I had an interesting visit last night with a Muslim family who live near us.. Today I kept thinking about some things that the husband shared with me as we talked. Maybe some time I will add to this how I knew this family, as I did earlier when I first wrote this blog, but for now I will get to the heart of the matter.
The man shared how unfortunate it is that so many view all Muslims in light of 9-11. He shared how the men that did those things got their punishment and will be punished, implying punishment from God. However, many have preconceived ideas about he and his wife in particular because of the events from that day. People tend to view them though eyes of fear or hate without really even knowing them. People hear the word jihad and take it out of context. Jihad has three meanings, the greater of which is "the struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties." For him, "Going to work is a jihad. Taking care of my family is a jihad." Muslims get called "Fanatics."
However, "Christians can be Fanatics too," he said. Christians do not want to listen to them or talk to them out of that fear or hate or both. On a related humorous note, he pointed out that his wife's head being covered should not be an issue, since the Virgin Mary is often portrayed with her head covered.
It grieved me to hear this man talk about these things. I wondered how open he would be to hear the Good News if more Christians were loving as Jesus loved. It seems to me that Christians often fall into one pit or another. Either we want to love everyone but never get around to sharing the Truth, or we want to beat people over the head with the Bible but do not love them.
Jesus was truly a master of doing both. Jesus called to Zaccheus to eat with him and yet obviously spoke Truth in such a way that Zaccheus was going to make things right with those from whom he stole. Jesus showed compassion to the woman caught in adultery when others wanted to stone her, and yet he told her to go and sin no more. Jesus loved fanatically!
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that we are clanging cymbals if we do all these things and yet do not have love. Lord, forgive me for the times I have been a clanging cymbal. Lord, forgive me for being a stumbling block to those who needed you by my refusal to extend a hand to them or to eat with them. Lord, help me to Love fanatically!
As a side note, I found it amusing that the day after this conversation with this man, Facebook and the media are filled with passionate arguments from both sides of the same sex marriage rights act versus traditional marriage and the Starbucks ban. Does arguing and saying nasty things about one another really make our point? Wouldn't we get a lot farther if we actually discussed things like normal human beings over a cup of tea?
About Me
- Lisa
- Hello, I am a mother of three living with my husband in Africa. I have been blogging for seven years but still find myself very technologically challenged. I make lots of mistakes, but life is a journey. Come join me on the journey!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
God's Protection from Overcommitment of Women
This morning as I read in Numbers, I found myself with lots of questions. Regarding men and making oaths, it simply said that they were to keep them. Regarding women and oath making, it went on and on about how the oath could be nulled if the father of the young girl or the husband of the woman decided it should not be.
I am not a feminist by any means, which my sister in law could tell you, however I am a product of my culture in some ways. I began questioning why it was that men had to keep oaths, but the oath of a woman could be overturned. Then it hit me.....
Maybe it is because we as women are proned to over commit and find it difficult to say no. Could it be that God was providing a safe guard for us to not be so stressed out? I see so many of my friends that are trying so hard to do it all, and I confess I can be right there with them. We want to do everything for everyone but that is not how it was intended to be.
Titus 2:3-5 tells us that the older woman is to "train the younger woman to love her husband and her children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to her own husband, that the Word of God may not be reviled." We are the only ones who are to love our husbands and we are the ones that God gave our children to, so those are jobs that no one else can really do for us.
It's not modern nor fashionable. Some may think I just stepped out of the Stone Age and that's ok. I'm not saying that women cannot do other things or work or whatever, but I do think there is clear provision of an "out" for those times that we feel overcommitted and overwhelmed. I have found myself in that place of trying to do too much, and it has been my husband who helps me realize it and weed out what is unnecessary. I am thankful for him and that my sanity has been saved many times because of his direction in this area.
I am not a feminist by any means, which my sister in law could tell you, however I am a product of my culture in some ways. I began questioning why it was that men had to keep oaths, but the oath of a woman could be overturned. Then it hit me.....
