Roughing It Is a Black & White Television . . . ezekiel 3:5
. . . that, my friend, is a direct quote from my lovely wife to the mere suggestion that we take our kids camping!
Have you ever have the thought: if I surrender myself to God, then He is going to make me go be a missionary where there is no air conditioning, no English-speaking people, no running water, no 24 hour fitness spa . . . ugh! Yeppers, I nailed you. I know because I've had the same thought (mebbe, like, I pushed my thought into your brain?) and the same hesitation. I'm beyond that now because I have confidence that God will not lead me into situations that are beyond what He has prepared me for and what He will bring me through. But God doesn't have to send me to Central America or Southeast Asia or sub-Sahara Africa (my preferences would be Cancun or Colorado or Ft. Lauderdale or New Orleans, you know, good springbreak locations) for Him to use me.
Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. ezekiel 3:4-7
God didn't commission Ezekiel to go to a foreign country (although God does send some missionaries abroad). God didn't have Ezekiel preach to others in a newly learned language or even in existing languages unstudied by Ezekiel (like the way that the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles at Pentacost to speak in languages which they had never learned in school). God "sent" Ezekiel to tell Zeke's neighbors and family and co-workers and study partners and parking lot attendants and Wal-mart greeters and McDonalds cashiers and other parents at soccer games and swim meets and everyone else Zeke encounters something. That something is the message of God's character . . . that is, God's truth, God's justice and God's love. I can do that. You can too. Be bold in Christ Jesus and make each moment count for eternity.
Heavenly Father, please help me to love other people as You love them. I don't naturally have any interest in doing things for their benefit, I tend to want to watch out for myself first. I ask that the Holy Spirit lead me today that I will get over this "what will they think of me?" fear of rejection and replace that feeling with Your compassion of "if I love this person as much as God loves him/her, what would God want me to share with them?" today. Make me a blessing Lord to others. Use me up today. In the encompassing, precious name of Jesus, amen.
© S. Chan, 2004. All rights reserved.
Have you ever have the thought: if I surrender myself to God, then He is going to make me go be a missionary where there is no air conditioning, no English-speaking people, no running water, no 24 hour fitness spa . . . ugh! Yeppers, I nailed you. I know because I've had the same thought (mebbe, like, I pushed my thought into your brain?) and the same hesitation. I'm beyond that now because I have confidence that God will not lead me into situations that are beyond what He has prepared me for and what He will bring me through. But God doesn't have to send me to Central America or Southeast Asia or sub-Sahara Africa (my preferences would be Cancun or Colorado or Ft. Lauderdale or New Orleans, you know, good springbreak locations) for Him to use me.
Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. ezekiel 3:4-7
God didn't commission Ezekiel to go to a foreign country (although God does send some missionaries abroad). God didn't have Ezekiel preach to others in a newly learned language or even in existing languages unstudied by Ezekiel (like the way that the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles at Pentacost to speak in languages which they had never learned in school). God "sent" Ezekiel to tell Zeke's neighbors and family and co-workers and study partners and parking lot attendants and Wal-mart greeters and McDonalds cashiers and other parents at soccer games and swim meets and everyone else Zeke encounters something. That something is the message of God's character . . . that is, God's truth, God's justice and God's love. I can do that. You can too. Be bold in Christ Jesus and make each moment count for eternity.
Heavenly Father, please help me to love other people as You love them. I don't naturally have any interest in doing things for their benefit, I tend to want to watch out for myself first. I ask that the Holy Spirit lead me today that I will get over this "what will they think of me?" fear of rejection and replace that feeling with Your compassion of "if I love this person as much as God loves him/her, what would God want me to share with them?" today. Make me a blessing Lord to others. Use me up today. In the encompassing, precious name of Jesus, amen.
© S. Chan, 2004. All rights reserved.