Our challenge

In 1 Kings 13 there's this mental story about a man of God (moG) who prophecies about an altar in Bethel (King Jeroboam has been offering sacrifices to other gods). Jeroboam orders the man to be arrested but his hand shrivels up. He is then healed by the moG so he realizes that the moG is onto something powerful and invites him to dinner.

However the moG declines saying that God told him not to eat or drink anything in Bethel. Then another old prophet from Bethel follows him and tells him "an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: 'bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.' (but he was lying to him)". So the moG returns to eat and drink with the old prophet.

At this point, I thought it was pretty clear that the moG had been tricked and up until that moment, he had displayed a relatively righteous, Godly life so he wouldn't get hit too harshly by the consequencces, at least compared to the other two. However, the story ends up with our moG being killed by a lion while Jeroboam (the idolator) and the other prophet (the liar who makes God seem inconsistent) remain unharmed and unpunished for their seemingly worse sins.

I thought this was pretty unjust. However, David Guzik puts it like this:

"This is an example of an important principle of the way God works. We think that strict judgment should begin among the most ungodly, but often God begins strict judgment among His own people. Usually this is because God knows that the world will not be reached when His people are compromising and disobedient."

1 Peter 4v17 says this: 17 For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God: and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

David Guzik continues by commenting that Jeroboam, though unpunished, ends up missing out on the blessing that it could be to live to God's full potential for him as king.

The same principle works in servants of God today. We are not called because of obedience, or used out of merit; but our disobedience hinders our potential for full use. Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 2:21: Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter [works of dishonor], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. God uses vessels of honor, separation, usefulness, and preparation to their fullest potential.

Interesting no? I was really challenged by this to push myself to live in God's righteousness and his potential for me, even if I may feel like he's giving me harsher discipline sometimes, it makes a lot of sense seeing as we are his body and our sin is like an illness that can seriously harm that body.

So go, live to your full potential! Put God at the centre of every decision and watch your life take off!

God already knows

I've always been a bit confused as to why we pray, especially for other people who are in need, because surely God doesn't need reminding to show them love etc. He knows their situation, so why should we petition him to help as if it's something he would do reluctantly. Anyway, I read this today:

"Crudely put, I once envisioned intercession as bringing requests to God that God may not have thought of, then talking God into granting them. Now I see intercession as an increase in my awareness. When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person." - Philip Yancey, Prayer

Good way of putting it.

Psalm 57

This verse seems to have been resonating within me for a while now (Probably thanks to Mumford & Sons). My first 2 months or so here I was constantly happy and alive and passionate to be here and serve. However once this initial honeymoon period was over, I would cry out to God to "Awake my soul", to remind me of that first love we shared and bring me back to life.

⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Something New

Today I was on the metro on the way to distributing food with the Salvation Army and I prayed that God would show me something new.

Everything was pretty normal. I got busy giving out hot chocolate as usual. Then some of the other volunteers invited me to join them in a small group to minister to the girls. I agreed readily, of course. However, I was confused as to why the girls received their food elsewhere. Turns out we were going to Madrid's red light district. Definately saw something new.

One woman in our volunteer group had this amazing maternal spirit towards every single girl we came across. And that's really what they all were, they are just girls. Most of them 25 or younger. It broke my heart. Any of those girls could have been my school friends, could have been me.

Why wasn't it me though? Why did God choose for me to have this amazing life where I get to have this relationship with him, and these girls don't? Do they know that God loves them? Do they know that anyone loves them? Where do they call home? Who gives them hugs and asks how their day has been?

I just don't know. I guess it wasn't me so I could be one of the people who helps them. I guess they'll only know that they are loved if we show them. And I'm priveledged to think that I could be the one to ask how their day has been.

Psalm 63

I've been reading some Psalms recently. There really is a psalm for every situation; for every single human emotion, there is a Psalm that displays, decribes or speaks of it.

I really like David. He is such a mint guy. In his psalms he just seems so genuine with God, he literally has nothing to hide. Whether he is crying out for a seemingly inactive God to help him or if he is running through the fields shouting praises to his heavenly father, he doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is.

Here's today's Psalm:

¹ You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.

⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

I'm tired and feeling a bit dull. David understands...

After The Storm

After the storm, I run and run as the rains come and I look up. I look up, on my knees and out of luck, I look up.

Coincidence?

At Fusión on Tuesday we were praying for more people to come so our group would grow. On Wednesday morning I received a message from a girl who I met on the plane on the way here (4 months ago), we haven't really spoken since then despite being friends on facebook.

Anyway, she had messaged me to say that she wanted to get more connected, and did I know of any church groups in the city. Haha, of course I do.