it.