September 16, 2013: Volume 2, Number 22
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30 60 100 MINISTRIES |
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|  My cart overflowed and my foot tapped impatiently as I waited in the checkout line at Walmart.
Then ... the registers shut down. Not just mine. All of them in the store.
You can only imagine the frustration that boiled inside me. The convenience and bargains I'd counted on went out the window because the transaction was delayed.
It can be tempting to treat my relationship with God like that transaction, leaving me impatient and irritated when things don't go my way. What about you? See if you relate when you read this issue's feature, Do You Visit God Like You Visit Walmart?
We look forward to hearing from you about how this metaphor helps you understand your walk with God better. Keep growing!
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EL CULTIVADOR: Introduce Us to Your Spanish-Speaking Friends
| We would love to send our Spanish edition of El Cultivador to Spanish-speaking friends you know who are looking for practical help in their walk with Jesus in ministry, the workplace, or at home. There is no cost.
Please invite Spanish speakers you know to send us their email address and we will subscribe them to this publication in their mother tongue!
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Spiritually Healthy Leader� to Ukraine
| 30 60 100 has been invited to present the Spiritually Healthy Leader� series in Ukraine as part of our Back 40 ministry to equip believers in remote areas (More details to come.) Join us in praising God for a native Ukrainian, residing here in Albuquerque, who has partnered with us to translate the Spiritually Healthy curriculum into Ukrainian before our 2014 trip.
Our stateside Spiritually Healthy Leader� workshop series continues on September 18 with "Conditioning for the Course." Learn more about this exciting series here.
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 Feature: DO YOU VISIT GOD LIKE YOU VISIT WALMART? |
This week, more than 100 million consumers will be welcomed by a Walmart greeter at one of the retail chain's 8,970 worldwide outlets. Low prices, convenient locations - not to mention round-the-clock hours - have built the Walmart brand into one of the world's third largest public corporation.
Is your interaction with God like a visit to Walmart? The similarities can be striking.
- Availability. Like Walmart, God is open 24/7.
- Accessibility. God's "omniscience factor" is higher even than Walmart's. He is everywhere - even in remote areas.
- Price. God offers an amazing bargain. He pays for everything. All you have to do is receive it.
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Image: Reuters
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It can be tempting to view God through the lens of a consumer, treating your interactions with Him like retail transactions.
What's a Transaction?
A transaction is an exchange. A retail transaction, for instance, is the exchange of $2 for a loaf of bread. A "good" transaction, from a consumer standpoint, is one in which you pay what an item is worth to you. A "great deal" is when you pay considerably less for the item than its perceived value.
Consumers return to Walmart over and over because the transactions offer personal gain, whether it's a "great deal" on ground beef or the convenience that comes with picking up a gallon of milk at 6 AM.
Do You Make Transactions - or Build a Relationship?
If you're not careful, you can let the "retail transaction mentality" overtake your interactions with God. The danger zone lies in your motives.
God-sumers (those who interact with God as consumers) engage with God simply for personal gain, whether it's a financial blessing, relief from a physical challenge, or even massaging your reputation as a "good Christian." The consumer mindset always asks, "What's in it for me? Will You give me what I want ... when I want it?"
Relational interaction, too, is an exchange - but with completely different motives. You invest time with God simply so you can be with Him. You view your relationship with Him as a connection with the Lord of the universe, with the goal of a deeper bond. In this exchange, you long to understand His character ... to build a strong attachment with the One we will be with for eternity ... to know Him better.
As you ponder how to get closer to God, check your motives. Do you approach God like you approach a visit to Walmart? The retail transaction mentality with God has little depth. It works only when things are going well: when He has all the items on your list in stock ... when He gives you "a great deal" ... when you don't have to wait...
God doesn't stock His shelves that way. Sure, He longs to bless His people with good gifts. But even more than that, He longs for your heart. He hungers to build a relationship with you. In a relational exchange with God, He pours Himself out to you - when you need it most, when you least expect it, and in ways you never dreamed possible.
And that's a great deal.
Growth Point
Healthy interaction with God is motivated by a desire to know Him, rather than personal gain.
Scripture
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives. (James 4:3, NIV)
Prayer Points - Why do we have the tendency to view our relationship with God from a consumer mindset?
- Consider your motivations as you interact with God: do you approach Him for personal gain or to build a connection with Him?
- Ask God to build your hunger for Him and show you ways to be drawn to know Him more deeply.
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| What People Are Saying ... |
 | | Image: Danya Guenther |
"Although I listen to a lot of teaching, I want to let you know that I love The Cultivator because it is short and to the point and always speaks to me." Joy G.
Hear more testimonies from Christians in remote areas served by 30 60 100 MINISTRIES staff here.
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