Sunday, April 26, 2009

What WOULD Jesus do?...

Tonight I went to an event hosted by Sojourners called the Mobilization to End Poverty. It was powerful. The church was packed with people from all over the country, from all faiths, and of all colors. Howard University's Rankin Chapel Choir sang the house down and left many of us in awe of God through the worship. We heard powerful speakers and leaders share their testimonies as well as empower us to go forth and be change agents in ending poverty.

I left the church feeling strengthened and joyful. As I walked further down the sidewalk, I saw something that made me feel as I had been hit with a ton of cement. Three homeless men lay in an entryway of a building connected to the church. I stopped walking for a moment and then not knowing what to do, kept walking and got in my car. I sat in my car and watched as about 20 people pass these men, only about 3 of the people, from what I could tell, even noticed that they lay there. I found myself a bit heated knowing the Word we just heard. Most of the people at the conference worked full time in anti poverty missions and ministries. While I won't judge because I don't know what was on the minds or hearts of any of the people who passed by these men, I do know that these men are still our neighbors. My spirit became even more convicted. I was still hesitant because I wanted to do something and didn't know what to do. So I leaned on what I am learning is my only source of direction - my communication with God. I asked God what I could do and just like the friend He promised to be to us, He told me. (This I will leave between me and Him...)

When will we let the love of God infiltrate our hearts so much that it will be impossible to pass by someone in need (physical, spiritual, emotional)?
When when we realize that we have the answer to a world in need?
When will we truly lay everything of our own down, pick up our cross and follow Jesus?


My prayer...

Lord, forgive me for the missed opportunities to be a blessing or to help someone in need. Give me sensitivity to the needs of those around me and the courage to respond to them. Empower me to live a life worthy of the calling You set before me. Let the fruit of the Spirit be evident in me. Replace the selfishness in me with kindness and gentleness. Replace the fear in me with Your love. Replace the doubt in me with faith and hope.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Monday, April 20, 2009

Strength

I have been thinking lately about strength. What it means, what it is, how to get it, how to maintain it....

What's the first thing we do when we are feeling tired? We rest, perhaps pop a couple vitamins, or step up our workout regime a little. This might tie us over for a bit and sustain us. But, what do we do when it seems that all of life's cares seem to snatch the life out of us? Vitamins and exercise won't take care of that kind of weakness. I believe that this is what Paul is trying to tell Timothy (I Timothy 4:8) when he talks about "exercise profiting little" but God wants to give the "promise of life." Oh, it does some good to exercise and build our strength that way, but knowing and trusting in our God profits us in all things.

Reach out to God when you are feeling weary, weak, sad, confused, broken. He has strength for us.
Call upon God when you have no one to talk too, no one who seems to care, or no one who seems to see. He has strength for us.
Ask about His joy, His peace, His kindness, His gentleness. He won't withhold it from you.

My prayer...

Lord, you know that we are fragile, yet you tell us that You will never place more on us than we can bear. Show Yourself strong when we are weak. Give us joy as our strength. Give us Your mind to continue to press forward and look ahead to the prize of the high calling in Christ. Keep our minds focused on You and Your movments so that where You go, we will follow You always.

In Jesus Name

Monday, April 13, 2009

Doorman

I read a quote last week that astounded me and it has been posted on my Facebook wall since...


Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. No one was there.

Lately, my prayer has been that God answer the door to certain things that knock on the door of heart. It's amazing because it takes that much more pressure off of me to give a fitting answer to these visitors. It's funny what happens to certain vistors when the right "doorman" takes care of the visitor. When I read this quote I envisioned fear bolting before faith could even turn the doorknob. I imagine visitors of anger, envy, strife, and hatred being met by love and peace. I see visitors of doubt and depression being answered by joy and life. We need a "doorman" for our heart.

I am not saying that it is not okay to have or feel emotion, but it is what we do with these things that determine the state of our heart. We are encouraged to guard and be protective of our hearts (Prov 4:23). When we do this we are able to live in abundant life rather than the state of everything around us. What I am realizing though is that Jesus is the only One with the power to answer everything that tries to enter our heart. When He is the doorman it protects us from letting in the wrong visitors. When He is the doorman it shelters us from pains and hurt some visitors may try to bring. When He is the doorman we can truly let Him be in charge of the fights and temptations to which we would lose. When he is the doorman we can live less stressed and more free knowing that the God who rules the universe, is actively living in our heart.

My prayer....

Lord, be the doorman of my heart. Keep me from answering to anything that is not like you. I give you full control to guard my heart and my life. Let Your will be done and not mine. Let Your thoughts and ways be what guide me always.

In Jesus' name. Amen

Monday, April 6, 2009

Accepted

There is such a joy and exilaration in being accepted. Accepted on the team. Accepted as a college applicant. Accepted as a love interest. Accepted in the workplace. Just simply accepted. We belong. We matter. We mean something to someone.

Yet, more often than not we live in place of rejection. We are not accepted on the team. We don't get the job that we want. We don't do as well on a paper that we thought we would do. The person that we are in love with doesn't give us the time of day. Rejection hurts.

Yet we have an awesome promise that we must remind ourselves of daily. We are accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6)! Christ accepts us into His beloved.

When we give Christ our dreams, our thoughts, and our desires, I believe that Christ is quick to accept us into the beloved. It is because He knows the pain of rejection. Even though He has given His life for all, people rejected Him while He was on earth and reject Him even today.

He knows the joy of what it means for someone to accept Him. He wants us to feel that same joy. When we accept Him, we are able to realize the acceptance that He has for us and live in that place.

My prayer...

Lord, I thank you that You have accepted us into the beloved. Eclipse the blows to our confidence and pain of rejection with your steadfast and unshakable love. Remind us daily that You accept us, that You are for us, and that we are Your beloved. In Jesus' Name. Amen