Petunias
Returning from Russia brought many happy moments, and some sad ones, too. My poor garden wasn’t doing so well when I left, and the eleven days of neglect while I was gone produced weeds in abundance and dry, brittle twigs where flowers once were. I shook my head as I gazed on the dead petunias. As beautiful as petunias are, they aren’t as hearty as they look. Their deep jewel tones and delicate blossoms delight my eyes in the Spring, and I plant them in abundance. But they don’t stay that way, and I’m hopelessly deceived into thinking that they are stronger than they really are. These dear flowers need pruning, watering and weeding more than any flower in my garden. More than that, they need protection from the rabbits who live in the bushes and find their blossoms to be a delicious treat. I don’t always consider these things when I plant petunias. I am enchanted with their beauty alone and assume they will grow and remain alluring simply because that’s what I expect of them. I don’t consider all the work it will take to keep them beautiful and thriving.
And such is the way with people. God gives us a gentle lesson with the petunia. Are we too eager to fill our lives with the beauty of others yet so blind that we neglect the care and keeping of them? I think we certainly believe that people need right relationships with God, but we fail to realize that phileo love is just as important to God as agape love. God created us for one another for accountability, fellowship, companionship, intercession and love so that we can be in authentic, life-changing relationships with one another. He delightfully shines through us to affect each other in the most incredible and penetrating ways. And like the petunias in my garden, it requires a lot of work, but the returning beauty of the blossom resonates a life filled with love.
This is a great lesson for me as I strive to fulfill the role of friend and mentor in a way which pleases God most so that we can all grow to know and love Him more. By caring well for others I believe we can change the world, one petunia at a time.
Katie’s Request
We arrived at the correct location a few minutes early, and found our seats among people who were more our age. I don’t know why we do things like that, we just do. But a young girl with a delightful smile immediately greeted Melanie and me.
“Hi! I’m Katie!” she said, as she extended her hand. We introduced ourselves and felt a sense of warmth and welcoming.
The YWAM base was three years’ new in our area, and I had been anxious to visit ever since I heard of it. When there was an invitation for community night, I didn’t hesitate to reserve a spot. When Katie turned to the next newcomer, I turned to my right and introduced myself to the young girl sitting next to me.
“I’m Katie,” she said quietly.
“Oh, tell me,” I joked, “are all the YWAM girls here named Katie?” I laughed. “If they are, it will make meeting people a lot easier!”
Katie smiled humbly and said simply that there were only two. I could tell that it wasn’t a natural thing for her to begin talking to random strangers. She was quiet and shy, but very sweet. I asked where she was from and we chatted a bit about a location I was familiar with until my son came along and sat in between us. I introduced them and as they began talking, I turned my attention elsewhere. But I kept thinking about Katie.
We had wonderful praise and worship, led by Libby (who after the event immediately pegged me as my daughter’s mother). After praise time, we heard from a dynamic speaker who challenged us to be confident in our faith. It’s a good challenge, solid and foundational to the Christian faith. Quoting scripture after scripture with whimsical ease, we were freshly reminded that God’s mercy and grace makes us holy, not anything we do. It’s amazing how we always go back to the doing of our faith, while in the back of our minds we track brownie points as if we’re competing with the rest of Christianity for God’s favor. Will we ever learn?
The time ended with prayer and we filed into the main lobby for beverages and snacks. I visited for a bit with a couple of students at the DTS, and just as we were about to leave, I spotted Katie. I really wanted to say goodbye to her, so I walked across the lobby and told her it was good to meet her. I then asked how I could pray for her. She seemed surprised that anyone would even ask. She thought for a very long moment and looked up. “Please pray that I can trust God more,” she said.
Katie could have asked for a million things. As a YWAM DTSer she could have asked that God provide funding for her outreach or that He would multiply the time she needs to complete her homework. She could have stated that she wasn’t sleeping well, that she missed her family, or that she was having a personality struggle with one of her fellow roommates. And in all these possible requests she could have even said, “Pray that I trust God to …” but she didn’t. She purely and simply requested that she trust Him … more.
