Ever wondered, what is my purpose in life? What is it that God wants me to do? I remember having that question After I finished a big job for God. "What do you want me to do now?" I asked God in tears, feeling tired and worthless.
"What's in your hands?" came the answer as clear as though someone was sitting next to me. I looked down and found I was holding a baby blanket in one hand and a needle in the other hand.
At that moment, I was focusing on the needle and thread. Ah, God wants me to sew for him. But what, I thought after I finished that blanket, which was a gift. I had seen a missionary's presentation of their mission to a country where they helped feed and clothe orphaned children. I wanted to put teddy bears in the arms of every one of those children.
I said something to the team about it. "No, we can't afford to take teddy bears there with us," they told me. Their answer saddened me at first. But the images of those children wouldn't leave me, so I prayed about it.
In time, I remembered that the team had taken M & M packages with them to the field. These fit easily into the pockets and stuffed in luggage. Ah, I thought, I will make M & M package size teddy bears to send with them. So I did just that. For about a year I sewed 4-inch teddy bears. When I got up to 66 of them made, my mother helped me make most of the rest. Between the two of us, we made 100, we were told.
Those teddy bears were handed out all over that country the next five years to children who had no toys. Wow, that is great, I thought. But God was not finished with me yet.
What's in your hands? he had said. Not what's in one of your hands? I had failed to look at the other hand where the baby blanket was. But God hadn't forgotten.
"Make me a blanket!" I went to the missionary and said, "God told me to make a blanket for you to take to the field."
"Oh, like a quilt," he asked. I didn't know.I just knew that I was to make a blanket.
He was very excited about the whole thing for, he explained to me, a blanket was a very precious and personal item in that country. People did not share their blankets with other people. I had no way of knowing this when God called me to sew them, but God knew.
In time, God gave me a design for a blanket that could be used in that country. I've been making blankets every since.
"What's in your hands" God asked Moses when he called him to do a ministry. With that simple tool God saved a nation.
Want to know what God has called you to do? Look down and see what's in your hands. It could be children God has entrusted to you to raise for his glory, or a needle, or a business- the list could go on. Start with that, and he will bless it. What abilities and things has God given you to use for his glory? My friend, what is in your hands?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Be the salt you're meant to be
We are told to be "salt to the earth" by Jesus in Matthew 5:13. What does being salt to the earth mean? It means that we should be to the earth what salt was to their culture. To better understand that we need to look at the culture Jesus was speaking to.
Let's see what that says about Christians and how we are to impact the earth around us. First off, we need to be "in the world, but not of it." Salt and Christians are not effective unless there is contact.
Second, it means that we should help make the unpalatable things in life palatable. We should be fun to be around and not walk around with a long face or bad attitude.Salt is used to preserve foods. Our presence in the earth preserves the community we live in. Look at how Lot's presence in Sodom and Gomorrah kept god's judgement at bay. God did not judge it until Lot was out of those towns. When we live in a community, praying for it, God holds back his judgement on it. Also being involved in our community can make a difference. for people will see our good works and some may even do some themselves, which would make it a more pleasant place to live (Mat. 5:13; Mark 9:50; II Cor. 9:27).
Salt is used to make things clean. It was used to clean their homes much like we use household cleaners today. Our presence in society should do the same. We do this through evangelizing in our community (I Thess. 1:8). If those around us accept Jesus as their Savior they will be clean spiritually.
Salt was used as an antiseptic. It was put on wounds, used as mouthwash, and even rubbed on babies to "strengthen them" (Ez. 16:4). We live in a society full of physically, mentality, and spiritually wounded people. Part of our job is to help them heal with God's help.
Salt was so important to society that it was woven into their culture. Ways we see this is how it symbolized hospitality (Ezra 4:14), durability , fidelity, perpetuity, incorruption (Numbers 18L19). These are ways we, too, can make a God honored impact on our communities.
But what happens when we are not involved as Christians in our community in the way God wants us to be? let us look at the end of that verse I started out with"...But if the salt looses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" This means that salt isn't doing its job. What happens when we Christians are not doing our jobs?
Our communities with out Christian involvement will leave it open to all kinds of evil. A good example of this is seen in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." In it we see a man named George who doesn't think that he made a difference in his community and wishes that he had never been born. He gets his wish. In the end, he sees that he has made a real impact in his community for the good.
Then there's the worse case scenario of how our community can treat us if we are not the salt we are called to be. We see this spoken of at the end of the verse where it does say,"It is thereforth good for nothing, bu to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." This is what they did with salt in those days that was deemed useless. I have seen this happen to people who say that they are Christians, but do not act like it. Causing people to say," If that is a Christian, i don't want to be one." It has those who are not a Christian so upset that they poke fun at the Christian that they poke fun at the Christian and sometimes even beat them up. Why? Because they really want Christians being salt in their society today.
So there's the challenge. Are we going to be salt that makes a positive impact on our society, or are we going to do nothing and be useless to God and our society?
Let's see what that says about Christians and how we are to impact the earth around us. First off, we need to be "in the world, but not of it." Salt and Christians are not effective unless there is contact.
