Hebrews 13:1-8
5- Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, BECAUSE GOD HAS SAID, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.
That phrase was made famous by parents all over the world. When whiny children ask the question "why?" the answer is almost always "because I said so!". What does that even mean? Of course you said so, but WHY? I've been thinking about this one for a while and this is what I have come up with.
At least once in our life we have asked the question "why" of God. We pray and ask Him to show us what He wants for our life, lead us in His will, what is my purpose?! When He finally tells us, we become the children that we are and ask "why?". Does God need a reason? Does He have to explain to us His plan after we've asked Him to show it to us? NO! We simply should listen and obey BECAUSE HE SAID!
His word is full of commands and promises and we read them and think "those are great words" and that's it! He is calling us to do His work and we're asking WHY!!! Since I've been in Thailand I have seen at least one person a day with a shirt on that says save the planet, clean our air, recycle reduce reuse; and I thought to myself, if we spent as much time and energy on saving souls as we do on "trying" to save our planet, how many will come to know Christ? God already promises us a NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH so why are we trying to save this one? He has called us to be fishers of men and harvesters of souls. In 1 Peter 1:13-25, Peter is telling us that we should prepare our minds for ACTION, be SELF-CONTROLLED, and set our hope FULLY on the grace that will be revealed. He says that as obedient CHILDREN we should not conform to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance, but just as He who called us to be holy, we should be Holy because He is Holy! It goes on to say that we should live as strangers in this world in reverent fear because it was not by perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from our empty way of life, but by the precious blood of CHRIST!
We have become so concerned with our life on this earth, the possessions we collect and the beauty that adorns us that we are no longer strangers of this world but instead self-proclaimed "locals". Jesus says in Haggai 1:4-11 4"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses while this house remains a ruin? 5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways." We drink but dont get our fill, eat but never have enough, put on clothes but are never warm and earn wages only to put them in a pocket with holes. Here's the best part in verse 9 Jesus answers our why, "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house". God does not care how much money we have, how big our house is, how much food or drink or clothes we have, Why? Because none of that matters if we're neglecting HIS HOUSE! Instead of building another house let them stay with you. Instead of earning more money give more away. Instead of spending time building up our "house" build up God's Kingdom! Stop asking why, we already know the answer, BECAUSE HE SAID SO!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 22:1-2
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Another week has passed and with each passing day I am becoming more and more defined in Christ. His voice is sweet and His presence so near. When I worship my Lord, my eyes are filled with tears of joy and desperation crying out to be His. I am at peace and to some extent it scares me. My peace truly passes all understanding. How can I be at peace in a foreign land, not knowing what will happen next? I feel at peace while I wait for my Lord and Savior to lead me where He chooses. I pray that I will be used to glorify His name. Let me tell you how He has already begun to work.
Last week started off normal with one exception, God challenged me. It was not a booming voice or a miraculous sign, it was a still small tug. I was praying and asking God to use me, "what is your will for me?" and before the words amen came out of my mouth my mind began to race and my heart and stomach became uneasy. He told me that He wanted me to buy three plane tickets to Sri Lanka for the family I visit at the IDC who has been there for three years. The phrase would not leave me alone. I got out of bed and searched online for airfare and dates. I kept this to myself and told no one. The entire next day it was all I could do to not think about it, so I spoke to my friend Dylan and told him what God told me and he said "whats stopping you?" I didnt know, maybe fear or doubt that this was really what God wanted me to do, or the thought of what others might think of me, did I really have the money to do this. I came home and after much torment I told Monti, this was my breaking point, she said "I have been thinking that the whole day" and I knew what I had to do. I gathered all the information and now all I needed was the family to say they wanted to go back home. When I arrived at the IDC on Wednesday morning we began our routine of filling out the paperwork to visit the families. I asked around to see who had Sopitha and Pathman and their daughter but the answer I got was "the guards said they already went home" WHAT!? they already went home, but I'm supposed to buy their plane tickets! I was so confused, had I misunderstood God? We went in and walked up to the gate and there he was, Pathman was standing there holding his daughter in his arms with a huge smile on his face, so happy to see me. I was even more confused, how is he still here and where is his wife, was it just her that went home? I asked him what was going on and he was just as confused as I was, he certainly was not going home and he said no one had signed Sopitha out for visitation. I told him they said you all were gone and that we couldnt visit you. Luckily one of my Thai students was with me and she walked straight up to the guards and asked what was going on, they had made a mistake and they agreed to let her out to visit and apologized. I thought ok heres my chance, I heard God correctly and now I will get them out of here. There was only one problem, they did not want to go home. UGH! After a rollercoaster of emotions I left the IDC feeling more confused as ever. Then it hit me, it wasnt that God wanted me to buy that family plane tickets home, He wanted to see if I would. If I would trust Him enough to provide for me. If I would trust Him with my money, heart, my life. Just like God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son and when He saw that he was willing, God provided another way. Because Abraham trusted God he was blessed beyond measure, there was a purpose behind the challenge. I dont know what God has in store for me but I know now that I am willing and ready to follow Him, no matter the cost.