The drive home left me astounded. This was no small request. It’s the stuff that bears witness to a living and active spirit within this precious human soul. In his book, Trusting God, Jerry Bridges writes, “Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings, but of my will.” He later adds, “We mistakenly look for tokens of God’s love in happiness. We should instead look for them in His faithful and persistent work to conform us to Christ.” Katie was asking to be conformed to Christ. It was a bold and courageous prayer request, and one which I have no doubt our God will take delight in answering. I would like to see Katie again one day. I think she could teach me much about the humble Christian faith, girded by solid trust.
Father, I pray for Katie tonight. May you fill her with a peace which surpasses all understanding, a faith that is strong and unwavering, and trust that in all things you are in total control. May she become strong and courageous in your sight, a woman of honor, dignity and value. May the things that move you move her, and may she be intimately acquainted with your voice whether she’s on the summit or in the valley. I pray, Lord, that she can learn to trust you more. And may we all adopt this very prayer request as our own.
The Turkish Pastor
Istanbul, Turkey
I attended a leadership conference this week which focused primarily on the leadership principles of Christ. It was both refreshing and challenging. In the conference we had many nationals attend. There were experts and field workers from Nepal, India, Africa the US and Turkey as well as many aspiring students. The Turkish man I met is a pastor in Turkey and has had great influence in his nation among the protestant Christians. In a nation of 72m people, there are only four to five thousand protestant Christians. My friend has much work to do.
I mentioned to him that I was preparing my church to pray for Turkey this Sunday. The day marks three years since three men were tortured for three hours and then murdered, or martyred, simply for their faith in Christ; one American, two Turks. All three of those men were friends of this Turkish pastor I met, one was his best friend. How penetrating.
Please consider engaging your church, Sunday school or prayer groups to pray for Turkey this Sunday. You can download information and prayer points from the Pray For Turkey website.
Even if you get this information later, you can still pray. The nation needs our prayers and our loving intercession. And please pray for my friend, Ramazan as he continues to faithfully carry out the call to evangelize and offer the hope of the Gospel to a lost and oppressed nation.
Grace and peace be yours, my friends.
Immobile
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary describes the word dysfunction as abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction within a group. The prefix, dys, means bad, abnormal or difficult. So we can say that dysfunction is the impaired functioning of something or someone. It can happen out of trauma or tragedy, but in a human it can also occur out of disobedience, oppression and depression as well as trauma and tragedy. The outward behavior becomes the dysfunction making one immobile in some areas either physically or mentally. It is the inability to grasp some realities of life. And very often, it becomes a safe and protected prison.
The Visit
God inoculated me to the horror of her standard of living, which has seen very little joy in quite a many years. It’s incredible how dysfunction can sometimes literally make one un-functional. We walked in to 2, 3 and 4 feet of trash strewn all over the house. Dirty dishes filled the kitchen which has long passed in seeing a home-cooked meal. A hall bath was so decrepit that an out-house would have been a kingly choice. Television and computers are their only source of entertainment. A 150lb dog can only lie on a tiny spot on the floor, embedded in her prison of trash and decay. Tufts of dog hair float by on the little walking paths and cling to our shoes as if looking for a way of escape.
Cleaning House
Our first trip was made in the evening, our second in the daylight. It’s amazing how light can reveal what the darkness hides. We learned that she got angry one day and threw away all the trashcans in the house. People were there all day long on that cold winter day. The neighbors were stunned. An informal neighborhood meeting was called. Janis was not invited. We quickly surmised that in this neighborhood people don’t come to help. It’s easier for them to huddle in their garages and talk up a story. Outlandish and preposterous would be the idea of helping a neighbor, and one would nearly be ostracized for suggesting such a thing. They watch us from the windows of their homes as condemnation and disgust flow from their chimneys of judgement.
Family Life
Mrs. Greer is in a nursing home, becoming weaker each day with Alzheimers disease. She calls me Angie, and I don’t correct her. I only know her as the roommate of a friend I visit weekly in that hospital. I bring Mrs. Greer chocolate kisses and talk to her about the news. I touch her tiny hand and smile. I see fear in her eyes, but lately she sleeps a lot. Lately she doesn’t eat. She may not make it to the end of the year. Janis weeps over her mother’s situation. I took her to see Mrs. Greer last week and the entire floor was alive from the cleaning personnel to the nurse’s station, shocked that Mrs. Greer had a visitor. Everyone came around to see. No one knew it was her own daughter.
