Of Saints, Shane, and the Spirit of Service

Thinking about being positive, about giving up the negative things in my life, I find myself thinking of saints.

In the bible, any person called by God who does His will and His good works, is a Saint.
I have been thinking about all the saints who have gone before us, since the days documented in the the modern Bible, until now. Who were they? What lessons could I have learned from them about selfless service?

Sometimes I wish I had an opportunity to learn about the history of such things, but I know that the history really doesn't matter. The meaning of all of it is the same:

• Love Everyone
• Serve Everyone
• Look for ways to serve
• Take every opportunity love

I look back on all the missed opportunities, the times I was cruel, the times I chose not to serve and to be selfish. I still carry the guilt with me. I know that I have been forgiven, but I need to remember the cost. I need to remember the weight of not doing my job as I am called to. I need to remember that I have been given a difficult gift, the gift of selfless service, and the reward is greater than the cost. 

I remember the words from Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: 

“When we truly discover how to love our neighbor as our self,
Capitalism will not be possible and Marxism will not be necessary.” 

“Biological family is too small of a vision. Patriotism is far too myopic.
A love for our own relatives and a love for the people of our own country are not bad things,
but our love does not stop at the border.” 

“Maybe we are a little crazy. After all, we believe in things we don't see. The Scriptures say that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumours of wars.
And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is
coming that we start living as if it were already here.” 

“We can tell the world that there is life after death,
but the world really seems to be wondering if there is life before death.” 

“As Christians, we should be the best collaborators in the world.
We should be quick to find unlikely allies and subversive friends, like Jesus did.” 

"The only thing harder than hate is love."  

Shane Claiborne writes words about action, about Jesus, about God, His nature, and the living kingdom of God. Through his words, I see more than a documentation, but a cry. A cry for Christians to stop rallying around earthly emblems, myopic modern conveniences, and huddling in secure climate controlled buildings.
A cry to battle against poverty,  oppression, and segregation of humans for any reason. A cry for those lost in the world who don't yet know that true Hope lies in all that surrounds them.  A cry us all, as God's people on earth, to start living the truth, that the kingdom of God has come. The Lord is the ruler of heaven and earth, and though this world has power over our physical bodies, our minds, spirits, and hearts answer first unto the Lord.

The Saints, all of those who have sacrificed for God, have helped to shine light, to keep the spark of the Spirit alive in the darkness of the world. To what end? That all those whom the Lord has called (everyone) to His purpose, may do the work of the Lord and come to know Him more fully.
That through the free choice of people, we may live in active relationship with Him, to His glory.