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. 

Discipline in Walking . . .

     We drove on and on this evening on a road that felt as if we were Indiana Jones going deeper and deeper into the rainforest of mystery. The purpose of our pursuit, to drive our day guard to his new residence. However, this road was not to be a fun daily stride, but a long, daily walk for our guard. The more time we spend here, the more the reality of life here is felt. We have now driven down the road our guard will daily walk upon to come and complete his daily task of work protecting our home. He will leave his home each morning around 6 to make it to ours by 7:30. A convicting thought, when so often we all trip up on the common struggle to get ourselves out of bed by 6 in the morning. Imagine in that time to be walking the uneven red dirt roads in route to begin your work day. Mile upon mile. This is just a single wheel spin into some of the reality of life here in Uganda. Bringing me to thoughts of the walk of life, and deeper, the walk of ministry--answering Paul's plea when he penned, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..." (Ephesians 4:1). Jesus, may we remember such experiences when we begin to complain about the tasks set before us or the disciplines required of us as we walk in servanthood for You.

Leaning or Scheming? ? ?

"Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. 

And it was night." John 13:30

     One disciple is found leaning, while one is found scheming. Sitting around the table, Jesus with the twelve men He had chosen to assist Him in His earthly ministry. Silence and heaviness fill the walls as the brisk air of what is soon to come, and the warmth of sweet fellowship with the Savior clash together in this upper room. John, keeping himself warm with the nearness of Jesus, leaning against Him as they sit in fellowship. Yet across the way, one remains in the cold air, the evil of betrayal brewing within, Judas. 

     It was at such a supper that Jesus revealed deep things to the hearts of these men. Before their eyes, He represented the role of Christians amongst men, to serve one another by washing the feet of others. In the form of bread and wine, He revealed Himself to them in a most moving way. Jesus had already declared that He is the Bread of Life, but He was taking them deeper now, asking them to take part in Him. "This is My body which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). He said this, revealing to them the cost of following, that in the remembrance of Him, in the following of Him, they were to take His body, take the example He set for them in the body. This example had already been shown to them in the humility of washing, in the patience of ministry to people, in the boldness of confronting sin, in the pain of rejection and misunderstanding, in the risk of stoning, but this was the bodily example they were called to follow. How much deeper their commitment had required from the first day they committed to follow this Man, to the present hour within this upper room!

     With this being said, I can sense the environment of that room. The mixed feelings, the confusion, and than the distraction as Judas Iscariot receives the bread and than quickly rises from the table. A conversational exchange between Him and the Bread of Life, "What you do, do quickly." And with the bread still within his hands, he leaves that room to enter in to the cold night, to betray the Giver of Life.

     I cannot read through this and not notice that it was after Judas had received the piece of bread that he went out immediately. How often we have entered into times of sweet fellowship with Christ, felt the warmth of His presence and than He asks of us something bold, to partake of something, and we listen, we may even receive, but than so soon as we receive the piece of bread, we quickly leave, the brisk night overtaking us, and we betray our Savior in disobedience. Have you ever gone to church, heard Him speak clearly, you receive, but as you exit the church door, so act as if your commitment to follow what you received has exited too?

     Oh let us not be found as Judas! Let us not receive a part of Jesus, but not all of Him! If we are to follow, may we follow. We can no longer pick and choose the parts of Jesus we want to receive. Judas thought he could, and a grave mistake this brought upon him. Has Jesus asked of you something this day? Then follow. Commit and follow. Jesus gave a bold request, but in the warmth of His strength, all could carry out His call, it is those who walk away after receiving who find themselves alone in the cold night. Stay near to Him! Lean upon Him as John! Whatever the request, His Spirit will give you what you need to carry it out. In remembrance of Him, follow the voice of your Savior.