Maybe it is because we as women are proned to over commit and find it difficult to say no. Could it be that God was providing a safe guard for us to not be so stressed out? I see so many of my friends that are trying so hard to do it all, and I confess I can be right there with them. We want to do everything for everyone but that is not how it was intended to be.
Titus 2:3-5 tells us that the older woman is to "train the younger woman to love her husband and her children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to her own husband, that the Word of God may not be reviled." We are the only ones who are to love our husbands and we are the ones that God gave our children to, so those are jobs that no one else can really do for us.
It's not modern nor fashionable. Some may think I just stepped out of the Stone Age and that's ok. I'm not saying that women cannot do other things or work or whatever, but I do think there is clear provision of an "out" for those times that we feel overcommitted and overwhelmed. I have found myself in that place of trying to do too much, and it has been my husband who helps me realize it and weed out what is unnecessary. I am thankful for him and that my sanity has been saved many times because of his direction in this area.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
New Vision, what does it look like?
I talked in my last post about a need for renewed vision. When we went to Disney, I had a plan. I had a very detailed plan. So why would I have anything less than a detailed plan to share the Gospel? Is it because I am lazy? Is it because I want to be "holy" to leave room for the Spirit? I confess it is probably a lot more of the first than the last.
Thus this time in the states has been great. Not only have the food and fellowship been great, but it has been great for renewing my vision of how The Lord might work through me to reach those to whom He has called me.
As I was reading this morning in Numbers, I was reading the account of the twelve spies who went for forty days to the Promised Land to bring back a report. All the spies were in agreement over the wonder of the new land. Only two however came back with assurance from The Lord about their ability to take the land with Him on their side. Forty days of looking and praying over the land should have been followed by the Israelites taking over the land. Instead, they trusted in what they could see and feared those inhabiting the land rather than The Lord. The Lord impressed upon me a vision, or game plan if you will, for how He wants to work through me when we return.
When we were there this last time, I developed a pattern of home schooling for six weeks and then taking one week off. I used that week to get out and share. Unfortunately, I looked at that six week period as just time for school rather than as preparation for that week off. This morning it occurred to me that six weeks is equivalent to forty days. What would happen if I used that six weeks of school as time to look and pray over the land before going in to conquer as it were? What if I spent extra time praying and greeting in homes and getting introduced to new people through contacts that I already have during that six weeks? Then during that one week off, I could go to share boldly in those places that The Lord has revealed during that six week period.
As if I needed any confirmation, and honestly I am a slow learner, so I probably did, I was reminded of how often in the Word that forty days was used to prepare for something. It rained for forty days and nights while Noah was in the ark. Moses went to the mountain for forty days to receive the Big 10 and then again he went to the mountain. The spies went into the land forty days. Forty days Goliath came out to taunt the Israelites. Forty days is how long it took Elijah to walk to Horeb. Jonah was preaching in Nineveh for forty days before going to the hill top to watch for the destruction and to pout. Jesus went to the wilderness for forty days. in Acts 1, Jesus revealed himself resurrected to His followers over the course of forty days. Lord, help me to see how best to use my forty days and to allow You to renew my vision in that time.
Thus this time in the states has been great. Not only have the food and fellowship been great, but it has been great for renewing my vision of how The Lord might work through me to reach those to whom He has called me.
As I was reading this morning in Numbers, I was reading the account of the twelve spies who went for forty days to the Promised Land to bring back a report. All the spies were in agreement over the wonder of the new land. Only two however came back with assurance from The Lord about their ability to take the land with Him on their side. Forty days of looking and praying over the land should have been followed by the Israelites taking over the land. Instead, they trusted in what they could see and feared those inhabiting the land rather than The Lord. The Lord impressed upon me a vision, or game plan if you will, for how He wants to work through me when we return.
