What is that man, any less than me ? ? ?

What is that man, any less than me?

     He lays there, so frail his feet are nearly bone and marrow. The sickness has brought him to this state--helpless, away from family within an isolation ward, losing strength, weight, and hope each day. The man two beds down died a few days back, the one across from him with swollen legs and pain too much to allow sleep for his eyes. He's given a worn out mattress, a blanket for a sheet, to which the ants crawl by day and the mosquitoes disturb by night. The water beside his bed, not clear enough to see through. Who is this man, is he any less that he should lay in such a state and I should stand where I am. 

     These are hard questions of life that I cannot give an answer to. I think upon our God as Creator. He formed this man from the dust of the ground, just as he formed me. We are the same frame with the same needs. Yet, why have I been so privileged and he not? Is this not injustice? What have I done to deserve my blessings? What has he not done to of not received such blessings? The only conclusion I can come to in all of this is that these sights, these problems, "these ones" in such a state are allowed by God to give us, others, opportunity to work out our salvation. Opportunities to put into practice what we claim to believe. Opportunities to be Christ-like and bring the message, hope, and character of Jesus to another. 

Thus, one question must be given an answer…what am I doing with "these ones"?

With the abundance of resources I have, am I extending unto "these ones"?

With the time I am given, am I making time for "these ones"?

"These ones" are all around us, some in a more sever state than others, but all with one same need, and the cure you hold within your heart--Jesus.

By His grace, I am not one of "these" today, but how quickly life can change; therefore, I want to reach out unto these with the time and blessings I have received. What about you?

Daily Life . . .

     Seeing and hearing of daily life within the country the Lord has called me unto, seems to daily convict my heart.

I know the Lord has me here so that I can be in a place of seeing my need to be ever more dependent upon Him. In lack, I see Him more. I need to see life through this perspective. Here are some things that gripped and taught my heart recently:

     Fire burned down her home, only ashes remained; I stood there with her and her young brothers, half dressed, flames still simmering, the smell still in memory; yet, the next morning she would stand in the house of her God, worshipping. I am humbled and convicted when I think of the little misfortunes or difficulties I commonly face that distract my worship. 

     He gladly opens the church gate rain or sun each day, always wearing a smile. I, within a car, usually thinking of how tired I am from the heat of the day, and he gladly welcomes me in. I am soon to learn that he uses only a mat, raincoat, and thin sheet within a small room as "home" during the week. No money for a proper mattress, separated from his wife and new born baby during the work week, but no lack of a smile upon his face, and joy in his serving of welcoming people into God's property. I visited his home last evening, and as I prayed for him, his humility of kneeling on the floor humbled me. How quickly I complain of too short of a night or tiredness as I awake from my mattress and bed frame, a comfortable pillow and warm sheets.

     How slowly he makes his way to the village local Bible study to find fellowship and hope within his hopeless state. A man who once ran quickly now cradles his own body in an effort to move his crippled legs to walk. A few steps, then a crawl, then a moment or two of necessary rest. The reason he became crippled, no answer can be given. His ability to come to the study is filled with adversity and discouragement; yet he perseveres. How little a difficulty I allow to keep me from getting to where I know I need to be. He knew he needed to be where hope is found, where God's Word was being proclaimed. How much effort do I put into positioning myself to hear God's Word proclaimed?

     God has placed me in the midst of a people group who convict my heart with the effort they put forth into truly living this life. Few and troublesome can be the days of man (Ps. 90:10), but oh! if we would allow the troubles to turn our eyes upon the eternal things, upon the place where there are no tears, sorrow, or pain.

     Dearest Jesus, please use these words and these stories to convict us in our comforts and blessings, to cause us to be discontent without our eyes fixed upon eternity. May we press-on and press-hard in our labor unto You within these "few" days we find ourselves upon this troublesome earth, and may we use our abundance and our blessings to give unto the least of these, knowing we are doing it unto You. Amen.

Trading Poverty for Wealth

May 20, 2013

"And He said to those who sold doves, 'Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!' " 

John 2:16

     Righteous anger had come over Jesus at the sight of the merchandisers making a profit out of the poor by selling doves. Why would such a sight spark so much zeal fro our Lord? I believe it was for many righteous reasons, but the two that strike my heart this day is: the character of the dove, and Christ's desire that all men be found rich in Him.
     Just a chapter before we read the account of Jesus' baptism when the Spirit of God defended upon and rested upon Him in the form of a dove--giving us a picture of the character of a dove. The dove serves as a representation of His Holy Spirit upon a life. 
We know that our Savior never despised the poor, but He made Himself poor for our sakes. 2 Corinthians 8:9 reads,

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

     Christ desires that we be found rich in Him. He is not concerned with the material wealth of this life, but the spiritual wealth of His people in their living within this life.
With these two things upon His mind, I believe a sight of doves being sold at a price to harm or hinder the poor irked the heart of Jesus, and so He defended His Father's house by overturning the tables and re-establishing a call for prayer.
It is through prayer that one receives the anointing of the Spirit upon his or her life, and it is through prayer that we attain our spiritual wealth from the storehouses of His grace.
     Beloved, what need do you find within yourself this morning? Do you feel too poor to buy what you need to overcome? 
Come to your Father's house in prayer. The price of the dove has been paid for by His blood. No man can now try to take advantage of your poverty and sell you such a gift at a high price. No. The price was high indeed, but your Jesus took it for You and paid in full upon that cross. You now no longer ought to walk in poverty of Spirit, but in fullness and abundance, trading your lack for His sufficiency, and your weaknesses for His strength. This day, trade your poverty for His riches and in Him overcome. Romans 8:37. Amen.

Just Enough . . .