Janis’ husband left when the two boys were young. He doesn’t visit them. They, too, are immobilized in this prison. We gave her food, prayed with her and invited she and her two sons to church. One attends, the older one, angry and confused, refuses. The boys cannot drive because there’s no money for car insurance, and they don’t work. The older one has a small income from his work on the computer. He stays in his room most of the day. The younger, more attentive to his mother, is eager to earn a living outside the home; eager to change. A friend of mine paves the way for teaching, mentoring and employment.
Blame-Shifting
Janis blames everyone for her situation, from the doctor to the plumber to the neighbor next door. And anyone who has gotten into a situation like that would blame others. Like alcohol to a drunkard, it is the steady consummation of denial which soothes the wretched reality of dysfunction. The home starkly reveals her story and voices of anger and misery cry through heaps of trash. Apathy and hopelessness is the reply. Tears stream down her face. She is ashamed. I kneel before her and pray.
Expectation
It’s a really tough place. I have seen worse, but in the expected places: the poor and homeless areas of town or the slums of Mexico. Not in a place like this, though. Not on Scotch Road. And I am humbly reminded that none of us are too far from these places. With our hells and our heavens merely separated by a thread we walk the fine line of paralyzing dysfunction every day, every moment, and with every choice we make. Our only hope is intentional and deliberate obedience and intimacy with Christ. What we witness in Janis’ home is the outcome of slow decrepitation. We only see the results. The process of declination must be a living hell.
We will visit often; there is much work to do. But we have hope in Christ that He will bring joy to these sullen hearts and, like a fresh wind, breathe new life into this home.
A movement is beginning to occur in our hearts and theirs. May we serve Him with irresistible anticipation for the extraordinary. May the neighbors take note.
Oh Lord, make us all sensitive to the hells of others. The trials and tribulations which affect the kingdom can wreak havoc on our souls. May we not turn a blind eye to those in need, to those living in constant shame. Fill us with courage and strength, patience and expectation. Give us words to share and ideas to embrace as we, in turn, embrace those who so desperately need a touch of your mercy and loving-kindness. Make us willing vessels. Humble us to serve your kingdom.
Who Cares?!
Sometimes I think I’m not supposed to hurt, that things aren’t supposed to trouble me, so I often don’t allow people to see the hurts I endure. A misunderstanding, an unkind word, a hateful deed: We simply hide them in our sock drawer and move along. Who would care anyway? What would it matter? There are bigger crimes, bigger hurts, louder tears. But every time I open the sock drawer, there they are. I slam it shut and scream in my mind, “Who would care?!” And I answer my question with cynicism, “Who? Like, a human?”
A friend said to me today, “It’s okay, I’m not afraid of tears. You can talk.” Ah! He may not be afraid of tears, but God knows I am. I struggle to regain composure and try to speak without squeaking … or sobbing. I ask if we can talk later and hang up the phone. Buried consequences rise in my throat like a tidal wave and my body trembles under the weight of grief, sorrow, misunderstanding and shame.
We were not meant for sin or grief; we were not meant to hurt. Hurt comes from sin, and sin is something far more spiritually connected than we could ever imagine, connected through insidious forces we can neither see nor touch, let alone understand. And when it makes its way into the human soul it can hardly be rectified without a bigger and more authoritative Spiritual Power.
My eyes fall on Mark 1:23-28. Jesus had just healed the demon-possessed man. In those days, demon possession was a very widespread thing and had many Jewish legends and folklore attached to it. One noted historian, Harnack said, “The whole earth was a living hell.” We really don’t see that kind of widespread demon possession today, and that’s not the focus of my note; however, what I came to realize about the demon-possessed man is that he knew he was possessed. Jesus could not cure him unless he admitted his trouble. I think that’s why the story is in the Bible. We must assume the reality of our disease before we can ask for a cure.
I open my sock drawer once again, and there are the hurts buried among the mis-matched. I place them on the dresser and slowly expose them to Jesus. Through tears and sobs, I admit the pain, the sin, the grief and the sorrow. Slowly they fade and I am renewed and strengthened by His power. And I realize that it isn’t the responsibility of any one person to meet us in these places. When we assume that man should do what only God can do then we put man before God and we will always be disappointed.
“Who would care?” I answer my question now with assurance. My eyes fill with tears, but these are tears of joy which come from a new sense of maturity and hope. Jesus cares, and Jesus stands ready to cure the heart that admits the disease.