When we were there this last time, I developed a pattern of home schooling for six weeks and then taking one week off. I used that week to get out and share. Unfortunately, I looked at that six week period as just time for school rather than as preparation for that week off. This morning it occurred to me that six weeks is equivalent to forty days. What would happen if I used that six weeks of school as time to look and pray over the land before going in to conquer as it were? What if I spent extra time praying and greeting in homes and getting introduced to new people through contacts that I already have during that six weeks? Then during that one week off, I could go to share boldly in those places that The Lord has revealed during that six week period.
As if I needed any confirmation, and honestly I am a slow learner, so I probably did, I was reminded of how often in the Word that forty days was used to prepare for something. It rained for forty days and nights while Noah was in the ark. Moses went to the mountain for forty days to receive the Big 10 and then again he went to the mountain. The spies went into the land forty days. Forty days Goliath came out to taunt the Israelites. Forty days is how long it took Elijah to walk to Horeb. Jonah was preaching in Nineveh for forty days before going to the hill top to watch for the destruction and to pout. Jesus went to the wilderness for forty days. in Acts 1, Jesus revealed himself resurrected to His followers over the course of forty days. Lord, help me to see how best to use my forty days and to allow You to renew my vision in that time.
Need for new vision!
I learned a lot of lessons on our recent trip to Disney. Among others was the importance of having a plan. I also learned the importance of being flexible and holding loosely to that plan, but that is not the focus of this blog. The focus today is the importance of the plan, the vision, if you will. God's Word tells us that where there is no vision, the people perish. How true that is! If we do not have a plan to reach others, the people who have not yet heard will indeed perish.
In worship today, our pastor, Dr. Chuck Pourciau, preached the Word from Luke 13:22-30. He talked about the one that came to Jesus asking about those who were true followers of Jesus, as opposed to those merely following along for what they might get out of it. Jesus' response was not to worry about the others that were or were not following Him, but to point the one questioning him to truly follow.
Maybe the one questioning Jesus wanted to belittle Jesus for having so few actually saved. Maybe he was wanting to know what his odds were if he put off following. Maybe, as those with whom we work, he was wanting to know what type of faith fellowship/ community he would have if he left the religious community in which he grew up. Either way Jesus reminded the questioner that it was more important to concerned about his own spiritual condition than others. This can be difficult but is necessary.
Just as procrastinating to make a decision to follow Jesus can result in the perishing of the procrastinator, so too can the procrastination on the part of the true follower of Jesus result in the perishing of many who have never heard. People are literally dying daily without that personal relationship that they need to know Christ in order to enter heaven. If we are truly believing that Jesus is indeed "the Way, the Truth, and The Life," then we have to be sharing that fact.
So what does that have to do with the vision? It is to constantly agonize/ deeply desire to be more committed to Him and to sharing Him with others. Am I doing that really? I confess I am not and often grow complacent. Forgive me, Father, for my apathy.
In worship today, our pastor, Dr. Chuck Pourciau, preached the Word from Luke 13:22-30. He talked about the one that came to Jesus asking about those who were true followers of Jesus, as opposed to those merely following along for what they might get out of it. Jesus' response was not to worry about the others that were or were not following Him, but to point the one questioning him to truly follow.
Maybe the one questioning Jesus wanted to belittle Jesus for having so few actually saved. Maybe he was wanting to know what his odds were if he put off following. Maybe, as those with whom we work, he was wanting to know what type of faith fellowship/ community he would have if he left the religious community in which he grew up. Either way Jesus reminded the questioner that it was more important to concerned about his own spiritual condition than others. This can be difficult but is necessary.
Just as procrastinating to make a decision to follow Jesus can result in the perishing of the procrastinator, so too can the procrastination on the part of the true follower of Jesus result in the perishing of many who have never heard. People are literally dying daily without that personal relationship that they need to know Christ in order to enter heaven. If we are truly believing that Jesus is indeed "the Way, the Truth, and The Life," then we have to be sharing that fact.
So what does that have to do with the vision? It is to constantly agonize/ deeply desire to be more committed to Him and to sharing Him with others. Am I doing that really? I confess I am not and often grow complacent. Forgive me, Father, for my apathy.
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