Sunday, July 27, 2008

All Hat, No Cattle

All hat, no cattle......is a saying down in Texas.

And there's also a song that goes with it. It's a song about a smooth-talking, long-tall, slow-walking, dollar-store made-up dude, who's all dressed up looking like the Marlboro Man. Starched shirt, starched jeans, big trophy buckle and an empty Copenhagen can. You see him standing there blabbing his mouth....all with a fake Texan drawl........talkin' cowboy this and cowboy that........but the closest he's been to a cow is watching an old John Wayne movie. He's all hat and no cattle, the guy just ain't real.

It's incredible to see many a hat with no cattle in the household of faith....sounding brass, tinkling cymbal......all.

Tongue talking, prophecy spewing, mountain moving, prayer warrior.........but blind to the need of mere mortals all around.

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corithians 13: 1-3"

Oh yes he's careful to tithe even the tiniest income........the rue, the mint, and all.........but ignores justice and the love of God......

When a needy brother comes along asking for help, he tells him,‘.....Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God......Corban..........what I would have given to you....."

Of course he loves the Lord..........yet

"If a man says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar...1 John 4:20"

He goes to church, virtually lives in the church. He prays every single day, many times a day. He's the first at church programs, his voice the loudest, and his hands raised the highest, during praise and worship. What a piety to the deity.

But..

"....if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 1 John 4:20"

All hat, no cattle. What a shame to God's Name.

6 comments:

john said...

That's so true...

john said...

But why are we so insensitive to the needs of our fellow men....

XtianDoctrine said...

It is a matter of priority. In most of our churches today the emphasis of giving is first to the church, every other thing else comes second. By the time the Christian man has fulfilled all of his financial obligations to the church and his family, there's very little left to give to some brother in need - even if he really desires to.

Akin said...

What or who really is the Church?

amma said...

The church means different things to different people. To some its the organisation that owns the building we fellowship or should i say meet in. To some others ,its the pastor and the pastoral team with a small select group of privilieged individuals, while to a few persons its the universal body of all who truely are ransomed of Christ, irrespective of colour,creed or denominantional affiliations, and that i believe is the CHURCH.

XtianDoctrine said...

A proper understanding of who/what the church is will help as we prioritize....