Monday, July 19, 2010

I Asked The Lord

We sing this song in RUF and the words are so humbling. They really got a hold of my heart and showed me just how clueless I am to the ways of God. It also showed me how I need to welcome trials because it is through these that God seeks to answer my prayers. I have to stop praying for God to make things easy for me. I am never going to learn that way! But by the His grace and His Son's blood I have hope that I will get better! Lord have Your way with me, Hallelujah!

(c)2004 double v music (ASCAP). Words: John Newton (alt. Laura Taylor). Music: Laura Taylor

1. I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of His salvation know
And seek more earnestly His face

2. Twas He who taught me thus to pray
And He I trust has answered prayer
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair

3. I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He'd answer my request
And by His love's constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest

4. Instead of this He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part

5. Yea more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low

6. Lord why is this, I trembling cried
Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?
"Tis in this way" The Lord replied
"I answer prayer for grace and faith"

7. “These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go - George Mattheson

George Mattheson wrote this on the eve of his sister's wedding. A few years previously George had been engaged to be married himself, however, when he began going blind his bride-to-be decided that she could not handle the responsibility of taking care of a blind husband and left him. His sister decided to take him in and take care of him. But now on that night his sister was going to start a new life with her new husband. Mattheson did not let the sadness distract him from his Savior's love. He sat down and in that one sitting he penned this beautiful hymn of ever lasting love. God has used this hymn in my own life many times bringing to it mind when I am at my lowest. I thought there might be some out there that would benefit from reading these encouraging words.

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Work and Evangelism

So again I kind of let my posting slip a little bit so in order to keep y'all in the loop I again will cover two weeks worth of RUF in one post. As it turns out the two weeks flow quite smoothly in and through each other so that makes my job an easy one.

"You know what work reminds me of? ... The Gospel!" -

So there is a quote from our late chancellor and founder that floats around my schools campus. "If it's Christian it should be better." Now for the past 3 years I have to admit that I had let cynicism dominate and disregard that statement much to my detriment. This was because I was looking at the visible church not the invisible. After reading the chapter on work my perspective took a drastic shift. If we are Christians we are commanded to be better! It's not just a nice thought or inspirational anecdote. As a lazy person I like to think that work was part of the fall. If Adam and Eve hadn't screwed up I could sleep all day and get up when i feel like it. I could sit around reading or watching TV and just reveling in idleness. False. In Genesis 1:26 God says "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." I don't know about you but to me that sure sounds like a job. There was nothing in there about sitting around and reveling in idleness. And to be honest my sinful lazy heart is not really happy about that. But I can't deny it. Work was part of God's plan from the very beginning.

So that being said what does that mean Godly work should look like? What does that mean the 7:00am-3:30pm Monday through Friday should look like for me? Well there has to be a switch of motivations. I should be motivated to get out of my nice warm bed at the crack of dawn by the Gospel. I should be motivated to have the Gospel so desperately infused in my life that there is a difference in the way I get to a meeting on time, the way I act in said meeting, the way I respond to my employer when he wants a project done by yesterday, the way I answer my phone. Now of course I am not saying just slap a happy and I might add creepy fake smile. But if the Gospel truly engulfs our lives isn't there an under lying joy that should emanate from us even through the stress and difficult times? (I can feel the temptation for a rabbit trail but I will save that for another post.) Should I not be seeking to carry myself in such a way that coworkers and clients see and wonder at the joy that is within me? Shouldn't my work be a form of evangelism? That being said...

Evangelism -

So I recently went on a mission trip to Chicago back in January. But while there my entire view of evangelism was turned upside down and inside out. Until Chicago the word evangelism evoked mental images of Robert Tilton and Billy Graham. It made me think of soap boxes and street corners, tracks and bible thumping. Well that is the romantic and TV worthy evangelism and yes it brings many people to Christ but there is another form that is in my estimation the best kept secret of the church. Relationship. I have already touched on this in previous posts but evangelism is a commitment. Tim Keller spoke of "Oikos" or Household Evangelism. That is to say that evangelism is investing in someones life and getting to know them on a level that most others don't care to know; to know them and their family. It's showing your love for them through Christ. It's showing them that maybe, just maybe their preconceived notions of Christ and His followers are wrong. It's as my dear intern says "stacking up the chips to cash them in later."

Now something you should know about me is that I am very much a "fix-it" type of person. I like to come in give a quick fix response, have people "oh" and "ah" over my amazing wisdom and then have people follow my advice and be done with it. Well surprise surprise that's sin. Its not about me. Its not a get in and get out situation. You can't just slap a band aid on someones heart and expect it to stick. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes follow through. It takes dedication. And in the air of honesty I am sorely lacking in all of those. But I know what I am commanded and I know what I need to do. And I know that I have the Holy Spirit on my side and He will fill in where I lack. (Side thought/rabbit trail: the more the Holy Spirit fills in where I am lacking the less of me is left. I look forward to being completely filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can stop sabotaging my life and others).

God grant me the patience and grace to evangelize as I am commanded and humble me to let it be your words that flow from me and not my own sinful ones.