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Another week has passed and with each passing day I am becoming more and more defined in Christ. His voice is sweet and His presence so near. When I worship my Lord, my eyes are filled with tears of joy and desperation crying out to be His. I am at peace and to some extent it scares me. My peace truly passes all understanding. How can I be at peace in a foreign land, not knowing what will happen next? I feel at peace while I wait for my Lord and Savior to lead me where He chooses. I pray that I will be used to glorify His name. Let me tell you how He has already begun to work.
Last week started off normal with one exception, God challenged me. It was not a booming voice or a miraculous sign, it was a still small tug. I was praying and asking God to use me, "what is your will for me?" and before the words amen came out of my mouth my mind began to race and my heart and stomach became uneasy. He told me that He wanted me to buy three plane tickets to Sri Lanka for the family I visit at the IDC who has been there for three years. The phrase would not leave me alone. I got out of bed and searched online for airfare and dates. I kept this to myself and told no one. The entire next day it was all I could do to not think about it, so I spoke to my friend Dylan and told him what God told me and he said "whats stopping you?" I didnt know, maybe fear or doubt that this was really what God wanted me to do, or the thought of what others might think of me, did I really have the money to do this. I came home and after much torment I told Monti, this was my breaking point, she said "I have been thinking that the whole day" and I knew what I had to do. I gathered all the information and now all I needed was the family to say they wanted to go back home. When I arrived at the IDC on Wednesday morning we began our routine of filling out the paperwork to visit the families. I asked around to see who had Sopitha and Pathman and their daughter but the answer I got was "the guards said they already went home" WHAT!? they already went home, but I'm supposed to buy their plane tickets! I was so confused, had I misunderstood God? We went in and walked up to the gate and there he was, Pathman was standing there holding his daughter in his arms with a huge smile on his face, so happy to see me. I was even more confused, how is he still here and where is his wife, was it just her that went home? I asked him what was going on and he was just as confused as I was, he certainly was not going home and he said no one had signed Sopitha out for visitation. I told him they said you all were gone and that we couldnt visit you. Luckily one of my Thai students was with me and she walked straight up to the guards and asked what was going on, they had made a mistake and they agreed to let her out to visit and apologized. I thought ok heres my chance, I heard God correctly and now I will get them out of here. There was only one problem, they did not want to go home. UGH! After a rollercoaster of emotions I left the IDC feeling more confused as ever. Then it hit me, it wasnt that God wanted me to buy that family plane tickets home, He wanted to see if I would. If I would trust Him enough to provide for me. If I would trust Him with my money, heart, my life. Just like God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son and when He saw that he was willing, God provided another way. Because Abraham trusted God he was blessed beyond measure, there was a purpose behind the challenge. I dont know what God has in store for me but I know now that I am willing and ready to follow Him, no matter the cost.
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
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