I wish obeying was as easy as brushing teeth. It's not.
I've just finished reading through Matthew, and I've taken some obedience lessons from Jesus. He makes it seem so simple by never disobeying; if only it was.
He gets baptized by his cousin John to "fulfill all righteousness"(Matt 3:15), and as he rises from the water a voice from heaven said "'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'" (Matt 3:17) Please note that God the Father was not just pleased, but He was well pleased. Immediately after he was baptized, Jesus was tested in the wilderness. I find it interesting that scripture says that he was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil"(Matthew 4:1) Let me be honest, I would never willingly go into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, would you?! Jesus then proceeds to fast for forty days and forty nights before being tempted by Satan. Still, being secluded and without food, Jesus obeys as he is tempted. Jesus knows that in Deut. 6:13, we are told to " Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Jesus does just that as he resists the temptations that are presented before him while reciting scripture. Jesus knew that it He could not try to be obedient by his own strength, but instead used the teachings and the Spirit to guide him as he fought to be obedient. I could continue through all of Matthew and follow how Jesus was obedient, but instead I'll share a song that I believes sums it up pretty well. It's by Brian and Jenn Johnson, and it's called 'Where You Go I Go"
Where You go I go
What You say I say
And what You pray I pray
And what You pray I pray
Where You go I go
What You say I say God
And what You pray I pray
Cause Jesus only did what He saw You do
And He would only say what He heard You speak
And He would only move when He felt You lead
Following Your heart following Your Spirit
So how could I expect to walk without You
When every made that Jesus made was in surrender
I will not begin to live without You
For You alone are worthy and You alone are good
I think it's quite obvious that Jesus only did what God led him to do. John 5:19-20 reads, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed." Just think about that verse aligned with everything Jesus did. It's pretty insane to think about putting that in practice and living it out in my everyday life. It means total surrender of my life, more specifically my time, money, relationships, words, thoughts, and so much more. It means not second guessing, but faithfully following God, knowing that obedience could very well lead me to a situation like Jesus with the cross. It could end ugly.
I believe a broader picture is placed on practicing obedience, as in aiming and planning to practice obedience in the future, not in the here and the now. When I start trying to plan, I miss the opportunities to surrender, obey, and follow His will today.
I want to leave you with a passage that continually intrigues me. The passage is Matthew 26:36-46 and takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus goes with his disciples, and once there, distances himself to pray, asking that they do they same and keep watch. Jesus' heart was heavy, " Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will'"(Matt. 26: 39). He not only prays this once, but again saying, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it,may your will be done"(Matt. 26:42). I believe that this is quite possibly the most beautiful thing that I have ever read. You see, it is clear that Jesus was asking that what was about to be done to him be removed from his future. He would have rather something else. Ultimately, living a complete life of obedience, Jesus followed God's will. It lead him to the cross.
All I can do is live today by choosing God's will for my life and surrendering my own. I don't know what He has planned for my life, but today I am choosing to obey His plans, His words, and His will rather than my own.
As I am to live obediently each day, this is what I'll cling to:
Matthew 22: 37-39 "' Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
This is only the beginning.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jungle Gibberish
The Gabonese are beautiful. I'm been consumed with that thought lately. I hope that doesn't sound creepy because it's not intended to be. It's just me realizing that everyone is created in the same image of our God. It's a wonderful and insane thought at the same time. It's not only their faces that are beautiful, but their hospitality, openness, and sincerity. Lately, I've been gathering all the memories of faces I can and taking tons of mental pictures. Yes, I'm taking real pictures too, but somehow all the pictures I'm taking don't seem to express or capture exactly what I'm experiencing.
With that thought, I have also been reminded that God longs for their hearts. It's as if He has been whispering into my ear saying, “They're mine”. God desires their hearts just as He desired and still desires mine. He wants their lives to sing of His glory. He wants their words to speak His truth. He wants their hearts to be His home. And He won't relent until he has it ALL.
No one is beyond redemption. Christ died for us all. He desires us all the same. He pursues, he chases, and he never relents.
I can't tell you how much the above thoughts have been on my mind recently. It's a beautiful thing that we are all on the same playing field and Christ desires us all the same. It's even more beautiful that he wants us in our brokenness, just as we are. It blows my mind.
Currently, I am in Bongolo. A group of fourteen of us made the twelve hour trip on Tuesday. With only two flat tires on the vehicles and the trunk popping open while driving speedily on a dirt road, we made it here safely. We are doing work projects for the Hospital in the morning and hanging out in the afternoons. Some of the girls went into the nearest town today, La Bamba. I still don't believe that I am in Africa most days as it seems unreal and impossible. Walking in the African village today just didn't seem real so I had to stop and pinch myself. I have times when I experience that reality but then in the next moment it seems as though I have been here forever, and that I could continue this forever.
However, I won't be staying here forever (not this time at least). Home is getting closer, and I am not liking the idea of leaving any more as it gets closer. I'm overwhelmed by the thought that I'll have to leave all the beautiful faces and this lifestyle in just about three weeks. I try not to think about that often.
As I'm typing this, I hear the beautiful sound of my brothers and sisters singing out praise to our Father. This is a common occurrence amongst our family and it's the simple things like this that I won't be able to get enough of in the coming weeks. I'm soaking in every moment and I can't wait to share once I return. Granted, it might take a while to get out and it might not come quick enough as some of you would like, but it will come. So be ready to bear with me. :)
With that thought, I have also been reminded that God longs for their hearts. It's as if He has been whispering into my ear saying, “They're mine”. God desires their hearts just as He desired and still desires mine. He wants their lives to sing of His glory. He wants their words to speak His truth. He wants their hearts to be His home. And He won't relent until he has it ALL.