"…he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need." Exodus 16:18

We read that the pretense of this story was continual complaints from the children of Israel within the Wilderness of Sin. They began to look around at earthly lack and became discontent with the freedom being accomplished in their lives at that present time. Their earthly desire in that moment distracted them from the heavenly sights they had already seen and were experiencing--such as the cloud by day, the fire by night, the bitter waters made sweet, on and on. 

How quickly earthly desires distract us from the heavenly things we need! But in His grace, He sent mana and meat to the people. Each gathered according to their need, and there was no lack. No abundance or overflow either, but no lack. Jehovah provides according to our earthly needs so our hearts and minds may find an overflow of heavenly things. 

How often earthly desires or fears of earthly lacks tempt and are the cause of stumbling in the lives of His people as we walk through this earth--this "wilderness of sin"; sin present on every side.

Dearest Jesus, by the power of Your blood, by the leading of Your Spirit, lead us to the portion we need and nothing more, and give us a yearning for heavenly things.

In Jesus' Name we pray,

Amen.

Am I Singing ? ? ?

Is everything in my life as a song?

This is the question upon my heart in this time...

If I know that eternity is filled with His praises, and if I know that His word tells me to sing joyfully unto my God, and if a heart as a song brings rhythm to the events of life, then it is a question worth being pondered...is everything in my life being played out as a song?

Do i look for opportunities to take what is dull and make it into something beautiful. Oh the beauty that comes to a monotone sound accompanied by a drum or a harmony. Mundane takes on extraordinary when song is brought to our living. 

I am told in Zephaniah 3:17 that my God rejoices over me with sining. My God is a God of song.

As I walked along the island pathways this day, I listened as greetings took place. Words and gestures that are so common to me now after having spent over a year in this culture; yet today such common gestures took on a song. Brought to my attention is the way that so much of the Luganda language portrays itself in a melodic tone. To greet, one would say (spelling thus for pronunciational purposes)

Wa-suz-ie otia- nyo Nyabo or Ssebo

To which, the other would respond, "Bulungi"

"Jee-bale cyo Nyabo"

"Ka-ley, na-way, jee-bale cyo Nyabo"

Do you hear the sound? Ka-ley, Na-way. The rhyme, combined with the smile and gentle tone that comes from these dark lips, bringing forth a song.

They find a reason to appreciate and a reason to smile, regardless of how good or misfortunate life's events have been. Is it that they are forced to sing and we are not? No, it is that they choose to sing and you and I commonly do not.

When the base tone of our life becomes loud or hard to sing above, we commonly turn off all sound and silence the rhythm of our hearts sung out through our lips. How common it is to see one who is going through a hard trial to sit in silence, to sit with such pain on their face or discouragement worn upon their heart. How many Christians allow the music to cease in their lives. The minor keys of life have begun to play and in response they ended the song. To such a setting i think of Job, as he declared in wisdom, (paraphrased) "Can you accept the good things from God and not the hard things? Who are we to complain?" and in the latter part of his trial, he chose to sing, "My Redeemer lives!" (Job 2:10, Job 19:25). Job's heart choose to sing through the minor and major tones and trials of his life. What about you and I?

Will we choose to find a reason to appreciate, a reason to adore, a reason to praise our God in all tones of our living? Just as a song cannot consist with balance and quality apart from a combination of minor and major chords, likewise you and I cannot be found to be complete and balanced Christians containing the quality and knowledge of Christ apart from allowing the song to keep playing--choose to keep singing through the circumstances of life. 

Will I choose to sing?

Will I choose to respond to the song of my Savior upon me, and the call of His word upon my life to make a joyful sound unto His name?

May the lessons He allows me to hear each day be as music to my ears that I may learn to sing through the events, greetings, dealings, and circumstances good and hard of this life. Then we can be found to be living sacrifices of praise to our King. Amen.

Hope Resides Here. . .

Journal entry after a day of ministry in island medical outreach...I recorded results for HIV/AID Testing. Out of 30 people tested, 8 were positive. Most were young girls, girls of my age. I looked into the eyes of girls too young to hear such news, my heart was grieved, my prayer was penned.

Jesus,                                                                   8th-Feb-2013

You are the only hope to this world...today I witnessed the wages of sin in this life. THe depravity due to the consequences of sin. That people should live in such conditions. That young girls should be exposed to such infection. That life should be so hopeless. Oh the consequences of sin in this life! Dearest Jesus, is this a sight similar to what You saw when You looked down upon mankind and Your heart groaned? Enough to move You to leave Your heavenly throne? To come into the midst of our depravity, to serve despite the weight it bore upon Your heart, and then to give of Yourself that their blinded eyes may see? Have You given me a glimpse into what Your heart may of seen, such passion that followed as You left behind all to come. To serve. To give. That hope may be where hope was lost. That 8 of the 30 might receive life before death knocks at their door?

Father, may the things that You have allowed my eyes to see, may the grief my heart has felt weigh upon me in a righteous way unto Your glory.

Fill this heart with passion and zeal that they might know You, and in Your grace be saved from the state of their sin and hang upon the doorposts of their lives, "HOPE RESIDES HERE". In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Sowing. . .

20-Feb-2013

The little child within her mother's loving arms that sits beside me has stitching in her shoes. I know how much these rubber sandal-like shoes cost new, so little; yet when a tear came to these, this mother would sow rather than throw out. How often when I see a tear, I cast away, I buy new--but this woman would instead redeem these shoes and buy them back again for use through needle and thread. 

Dearest Jesus, this evening You allowed me to sit beside a lesson for my heart. You my Lord have done this act of love for me. When my shoes slip, when tears and rips appear in my life, You do not cast me away, but redeem me in confession and mend me again that I may be used to walk before You, to share the story of Your redemption. Thank you for loving me enough to sow me and make me whole. Amen.