Sometimes all I can do is sit back and marvel. This guy, I only recently became more than an ancquaintance with, died for me. Even crazier, it was his dad that sent him to die for me. Let that marinate for a moment. Someone loved me so much that he sent his only son to die... for me, little 'ol me. How overwhelming that kind of love is. I don't know if I could ever love anyone that much. The best part is that he did it for you too.
God has been so visibly working in my life lately, it's so joyful to see him do so much through me. I've made a friend here, who must have been heaven sent. She was/is so hungry for the Lord but hadn't really realized what to do with that hunger. God gave me the honor of giving her the milk she desired and I know he is working in her to mature her and grow her so that she can start getting in his word and pulling out the meat to satisfy her growing hunger. How great is this guy to let me take part in his work.
Of course his work isn't always easy, but then again he never said it would be. He flat out tells us that the world will hate us (1 John 3:13, and many others) but they hate us because we do not belong to the world, we are his and his alone. I haven't come into much hate from the world or those around me... yet. But I am glad in knowing that when the hate does come on me I have God in my corner and he has prepared me to fight back with the biggest weapon, the authority given to me through Jesus Christ. God is constantly trying to grow me up so that I can be a good disciple for him, to win people for him.
There are so many ways that God has challenged me to be better for him. The most recent is that I need to be a better steward. Everything I have is because God has given it to me, he put it out on loan and how disrespectful to waste or break or squander things given to you. I am challenged to live a more minimal lifestyle, which to me right now means not wasting money on useless items. I am doing pretty well so far, I go shopping like normal pick up items I know I don't need, then when it's time to check out I reevaluate the contents of the cart and usually spend an additional half hour putting back unnecessary items before I actually leave the store. One step at a time, eventually I won't even look at the unnecessary items. Another reason I feel convicted to spend less money is so that I can give it back to the Lord. He gave me a loan, I'm paying it back. Interest free of course because he's such a good guy like that.
"If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." ~Romans 14:8
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