Lord, thank you for allowing me to give you these things which hurt so deeply. I share them with you because you understand with great depth and clarity and you offer comfort with abundant mercy and loving-kindness. My hope is in you and my heart is strengthened by your love. My cup is full to overflowing with this joy. Jesus, take me and use me as your light to shine your glory. I love you, Lord.
Breakfast
Fasting and Praying for Haiti
My 19yo son trotted downstairs with a plate in his hand containing a homemade burger on a bagel with a slice of cheese. It’s only 11:57 p.m. and I wanted to wait until midnight before I took a bite. So we chatted a bit about how it felt to be hungry. In our home we have two refrigerators (with freezers), one large freezer and two pantries. There are only four of us living here but I frequently host people in my home, as well as randomly give food to the poor. And we still seem to have a constant supply of food.
Among many things spiritual or otherwise, fasting reminds us how much we have and how much others do without. It reminds us that there are people everywhere who do without, and even if they have food, we oftentimes eat like kings compared to their meager meals. The World Health Organization breaks up categories of hunger this way: one-third eat well, one-third are malnourished and one-third is starving. Since you began reading this article, at least 200 people have died of starvation and over four million will die this year. I am sure that with the recent catastrophe in Haiti, those numbers are on the rise.
It is difficult knowing why we are here and they are there; why we are among the well-fed in a world where two-third struggle and starve. But I am convinced that while God allows some of us to have comforts others do not, He certainly does not mean that we covet these comforts and keep them as idols. Jesus himself commands us in Matthew to share our crust of bread, for if we have done so to our brethren, we have done so to our Lord. I wonder how many saints working among the inured and poor in Haiti have shared their lunch, their water, and gone without for the sake of the starving.
While we pondered these things, my food sits and waits. There is no one to give it to, and to reject it would mean waste. But I remembered that just tonight a homeless lady I call Mary sat in my family room as I served her some stew, listened to her struggles and gave her some advice about her son. She happily ate every morsel as we visited. Somehow food brings us together. It’s a universal thing we all need. In the book, A Christmas Carol, we read as Scrooge eats his meal alone, night after night. Charles Dickens not only paints a picture of a selfish and greedy man, but a very lonely man. Food not only keeps us living, but it keeps us linked to one another in fellowship. And as we deny food for the sake of one starving or for the sake of prayer, we are linked in a truly spiritual sense to our Heavenly Father.
My son and I closed out the day by praying together for Haiti and giving God the thanks and glory that He truly desires this nation be fruitful once again. We look forward to the rebuilding with joy and hope. May the prayers continue forth; may the giving never stop; may the hands and feet not grow weary.
It’s midnight. Time to break the fast.
Do You Love Me?
I am reminded this week of Christ’s words to Peter just before He left him for the last time. “Do you love me?” He asked. It seemed almost rhetorical. “Yes,” Peter said. I’m sure Peter didn’t expect Jesus to ask again, and again. And the third time totally and completely touched this man’s heart to the very core. It riveted him. One can nearly feel the emotional weight of the question–of Peter’s grief that although he sinned, this God-man was willing to reinstate the love and sow into Peter’s heart the seeds of mercy and forgiveness.
It’s the same question He asks of us over and over again. These challenges in our lives are not without purpose; not without reason; not without response. They are set in place so that we will be frustrated by them and find our broken hearts at a crossroad. Then He reinstates us with His simple, but profound words.
“Do you love me?” He asks.
It is rhetorical. Christ knows the answer. He wants us to know it and to own it. He wants our hearts to be His.
“Yes Jesus, I do. Please show me how to love you better.”
My answer is humble and simple, but in it bears the weight of responsibility. It’s time to feed the sheep.
A New Attitude of Gratitude
“Give thanks in all circumstances!” I Thessalonians 5:17
My friend, Paul Daniels, is a high school teacher in a nearby town. He sent me this note on Monday, and I was so inspired by it that I asked if I could post it to my blog. I pray it inspires you, too, especially during our season of Thanksgiving. Paul writes:
This afternoon I translated a thank you note from a 7 year-old girl in Burkina Faso who had received a shoebox from a CAL elementary student via Operation Christmas Child. Anne Wegert wanted to use the letter in elementary chapel. Here’s the letter.
“June 5, 2009
I have the great pleasure of hearing from you. My name is Guedraogo Safiatou. I am in an elementary school class in the village of Toba in the department (county) Yaba of the province (state) Mayah.
