…in many ways I hope the whole world never looks like this.  In other ways, my heart cries out for the whole world to look like this.  The post below is from Katie Davis’ blog.  If you don’t know Katie, you should read her story… amazing.  But something in me screams that it should not be amazing.  It should be common among those who truly follow Jesus.  Her blog is at:

http://amazima.org/blog.html

I don’t even know where to start to tell about all that God has been doing in our lives since I last wrote. I know that my words aren’t even close to adequate to describe His goodness and love.

So hug your children a little tighter and hold them a little longer. Say thank you to people more often and say thank you to God more often. Love your neighbor well today. We will be trying our best to do the same over on our side of the globe. 

I am so humbled by this young woman’s service!

Me too, Christine.

Jen A. Slacker (but working on it.

Katie’s words are so clear…well, they are not her words, but she relays His words so well and with so much heart.  If she keeps talking like that it could change the world.

I love this comment:  “I just don’t know what everyone is waiting for.”  She says it in a way like it makes so much sense, why isn’t everyone doing this???

“How we live our days, is how we live our lives.”

That is my favorite excerpt.  Think about that.  How many of us would be satisfied with the stroy of our lives if our ordinary daily actions were all that comprised the story?  I know I’d look at my ordinary daily actions and make excuses; “yeah, but that’s not what my life purpose really was - that doesn’t tell the whole story.”  But, duh… yeah it does, whether I like it or not.  I never quite saw it that way before.

I spent a good chunk of time yesterday reading through Katie’s past blogs…wow…I am seriously speechless and undone…I feel like God has me in a season of eye opening and as I’m wondering what “story” God has for our family (as Tom Davis would put it), I came across this in my Oswald Chambers devotional this morning and thought I’d share…

“And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him” (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham!
When God spoke, he did not confer with flesh and blood. Beware when you want to confer with flesh and blood, i.e., your own sympathies,your own insight, anything that is not based on your personal relationship to God. These are the things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose the sacrifice. Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease.

It is so important, I think, to understand a few things about what Jesus taught.  I am trying to sort out the specifics of what it means for me everyday.  Jesus gave us clear, explicit instructions on how we are to live, in the gospels.  Those instructions included loving our God and our neighbor.  It is critical that we do both.  In loving our God he is seeking relationship with us.  Abraham was referred to as a “friend of God”.  How wonderful is that?!  Jesus wants us to remain in him (see John 15 where I keep being drawn to meditate on).  Our relationship to our Lord and love for him is critical to our service.  Like with Abraham, if that relationship is our first priority than the specifics of his plan will unfold in our hearts.  It is such a beautiful plan, and in it we find fullness of joy.  If we are not hooked into our vine or are serving out of obligation rather than love than we are in danger of the self-sacrifice disease mentioned above.  Just my thoughts as I read.  Thanks Christine.  I love reflecting on this stuff.

Thanks, Jen - I need to open John 15 today and think about my Vine! This is where I’ve really been struggling - now that I know this stuff…what now??? I love how you said - “Like with Abraham, if that relationship is our first priority than the specifics of his plan will unfold in our hearts” - can’t express how thankful I am for this community right now!

Pretty amazing post from Katie.  I love what you are doing with Known to Me & am challenged by what God is doing in / through you.  My comment is that I am wondering if Katie is suggesting that everyone is called to personally hands-on care for orphans overseas(or go overseas & minister full-time in some way).  I have seen multiple missionaries come to churches that I have attended & their message is “Thank you for supporting us to do the work God has called us to do”.  These are people that have sacrificially given 10, 20, 30 years of their life & I have never heard one of them say “Why are you folks not doing what we are doing?”.  I believe the bible is clear that some are called to have a “normal” job.  In that position, God can still stretch, mature and use us (something we all should be experiencing until we take our last breath).  I’m not assuming that anyone will disagree with me on this, just hoping for some positive discussion.  Thanks.

