"Jesus is NOT Simon Cowell"

The state fair has to be one of my favorite things to do all year. My husband took me there on our first date and now we absolutely have to go when August rolls around. Corn dogs, funnel cakes, fried everything, even this year's new featured item - chocolate covered bacon (nooooo thank you!), the world's fattest pig, 4-H projects, parades, rides, and just about anything else imaginable. I love it all.

One of the cool things about the Indiana State Fair is that they have a free concert stage. No tickets required, just come and hear whoever is playing. One of the cooler things about the Indiana State Fair is that they have Christian music day, which means, awesome Christian artists playing for free. We were able to catch Todd Agnew, and if you haven't heard him find him on YouTube and check him out - he is great!

Todd Agnew is an artist who doesn't want to come and play for people staring back at him, he wants to lead people in worship. So there we were, sitting at the state fair, surrounded by people eating turkey legs and corn on the cob, waiting in line to ride the Ferris wheel, or anticipating the sheep shearing contest later that day, and we were worshipping God. Definitely the coolest thing about the Indiana State Fair. And as he was teaching us some of his new songs, he told everyone to sing out, as loud as possible, no matter how terrible or off-key we were because, "Jesus is NOT Simon Cowell."

Nope, Jesus is not Simon Cowell from American Idol, or Tyra Banks from America's Next Top Model, or that British guy from America's Got Talent, or anyone else on any of those shows that judge people for their talent, looks, or abilities. The thing is, you couldn't impress Him even if you tried, because nothing that we have or are is due to our own efforts.

Sometimes we're don't give God anything because we're afraid what we have isn't good enough. We don't sing as well as other people, so we barely mouth the words in worship instead of belting it out. We know other people who are better with kids, so we don't volunteer to help out in Sunday school classes. We're not good with people, so we don't reach out to the new neighbors across the street. Not that we don't want to do what God wants us to, but because we don't think we have what it takes to do it.

Remember that story in John 6? One little boy, five loaves of bread, and two fish. That's all it took for Jesus to feed five thousand people. It would have been so easy for the boy to say, "No, Jesus, this stuff? It's not good enough. The bread is dried out and the fish have been out in the sun all day. There's not enough. You need more than what I can give you, you need something better than what I have."

Jesus doesn't care what we have to offer, He only cares that we give what we have to Him. The disciples said there wasn't enough, and Jesus simply said, "Bring it to me. Just give me what you've got and wait and see what I do with it."

Sure, Jesus could have snapped his fingers and everyone would have had a steak dinner in their laps; the miracle still would have been awesome and people still would have been fed. But He used a little boy.

That child was part of what Jesus did that day because he chose to say, "This is all I've got, but it's all Yours." I wonder what would happen if we did the same thing with what He's given us...

Emily