I am the oldest girl of a family of farmers. I have 5 older brothers and 5 younger brothers. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all the wonderful gifts that you gave us here in Toba.
I want to send my greetings to all your family and friends in America. I hope that your friendship will continue forever if God wills it so.
Thank you!
Guedraogo Safiatou”
I got to thinking as I returned the letter back to the elementary office. In saying thank you, Guedraogo had spent about $2 between the cost of paper, stamps and the photo. It doesn’t sound like much to us until one realizes average person’s yearly income in Burkina Faso is about $320. She spent a small fortune or about 0.6% of the average Burkinabe’s income. For one of us to say thank you in an equivalent manner as this little girl, it would be $196 (about 0.6 % of $31,800, the average US worker’s income).
It’s kind of humbling. Would I say thank you if it cost me $196? And how often have I forgotten to say thank you?
Towards a new attitude of gratitude,
Paul
“Give thanks in all circumstances!” I Thessalonians 5:17
The Stones will Cry Out
But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if they become silent, the stones will cry out!
As most of us who run in circles of mission work have heard, there is great need for prayer and mission work in the 10/40 Window. This is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude containing enormous amounts of people who have never heard the gospel. Many things keep them from hearing such as location, anti-Christian religion, law, oppression, etc. These are people who range from the nomads to the wealthy, the young and old. They are part of large systems of belief which hinder the spread of the gospel, sometimes by their own culture of religion (e.g. folklore, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.), sometimes by oppressive political systems and sometimes by war and bloodshed. In any case, it is an all-out war between the rulers of darkness and the Lord of the Heavens. The 10/40 window is a spiritual blockade, pushing against the Gospel and keeping its inhabitants in darkness.
The vision in Luke 19:30-40 is powerful and profound. Jesus has secured a donkey to go into Jerusalem, and as He headed toward the city, the crowd was overjoyed. It says, “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Well this didn’t sit well with the Pharisees, and they were insulted that the king who comes in the name of the Lord would come seated on a donkey. They turned to Christ and asked him to quiet the crowd. Instead, Jesus pointed out that even if He did quiet the crowd then the stones would cry out!
I am praying for friends in a nation of the 10/40 window who are working as missionaries, feeding the hungry, ministering to the poor. Ethnic cleansing is beginning to occur in the region where they work, and my friends may be forced to leave or they will be killed. As I was in prayer over them recently, it occurred to me that whatever the outcome, they have done well. They have been obedient to God’s call on their lives and moved where He would have them work. And whether they count it as loss or gain, God counts it all as gain. And whether they go or are killed, we cannot deny the words of Christ that even the stones would cry out in their absence.
But these truths do not mean we mustn’t go, send others to go, pray or mobilize people under the commission of Christ. After all, Jesus did not squelch the praises in His name and the joy surrounding His presence. He simply stated a penetrating truth that even if He did quiet the crowd then His very creation would magnify and glorify Him! Jesus was profoundly stating that God will accomplish His plan to redeem the world and bring glory and honor to His name whether man obediently participates or not. Isn’t it incredible that even though He doesn’t need us to carry out His plan, that He chooses us be involved and allows us to participate? How humbling to part of this great movement.
The oppressor of this world can push back the gospel from the 10/40 window only so long. He and his dominion can have spiritual stronghold for a time only allotted by God himself. They are bound by scripture, and the end of the story tells us that they will one day be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. While they give a false impression that they have control over these nations in the 10/40 window, we know they in fact are only biding their time. They know the end of the story, too. They know their time is limited.
So this knowledge calls us to a greater awareness of the world in which we live and the places where the Gospel is incredibly thwarted. Our response is prayer, intentional and deliberate prayer. And whether that prayer leads us to go, send or mobilize, it is still powerful and paramount to any action we might take to further an awareness of Christ and His Supremacy in the 10/40 window. If you are not praying for these nations and these peoples, then you must start right away. There is no greater need for prayer in the 10/40 window than now.
I’ve listed some resources below to help you get started. These are just a couple, and while there are plenty more, I find these ministries to be consistent, dedicated and solid in their research. If you are using other means to pray for the 10/40 window, please comment below. I’d love to know what other people are doing to pray forth the Gospel to the darkest places of our world.
