Journal Entry 4-3-11
This is a part of my
journaling Sunday night/morning. Thought I would share some of my rambling. 🙂
If it doesn’t completely flow know that I was typing it at 3am, some of my
favorite time with the Lord…..
“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,�
declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away both people and animals;
I will sweep
away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea — and the idols that cause
the wicked to stumble…�� Zephaniah 1:2-3
Lord all of this earth will be destroyed. Everything.
Nothing here matters except for the souls of the people on this earth.
“Wail you who live in the market district; all
your
merchants will be wiped out, all who trade
with silver will be destroyed.� Zephaniah 1:11
This is fitting being in a place of such consumerism. A
place and a thing I can fall into very easily. Souvenirs are great but what
value do they have? You can’t take suitcases to heaven.
“Everyone comes naked from their mothers womb, and as everyone
comes so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that
they can carry in
their hands.� Eccl 5:15
So I ask myself where is the balance? I’m in a beautiful country with cool things I can bring
home for family and friends. But whats the limit? What’s the value? To show
love, yes I do not deny that, but is
there balance? Where did this word come from and how did it get inserted into
our Christian walk? Is Christianity supposed to be balanced? Is abandoning
everything and following Christ really rational or balanced?
No.
And yet the men that wrote the Bible did it.
They left all
that they knew and followed Christ. They didn’t weigh things out or make a pros
and cons list. They were radical and followed Christ with all of their heart.
So I ask myself,
Am I willing to be radical?
What does it look like to abandon everything for Christ?
I’ve been traveling the world for 10 months and I’m just
beginning to get to these questions. Christ finally has ALL of my life and now
I’m asking….am I willing to live radically? Am I willing to give it all?
That is the question I ask. Lord what does RADICAL look like
in MY
life?
Lord why do I worry about this world? It’s not my home.
I pray that my life makes no rational sense because your hand
is so present in it. Help me to have Your eyes, your heart. Build an urgency
for the souls of those around me within my heart. Let me feel your heart beat….
Thank you for bringing me to a place where I can begin to
live out Phil 4:19 more. You WILL provide everything, so TRUST. Because when I
think about providing for myself or buying things you bring me again to…
“Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save
them on that day
of the Lord’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole
earth will be
consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the
earth.� Zeph 1:18
“�I denied myself nothing my eyes desired: I refused my
heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the
reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed
all that my hands had done and what
I toiled to achieve everything
was meaningless,
a chasing after the wind; nothing was
gained under the sun.� Eccl 2:10-11
Man Lord, thank you!
After you send a financial blessing my
way you help me see it has no value in the scheme of things. It does for your
work and Kingdom, but not for things.
I’m surrounded by consumerism and by things. I could literally get anything I
wanted to right now, but Lord all I want is more of you. All I want is the lost
and empty here to know you. Protect my mind, heart, and eyes from the things here. Help me to seek FIRST your
Kingdom. Lord be with me as I sleep tonight. Multiply my rest. Speak to me in
my dreams and continue to transform my heart to reflect yours.