No one is beyond redemption. Christ died for us all. He desires us all the same. He pursues, he chases, and he never relents.
I can't tell you how much the above thoughts have been on my mind recently. It's a beautiful thing that we are all on the same playing field and Christ desires us all the same. It's even more beautiful that he wants us in our brokenness, just as we are. It blows my mind.
Currently, I am in Bongolo. A group of fourteen of us made the twelve hour trip on Tuesday. With only two flat tires on the vehicles and the trunk popping open while driving speedily on a dirt road, we made it here safely. We are doing work projects for the Hospital in the morning and hanging out in the afternoons. Some of the girls went into the nearest town today, La Bamba. I still don't believe that I am in Africa most days as it seems unreal and impossible. Walking in the African village today just didn't seem real so I had to stop and pinch myself. I have times when I experience that reality but then in the next moment it seems as though I have been here forever, and that I could continue this forever.
However, I won't be staying here forever (not this time at least). Home is getting closer, and I am not liking the idea of leaving any more as it gets closer. I'm overwhelmed by the thought that I'll have to leave all the beautiful faces and this lifestyle in just about three weeks. I try not to think about that often.
As I'm typing this, I hear the beautiful sound of my brothers and sisters singing out praise to our Father. This is a common occurrence amongst our family and it's the simple things like this that I won't be able to get enough of in the coming weeks. I'm soaking in every moment and I can't wait to share once I return. Granted, it might take a while to get out and it might not come quick enough as some of you would like, but it will come. So be ready to bear with me. :)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
mud pies
One of my favorite childhood memories is making mud pies in the backyard. Did you know that Mom and Dad?! I used to love pouring water from a toy thermal water bottle over the dirt and mixing it all up in a large bowl. When the mixture was just right, I added all the necessary ingredients(all dirt of course),and it was then time to pour it into tin pie pans, slice, and serve. Turns out, playing with mud is still one of my favortie things to do.
This afternoon was spent at the Hope House digging and setting posts (or some fancy construction word) in order that a fence can be made to completely surround the land. As the digging progressed, the dirt became more wet due to the close proximity of a pond. Needless to say, there was TONS of wet dirt. Just like any typical day at the Hope House, Masunda found his spot on my lap. He promptly picked up the mud beside me, smashed it into my hands, and we began to play. We flattened it, smashed it, rounded it, handed some out, tossed the rest, and then started all over again. And then again, and again. Of course, none of the other children could resist their desire to play in mud. With lots of imaginations at work we created ships, houses, turtles, people with mow-hawks, Crosses, and lots of other things. Masunda, who once again was on my lap, took to his favorite pretend job and played street vendor while creating all kinds of desserts. We made mud pies and beignets. When I ran out of mud in my hands it was quickly replaced from a stockpile that was constantly being gathered. I left with dirt in my nails and a nice shade of reddish brown color covering my hands.
My afternoon was spent exactly like it sounds...making mud pies. To be honest, I didn't do much to contribute to the work of setting the post thingys, and I hope that doesn't bother you. A few moths ago it would have bothered me. The longer I spend in Africa, the easier it is to "be". Or maybe it has nothing to do with Africa, and that's just the person I'm becoming ( I'm praying it's this second reason). Truth is, I'm being more and more drawn to the littleness and simplicities of life. I believe that it is even through simplicities such as mud pies, that love can truly be shared.
As Mother Teresa used to say, "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it." By no description did I do any great things today, but instead I found myself doing the teenie weeniest of things and playing in the mud. And if you could have tasted those mud pies, I'm sure you would have tasted an extra ingredient of love from all the bakers.
This afternoon was spent at the Hope House digging and setting posts (or some fancy construction word) in order that a fence can be made to completely surround the land. As the digging progressed, the dirt became more wet due to the close proximity of a pond. Needless to say, there was TONS of wet dirt. Just like any typical day at the Hope House, Masunda found his spot on my lap. He promptly picked up the mud beside me, smashed it into my hands, and we began to play. We flattened it, smashed it, rounded it, handed some out, tossed the rest, and then started all over again. And then again, and again. Of course, none of the other children could resist their desire to play in mud. With lots of imaginations at work we created ships, houses, turtles, people with mow-hawks, Crosses, and lots of other things. Masunda, who once again was on my lap, took to his favorite pretend job and played street vendor while creating all kinds of desserts. We made mud pies and beignets. When I ran out of mud in my hands it was quickly replaced from a stockpile that was constantly being gathered. I left with dirt in my nails and a nice shade of reddish brown color covering my hands.
My afternoon was spent exactly like it sounds...making mud pies. To be honest, I didn't do much to contribute to the work of setting the post thingys, and I hope that doesn't bother you. A few moths ago it would have bothered me. The longer I spend in Africa, the easier it is to "be". Or maybe it has nothing to do with Africa, and that's just the person I'm becoming ( I'm praying it's this second reason). Truth is, I'm being more and more drawn to the littleness and simplicities of life. I believe that it is even through simplicities such as mud pies, that love can truly be shared.
As Mother Teresa used to say, "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it." By no description did I do any great things today, but instead I found myself doing the teenie weeniest of things and playing in the mud. And if you could have tasted those mud pies, I'm sure you would have tasted an extra ingredient of love from all the bakers.
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