Last week we had build week for preschool. Our whole preschool hall way is now redecorated and it looks awesome!
After that, Jared came home! But it was no rest for the weary. We left for Houston after church on Sunday and it was go, go, go with moving our apartment. We are officially moved in! Even if all my stuff is still in boxes...
I sat down this morning to catch up on things. It was overwhelming. Not to mention my computer decided to not work last night. And with stuff ramping up at work, I literally had to take a second to just sit and breathe. I know mentally it will all be ok. Spiritually and emotionally, I still feel like an earthquake on the inside.
The Lord has been faithful through it all. He has provided Jared and I with blessing after blessing. We had everything we needed for Jared's work provided for. Moving expenses were covered. We received immeasurable help from our families in our move. We made the move in our short time frame too! Through it all, God has provided. It only can be attributed to Him. Honestly.
Most of the time I open the Bible, it's like a breath of fresh air (disclaimer: there are some moments where I don't come to the Bible with the correct attitude. That's when it is not a breath of fresh air!). Today, I read Ephesians chapter 4. In the light of things starting at work and the things going on in Redeemed, it spoke to me like never before.
Ephesians 4:17 - 19
"So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness."
I've often wondered why people don't seem to care about the things of God. Why do people see or hear about terrible things happen in the world today (say, human trafficking, poverty, hunger, orphans, etc) and don't step up to do something about it? I think this set of verses begins to shed a small light on that. I believe that it is possible to live far from God even if you have asked him to be your Savior, having lived this way for a small portion of my life. The choices you make on how to live your life determine if you walk through life close or far away from your Savior. Some people's hearts are hardened. Because of this, they alienate themselves from the life of God (read: AMAZING life!) because they are ignorant of it and do not understand it.
Ephesians 4:20 - 24
"But you did not learn about Christ like this, if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth."
God is the only one who can change this hard heart for one of compassion and love, fashioned from his own compassion and love for us. We just have to ask. Many times, we need to ask daily, hourly, minute-ly...
Ephesians 4:25
"Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."
TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS! Amen. Also, tell the truth about the way people are living. With love. I hope you see me doing this right now.
Ephesians 4:26 - 27
"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity."
Notice it does not say never be angry. It says do not sin because of your anger. I used to think anger was a bad thing. But now I realize God gets angry too and when I get angry at things, I need to do a gut check with God to make sure I am not selfish in my anger. Then, when I do that gut check, I trust that if God is angry with it too, he's going to change it and be glorified in that change. I get angry that human trafficking exists. I get angry that kids who love church don't have parents that faithfully bring them. But, I know God gets angry about those things too. My anger is suddenly replaced by peace that God is working to change that and I have more fuel to do the things he has called me to do.
Ephesians 4:28 - 32
"The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you."
If I was running for president, this would be my platform. You want handouts? Stop stealing, lying, and causing havoc in the community. THEN we will be able to help you and make progress! It's the philosophy that you don't just give a man fish, but instead, teach him how to fish on their own. This is what I love about my boss. He doesn't just give me mindless tasks, but he teaches me why we do certain things that seem like mindless tasks. Who knows? Maybe if those that cheat and steal put their efforts into doing good with their own hands, they wouldn't need welfare support or freebees.
Even if we don't steal or cheat...you want to fight? Hold grudges? Argue just for the sake of arguing? STOP IT. None of this is helpful. It's something I've noticed about people in my generation. We all like to talk about the problem. We like to have a platform and speak in front of thousands about how terrible the problem is. We like the fame that comes with brainstorming how to solve those problems. We love to argue with one another about the BEST way to get it done. We love it when people say we are inspiring. But when it comes time to stand up and actually do what we planned to do, no one seems to have the time to. Or they overcommitted themselves to three Bible Studies instead. Or they have to take their kids to gymnastics, music lessons, soccer practice, art class AND therapy tonight.
I may sound a little harsh, but here's my point. I think deep down people care about things that are important: relationships with God, relationships with other people, leaving the world better than we entered it, etc. They are all things we talk about. But somewhere along the line, Christian or not, we get off track. We mess up our priorities where what we do doesn't back up what our mouth says we value.
God has designed all of us to do something. Some of us, it's working to get the money to fund the things God wants us to do in our churches. Some of us, it's to talk with those in our sphere of influence about what God did for us. Some of us, it's getting dirty in the trenches taking the resources of the church to those God wants to reach. We all have a part and we are all important. We shouldn't all be one part...we would never get anything done!
But what has happened, is we have a Christian culture that is too wrapped up in the things of the church instead of the things of God. We become too busy for God himself, and end up missing out on the life we could have had being used for the kingdom of God. It's sad, but sometimes true.
God loves us. He created us. He wants to use us to glorify Himself to others. In the process, we get to learn more about him and experience miracles that we would never have otherwise seen! It's a scary process sometimes and it requires the leaps of faith we all talk about. But when we actually step up and allow God to use us, it's amazing.
God is always faithful and he's dreams and plans for our lives are so much more than what we could ever dream and imagine for ourselves. I encourage you to never forget that and to trust God with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding!
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