Beverly Peagues’ entire life is devoted to the 10/40 Window. There she does an incredible job to keep us all informed politically, religiously and prayerfully on the countries in the 10/40 Window. If you join her email list, you will receive a new country to pray for each day. You can also download a monthly calendar called the WIN Reporter which highlights two countries per day for prayer. The web address is www.win1040.com. Click “subscribe” to join the mailing list.
There is also the Global Prayer Digest which you can purchase via subscription for $12/year. If you cannot subscribe they also publish the prayers online each day. GPD focuses on people groups in the 10/40 window. The focus for November is South Asia. http://www.global-prayer-digest.org/
If you’d like to get your group interested in people groups, please download this 20-minute activity that a friend and I developed for our Perspectives classes. Though it was specifically created to help our adult students overcome the inhibition of doing a research paper as part of the course syllabus, I find that it’s also a great way to promote awareness and prayer in any venue. http://www.box.net/PerspectivesPeopleGroups
I pray that God will expose you to new ways to pray for the nations of the 10/40 window. I encourage you to create cell groups in your church or school which will commit time each week to focus on nations and people groups in the 10/40 window. On that note, I am working on creating a curriculum of sorts to help people initialize prayer groups for the unreached, and will load it here when complete.
Grace, peace and thanksgiving to you and your household. May you be blessed as you walk obediently with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsibility of Joy
I have become less enamored with church. We are part of a small, home church community, and even that has been less than satisfactory. What I’ve come to realize is that nothing is perfect this side of Heaven. And by perfect I mean complete. The church itself is a walk of sanctification. As a body moves when the joints and members move with it, it can also be hindered when the joints and members are hindered. Interestingly, as we physically age, our joints and members cooperate less if we fail to exercise and eat well. Hence, the church. Unforeseen problems occur. Frustration ensues. People don’t cooperate. We begin to see that Advil temporarily cures the body’s ailment just as a powerful Bible study or a featured speaker cures the church. Yet this is the place where my faith has increased ten-fold; where God has exposed Truth in such a profound and uncanny way that one cannot deny the existence of the Spirit among the brethren.
So my admiration moves out of the church as an institution, to church as a living movement of the Holy Trinity working in accordance with the Believers for the cause of God’s everlasting kingdom.
I no longer walk away saying, “Wow, Pastor Edward had a great message today,” I now walk away saying, “Wow, God’s Word is alive and working in my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters.” I now admire, cherish and expose the work of the Holy Spirit among us. Becoming less-enamored with institutionalized church is a higher call of the mature Believer as long as we reposition our admiration on God and His work in the body of believers we call church.
But that can sometimes be tricky. People are part of the church, and I find that agape and phileo love is increasingly difficult. When Holy Truth is exposed it comes with itself a particular level of responsibility. I call it the responsibility of joy: and that is love. What’s not to love about our church members? Ah, when they challenge our teachings; when they don’t respect our work; when they question God; when they refuse to think outside the box; when they exchange the magnificent for the trivial, and so on. And then I realize it’s ME with the problem. I blindly enter into these relationships with a certain level of expectation, and when my expectations aren’t met, I grow increasingly weary of the individual. Foolishness sets in and my heart is hardened; no love can penetrate; the humbleness of the Holy Spirit is my only cure. Time begs a response. I have a choice to ignore or–-once again-–be sanctified by Truth. Hebrews 12:4-6 is a bitter but hopeful reminder.
Of these things I find that intimacy with Christ and living missionally is the cure–-at least for me. And that means I must intentionally spend time getting to know my Savior through His walk, His teachings, His expectations and His commands. Then I must share this Truth with others with no worldly expectation. As a matter of fact, my only expectation in sharing Truth is persecution–for we are truly savages in our core. In serving, evangelizing or teaching, I nearly expect a savage response! Anything above that is God’s full and complete Glory. None of it belongs to me. And sanctification has its fulfillment in God’s glory when we not only recognize that truth, but live for it.
Joy has its rewards, but it also carries with it a higher level of responsibility than we might ordinarily be comfortable with. Sadly, most people would rather settle for a complicated and shallow life of worldly happiness.
Father, may I be your servant who is enamored by you alone, understands the responsibility of joy and willingly shares these precious Truths with the brethren and savages alike. Save me from my worldly desires which ultimately rob me of joy. My dear Heavenly Father, draw me closer still.
