Bad Economy-Awesome Grace
It got us. Just when you think your gonna make it through, it gets you. We have finally felt the blow from a blown economy. Carrie (my wife) lost her job today cause they weren’t getting enough patients to keep her on the payroll. So we are finally experiencing what many Americans are going through. Since we just moved to Clarksville, we used most of our money to get up here and we are living from paycheck to paycheck. This is not good news for her to lose her job.
BUT
I was coming home today from work, since I still have one, and I felt the Lord put something on my heart. It was really cool. I thought about how Jesus was a King in Heaven. The “attitude adjusting” scripture says
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8
So he stepped out of eternity into time and became like us,
Hebrews 4:15
15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
So we have a high priest that actually stepped out of his perfectness and lived like us to better relate to us that He may become the ultimate sacrifice. He also said that the birds have nests and foxes have dens but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Once again, a king on high stepped down into the lowly of lows voluntarily.
I can’t find anywhere in the bible where God said that life would be a bed of roses. Nowhere can I find that if we just give our 10% that we would have it made. But all through out scripture I find that we will suffer for His name’s sake. all through out scripture I find that be hated because He was hated.
With that in mind, it has been said by Carrie and myself that full time ministry would be option to take if it was an option that existed. Sorry for chasing rabbits but I finally make it to my point of my drive home. As God was pouring these scriptures into my heart, he was telling me that if we want to do full time ministry, we are going to have to learn a few things.
1. We are going to have to fully trust in Him
2. We are going to have to relate to those we are going to minister to.
3. That His grace is sufficient and all we truly need
4. That greatness is not to be considered to be grasped but that lowliness and servant hood is.
We have a long way to go, and He has alot to do in us. This is only the beginning. I don’t believe that God brought us to Clarksville to fall on our face. It has been a huge stretch for us firstly to move out of our comfort zone, secondly to endure the things we see and hear, and we will continue to be stretched. May God be blessed and glorified. This is why we are here.
Heb 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;
February 3, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I don’t have a lot of time for typing but now, so here’s a short response for once.
I believe that for you to really worship God, really be Christian, you have to first tell yourself there is no heaven. Not “there is no hell”, it’s easy to think that God is all rainbows and butterflies and wouldn’t create a hell. If there was no heaven, would you still worship God?
The test of life isn’t the “Don’t break the cosmic laws and you get into the club”. But would you be good, if like Job or Jesus, you got nothing back? Did Jesus get something in return? He went back to what he was, so really he didn’t gain anything. Job got more children, but does that bring the others back?
When you truly believe there is no heaven, in concept, for I am sure there is. When you think that you will never be good enough to “Earn” or “deserve” heaven. Would you still follow justice, goodness and the light?
I found my answer to be yes. I want to be good just because it feels good to be good. I want to because it fills me up with light and hope. Then God is no longer a bouncer you’re trying to get to let you in the club. God is the only partner you can trust to feel the same. God, or what I worship, despite having the choices, power and authority to do whatever he wants, _wants_ to be good. He gets no reward, no material gain, no prize. He wants to be good because he wants to be good. God is not only your pastor, but your shadow, and your cane. The light which shines so bright from him shows the shadow of what he and you could be. The strength from knowing that even He wants to be good supports you as you walk.
When you realize that for you there is no heaven, you will never earn it. And accept that you will not enter it from whatever you do, or whatever you believe, you feel a lightness within you, that you want to be God’s warrior despite the outcome. People say, “We don’t deserve heaven” only to follow it with “but”, then saying that Jesus can let you in, or some other thing. They think that by saying they don’t deserve it it means they’re humble and God will let them in… but then they are saying they _will_ go in because they deserve it.
You need to look back in your life, and not think that these are tests, and that in the end you’ll get a prize. But look back and see all the goodness you’ve done, all the people you’ve helped. And realize that despite the end, you’ve lived a life as good as you can. That in the end it doesn’t matter, you were good, and then you can feel the awesomeness that is hope, and the grace that comes from knowing you are a mirror that reflects God and that your partner and Father is proud.