What does it mean to just BE with the Lord? What does it mean to BE the CHURCH? Can we have plans? Should we just let each day unfold on it’s own? What are we to do about all of the people in our churches who just check it off as a thing to do in the week? What can we do about all of the Christians who don’t even know the voice of the Lord? What can we do to empower the people around us? How can we really make a difference? It can all seem so confusing and many days that’s all it is to me a mess of confusion. Honestly, it’s something I have no clue how to approach. And the discussion actually exhausts me. It all comes back to the incredible Spirit of God who lives in me.
I really just mess things up when I start to use my brain! My brain tends to think in boxes and compartments. It is so crazy how unboxed God is! He keeps RIPPING UP and TEARING my boxes and even lately he seems to be JUMPING on top of them and crushing them. Honestly, daily I am figuring out that I keep putting him back in the box he is not living in. FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMM………
It’s time I start walking out the FREEDOM the Lord has given me! It’s time I start walking in the authority the Lord has given me! It’s time I concentrate more on serving the people I pass everyday on the street and in the stores than worrying about… well anything. It’s time I free up my mind to hear the voice of the Lord constantly, not just on Sunday’s or when I am “praying”. It’s time I actually pray for the person on the street instead of telling them I will pray for them (like when do I actually remember to pray for them?). It’s time I listen to the still small voice of the Lord even when he says to step way out of my comfort zone.
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMM…..
This month we are spending two weeks with a missionary family in Gordon’s Bay, South Africa. Tom, the dad, has been teaching us about what it means to BE still before the Lord. He emphasizes that it is important to let our doing (ministry) come out of our being (our sitting at the feet of the Lord and listening). It is a hard thing to try and discern exactly what the Lord is saying but it has been a cool ride thus far. It is so amazing how easily I forget to keep listening when I am at the mall or the grocery store. It’s like I get in me mode and focus so much on my own tasks that I forget to think about others around me. By not listening I often miss opportunities to be Jesus to people.
So we have been spending the last few days listening to the Lord before we go and do. Today the Lord led us to go to the store and buy some random blankets, umbrellas (I think it has rained almost everyday since we have been here and it’s winter time), bread and a blanket for a dog. We had some ideas of who to give the stuff to but for the most part we were hoping the Lord would direct us. It was sweet to see how the Lord directed us to random people to bless. The best was the doggie blanket. There is a woman who is currently homeless that lives at the bottom of the hill, she has a small dog that she keeps in a box. She was so excited to have the blanket for her dog. Something so simple and cheap made her day so much brighter. Did we preach the gospel at her? No, we just prayed for her and tried to help her quality of life. Now we just pray that the Lord will continue to work in her heart through our simple actions.
I know this lesson is nothing new, but it is so good to start thinking outside of the ordinary again. Spend some time being still before the Lord; allow Him to speak intimately to you. Don’t be afraid of what he might say, he’s YOUR FATHER HE LOVES YOU!!! Then whatever he tells you, do it, even if it’s outside your box. God’s going to jump on top of your box anyway so you might as well jump with Him!
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOMMM!!!