Second, it means that we should help make the unpalatable things in life palatable. We should be fun to be around and not walk around with a long face or bad attitude.Salt is used to preserve foods. Our presence in the earth preserves the community we live in. Look at how Lot's presence in Sodom and Gomorrah kept god's judgement at bay. God did not judge it until Lot was out of those towns. When we live in a community, praying for it, God holds back his judgement on it. Also being involved in our community can make a difference. for people will see our good works and some may even do some themselves, which would make it a more pleasant place to live (Mat. 5:13; Mark 9:50; II Cor. 9:27).
Salt is used to make things clean. It was used to clean their homes much like we use household cleaners today. Our presence in society should do the same. We do this through evangelizing in our community (I Thess. 1:8). If those around us accept Jesus as their Savior they will be clean spiritually.
Salt was used as an antiseptic. It was put on wounds, used as mouthwash, and even rubbed on babies to "strengthen them" (Ez. 16:4). We live in a society full of physically, mentality, and spiritually wounded people. Part of our job is to help them heal with God's help.
Salt was so important to society that it was woven into their culture. Ways we see this is how it symbolized hospitality (Ezra 4:14), durability , fidelity, perpetuity, incorruption (Numbers 18L19). These are ways we, too, can make a God honored impact on our communities.
But what happens when we are not involved as Christians in our community in the way God wants us to be? let us look at the end of that verse I started out with"...But if the salt looses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" This means that salt isn't doing its job. What happens when we Christians are not doing our jobs?
Our communities with out Christian involvement will leave it open to all kinds of evil. A good example of this is seen in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." In it we see a man named George who doesn't think that he made a difference in his community and wishes that he had never been born. He gets his wish. In the end, he sees that he has made a real impact in his community for the good.
Then there's the worse case scenario of how our community can treat us if we are not the salt we are called to be. We see this spoken of at the end of the verse where it does say,"It is thereforth good for nothing, bu to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." This is what they did with salt in those days that was deemed useless. I have seen this happen to people who say that they are Christians, but do not act like it. Causing people to say," If that is a Christian, i don't want to be one." It has those who are not a Christian so upset that they poke fun at the Christian that they poke fun at the Christian and sometimes even beat them up. Why? Because they really want Christians being salt in their society today.
So there's the challenge. Are we going to be salt that makes a positive impact on our society, or are we going to do nothing and be useless to God and our society?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Staying connected to Jesus
"I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser.2.Any branch in me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts off (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.3. You are cleaned and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)4.Dwell in me and I will dwell in you (live in me and I will live in you). Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. 5.I am the vine; you are the branches. Whosoever lives in me and I in him bears much(abundant) fruit. However, apart from me(cut off from the vital union with me) you can do nothing"(John 15:1-5 Amplified).
In the last week, a couple of storms came through a large part of the country and cut off our power. I don't know about you, but I found that there were a lot of things that I could not do without power, like take a shower or write this blog. Our spiritual life is much the same as electric power. Just as many of the machines we use can not work without being connected to the grid. We, too, can not do many things unless we are connected to Jesus.
What are those things, you ask. Things like having God's love for others. We see what that love is to look like in I Cor. 13:4-13. Let's look at that. "Love endures long, and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealously, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. it is not concieted (arrogant and inflated with pride): it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not selfseeking; it is not touchy or freitful or resentful; it takes not account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong).it does not rejoice at injustice and unrightousness, but rejoices when right aand truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, it hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening). Love never fails(never faides out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end)." I Cor. 13:2, says that without love, we are nothing, and verse three tells us that anything we do without God's love gains us nothing. So we can see that love is important, but remember we can not truly have God's love unless we are connected to Jesus.
Another thing we cannot do, if, we are not connected to Jesus, is bear good spiritual fruit. We see this in John 15:2-4. And when we do bear fruit, He will continue to cleanse and prune us so that we can bear even better fruit!
So with this all in mind, let us make sure that we are connected to the power source of our spiritual lives- Jesus.
In the last week, a couple of storms came through a large part of the country and cut off our power. I don't know about you, but I found that there were a lot of things that I could not do without power, like take a shower or write this blog. Our spiritual life is much the same as electric power. Just as many of the machines we use can not work without being connected to the grid. We, too, can not do many things unless we are connected to Jesus.
What are those things, you ask. Things like having God's love for others. We see what that love is to look like in I Cor. 13:4-13. Let's look at that. "Love endures long, and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealously, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. it is not concieted (arrogant and inflated with pride): it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not selfseeking; it is not touchy or freitful or resentful; it takes not account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong).it does not rejoice at injustice and unrightousness, but rejoices when right aand truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, it hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening). Love never fails(never faides out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end)." I Cor. 13:2, says that without love, we are nothing, and verse three tells us that anything we do without God's love gains us nothing. So we can see that love is important, but remember we can not truly have God's love unless we are connected to Jesus.
Another thing we cannot do, if, we are not connected to Jesus, is bear good spiritual fruit. We see this in John 15:2-4. And when we do bear fruit, He will continue to cleanse and prune us so that we can bear even better fruit!
So with this all in mind, let us make sure that we are connected to the power source of our spiritual lives- Jesus.
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