Well, chapter three is short and sweet. Good stuff as always.
EVER WONDER WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE????
We have touched on this subject already in the last two posts. What does God look like in our world???
Mathew 25
35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
It isn't how we imagine God is it? When we imagine the face of God do we see a homeless man on the street? When we think of the holiness of God do we see an orphan across the ocean? When we think of worship do we imagine visiting prisoners?
Most of us have heard this scripture in many sermons. How many of us have really thought about what it means? How many of us KNOW what this looks like in our lives? I'm not sure I do. I'm just trying to figure it out. I struggle to see God in the every day people around me. I struggle to remember that THIS is how I serve Jesus. He wants me to love them. In this way I AM loving God. More than ANYTHING this is what we are called to do in this life.
Luke 10
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[d]"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
This is what God has for us. When we walk through life as a good Samaritan we will KNOW God.
We must also realize that WE ARE that person in need. It is so hard to accept that. I had the hardest time during our adoption accepting help though we needed it desperately. I thought I didn't want to "burden" anyone. Now I realize how prideful and wrong I am to have that attitude. When I don't allow others to be a "good Samaritan" in my life I deprive them of serving God.
We are all in need and we all have something to give. We should freely give and freely receive.
I love what Tom says here....
Right now Jesus is hungry. Jesus is thirsty. Jesus is naked. Jesus is in prison. Jesus is sick. Will you do what it takes to minister to Him? For the joy set before you...search for the treasure in earthen vessels... and you'll find Christ himself.
So many of us say we want to know God. We say we want to just know what God has for our lives. Do we REALLY want to know?? Do we want to know if it means we might feel uncomfortable? Do we want to know if we have to step out of our box and see reality? Would we rather just stay in the fantasy?
See the thing is... as much as we "search" for what God has for us we don't always want to see it. He made it so plain. It's all right there.
I love this song by Steven Curtis Chapman called "What Now." The words are so powerful. It's the first song on my blog music list. Just push play to hear it and then you can read the words below.
I saw the face of Jesus In a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner
On the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find Me
Well, here I am, here you are
So what now
What will you do now that you've found Me?
What now
What will you do with this treasure you've found
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be
You found me, what now?
And I saw the face of Jesus
Down on Sixteenth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car
While his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me
Well, here I am
And it's getting cold
So what now
What will you do now that you've found Me?
What now
What will you do with this treasure you've found
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be
You found me, what now?
So come and know Come and know, know me now Come, come and know, know me now Oh, come and know Come, come and know, know me now Come, come and know, know me now
Hugs, Angel
QUESTIONS FOR MY BOOK CLUB BUDDIES
1. What stood out to you most in this chapter and why?
2. Do you have trouble receiving?
3. Is there a way you know you need to start giving?