I think you are definitely right that scripture doesn’t support that we will all serve in the same capacity.  I think this portion of Katie’s post explains her position on this.

“I happened to move to Uganda and love those neighbors, but that is not the point. As believers, we should already KNOW our calling; it is to love the Lord and love our neighbors by caring for them in whatever broken state they are in. When He said that “the poor will always be among us” I don’t think he meant that as an excuse not to worry about it but as a reminder that there is ALWAYS a neighbor, no matter where we are, in a worse condition than we are. I can only believe that God created us to make this world a little better. That he designed us in love to show that love to others. I just don’t know what everyone is waiting for.”

I used to consider what we gave to support missionaries and ministries as supporting others in doing the work that the Lord had given them.  I now see it as my work, that the Lord has given me.  He unfolds the layers of what that means personally to Jim and I, and it won’t necessarily look like what it looks like in the lives of others.  The big difference for me now is that I am seeking everyday (and often falling short) the ways that the Lord has for me to walk out loving him and loving my neighbor out of love and obedience to him.  Maybe it is just a shift in focus or “ownership” of the work. 

Just a few thoughts…I hope to hear from others.  Thanks for engaging in the discussion as it helps all of us to really consider what all of this means to our everday.

Jenny

Mt 6:31-33 “31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  It says here not to run after these things, but that He will give them to us.  I think God’s economy is limitless.  If we truly believed His promises, and all Christians dropped everything to obey His commands, what would the impact on the world be?  Would He follow through on His word?  Jesus disciples paid their taxes from coins found in fishes mouths.  What could God do in the world if we all obeyed His commands to the full?  Would we be where we are at now?  Or would it be better?

These questions may be too big to answer, but fun to think about.  These concepts and verses challenge me to think differently, and to hold all things in this life with an open hand.  I am still working on these things, believe me.  But I do feel challenged to obey the simple commands He gave us in the way that I feel lead by Him to do.  Is58 instructs us to give without hurting our own flesh and blood.  I take this to mean our family.  No need to be reckless or self-sacrificing like auntteeny wrote.  But I do think there is need for me (and perhaps others) to consider significant lifestyle changes so I/we can do more.

I love that Known To Me offers a place to consider these HUGE questions without feeling threatened by where people are in their journey to find the answer.  I think that is so valuable.  I am thinking about things in whole new ways and it is leading me to meditate on God’s word more than I have in a long time.  Thank you, Lord! 

I am heading out to challenge my boys in a 3/4 mile run…Wish me luck!  How do I get myself into these things? 

Jen

Thanks for the feedback.  Don, I would consider your 01:44 pm post “outside the box” thinking, but welcome that kind of thing as a healthy challenge to my normal way of thinking.  I used to look around at other christians & wonder how they could consider buying new cars, new homes, etc.  So I look at my life now sometimes & wonder if this is what Jesus meant in Matthew 7:2.  If we judge others, we will fall into the same thing we judge?  I don’t know.  I do agree that we can be sacrificial without being reckless, but sacrificial probably should seem a little scary sometimes I guess.

I hope that my initial comments did not sound critical of Katie.  She is clearly living a sacrificial life in ways that I can only imagine at this point in time.

I think Katie’s saying (I personally agree) that there are any number of ways we can live out loving God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves and none of us need follow her SPECIFIC path.  However, she is also saying all who profess to follow Jesus sohuld follow her GENERAL path of living a life that values our neighbors as much as ourselves.  I don’t do that now.  Not even close.  But I agree with her completely, so I’m trying to change my actions every day.

I appreciate the questions and posts Rich and all.  It makes us all stretch and think, and we want to see some “iron sharpening iron” discussion here.  It seems God is drawing us out to do more than we have.  I am excited to see where we go from here.

Wow, I keep having interesting thoughts because of this discussion, but I got a stop for now.  There is wisdom in just being quiet.  Another opportunity…