How
do I explain what I feel right now? Yes feelings are misleading, and
they can change drastically from this hour to the next. However, I
cannot deny how I feel in this moment. Rather, I can't deny what I
have just learned and still am learning that will change my attitude
and perspective on my walk with God for the rest of my life.
This weekend the walkabout students had the opportunity to be part of a homeless simulation program created by Mission Waco./World (Look into this!). Most of the week was spent learning about how unaware we truly are to the homeless and it made me sick. Most importantly, I learned just how much Jesus cares for the poor along with how bad we do at following his orders for us to take care of them. It's much more overwhelming to be one with them and see them struggling and hear them give God the glory even though they are way worse off than I am. Granted, not every one of them knew The Lord, which burdened me as well, seeing their emotionless gazes with no hope. But the ones who did have hope, gave me a new definition of faith and boldness to trust The Lord. I would go into more depth over what we experienced but I wouldn't want to spoil the experience for anyone who might consider it. Not to mention, the purpose of this post isn't to talk so much about the experience of being part of mission Waco, but to inspire and enlighten whoever might be reading this with something God has enlighten myself with. A question I was asked this weekend and would like to ask you is simply this, what are you called to?
I understand that this question might seem large or hard to answer, but truly think about this, and think about what relates it to your walk with God. I know in my own life it's taken me up till now, a 20 year old adult, (and still growing) to understand fully what my calling looks like. However, I know God has called me to reach people. All people. I am very passionate about giving people hope and encouragement through the power of Jesus Christ, and that's something I couldn't have learned on my own. It's something He has to place inside us!
But here is the hard part, I call my self a Christ follower, I say I believe in the word of God, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what he has called me to. So WHY am I not being active in those things. God deliberately tells us to care for the poor and needy. That he does not know us if we never feed the poor or clothed the naked or feed the hungry. I feel like I, and maybe many other believers have this mindset that it's too much for one person to tackle, so we just turn away and don't address the situation at all. But God tells us this is what we are CALLED TO DO! Can we say we truly believe in the word of God if we are not putting it to practice?! God has called me to be passionate about people, but how can I be passionate about people without being around them?! People who are broken, lost, and lonely and need the love of Christ. People who touched me this weekend and taught me humility by understanding how much growing I still have left spiritually.
There was a moment this weekend where we got to hang out with some kids and play with them. One of the little girls pulled me aside on top of the slide and this is what she said. "Miss, I need you to do something, can you please, please pray for me!? My cousin has a tumor and I love her, and can't be with her, and she is sad. I need you to pray!"
As she said this to me, with desperation in her voice, another girl no older than 3 was clinging to my legs and I was filled with this eagerness to take away all their pain right in that moment if God had of allowed me to. What truly amazed me was how she had just met me half an hour ago. I didn't tell her I believed in God, I was simply playing with her, giving her my time. But there is something radical that happens when we live our lives where God has called us. He moves. Somehow this little girl, who became my friend, knew that I had the power to pray for her cousin. Not my own power but power that is given to me from Jesus Christ when we say we believe in him, power from the Holy Spirit that dwells in us once we become believers. It WASN'T ME! It's not about us! It's not about finding where we fit in but about searching out how to fulfill what God has already called us to. What's even more crazy, is this little girl lived in the middle of Waco Texas and we were hanging out on a playground! You don't have to go overseas to take care of the poor! Crazy right?..
One more thing. Through Mission Waco we were able to visit church under a bridge. Which is literally, a church, under a highway! Surrounded by people who have no homes, who were eating their first good meal in awhile, and were filled with the joy of God even though they had nothing besides the clothes on their backs..they.had.nothing. I met a lot of broken people, and never felt more accepted in a church, Because this church gets it!
Praise God I can't ignore this anymore! I can't keep pretending. It's hard to express fully in my own words what I'm experiencing through this revelation, however here is a quote from some one I look up to a lot that summarizes what I am getting at perfectly! "Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken...." Rich Mullins
So, I don't know about you, but I'm ready and eager to start living as I am called by Jesus Christ. What are you called to? What are you willing to give up for Jesus? Lets start living as believers that live in obedience, and boldness to Him, not comfort and fear out of ourselves. I challenge you with what God has been challenging me with. Dive into the word of God and see and learn how alive it is! Don't just read it, but make it your life, do something about it! Lets be a body of true believers that actually live as we are called. Not in complacency but in action.
This weekend the walkabout students had the opportunity to be part of a homeless simulation program created by Mission Waco./World (Look into this!). Most of the week was spent learning about how unaware we truly are to the homeless and it made me sick. Most importantly, I learned just how much Jesus cares for the poor along with how bad we do at following his orders for us to take care of them. It's much more overwhelming to be one with them and see them struggling and hear them give God the glory even though they are way worse off than I am. Granted, not every one of them knew The Lord, which burdened me as well, seeing their emotionless gazes with no hope. But the ones who did have hope, gave me a new definition of faith and boldness to trust The Lord. I would go into more depth over what we experienced but I wouldn't want to spoil the experience for anyone who might consider it. Not to mention, the purpose of this post isn't to talk so much about the experience of being part of mission Waco, but to inspire and enlighten whoever might be reading this with something God has enlighten myself with. A question I was asked this weekend and would like to ask you is simply this, what are you called to?
I understand that this question might seem large or hard to answer, but truly think about this, and think about what relates it to your walk with God. I know in my own life it's taken me up till now, a 20 year old adult, (and still growing) to understand fully what my calling looks like. However, I know God has called me to reach people. All people. I am very passionate about giving people hope and encouragement through the power of Jesus Christ, and that's something I couldn't have learned on my own. It's something He has to place inside us!
But here is the hard part, I call my self a Christ follower, I say I believe in the word of God, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what he has called me to. So WHY am I not being active in those things. God deliberately tells us to care for the poor and needy. That he does not know us if we never feed the poor or clothed the naked or feed the hungry. I feel like I, and maybe many other believers have this mindset that it's too much for one person to tackle, so we just turn away and don't address the situation at all. But God tells us this is what we are CALLED TO DO! Can we say we truly believe in the word of God if we are not putting it to practice?! God has called me to be passionate about people, but how can I be passionate about people without being around them?! People who are broken, lost, and lonely and need the love of Christ. People who touched me this weekend and taught me humility by understanding how much growing I still have left spiritually.
There was a moment this weekend where we got to hang out with some kids and play with them. One of the little girls pulled me aside on top of the slide and this is what she said. "Miss, I need you to do something, can you please, please pray for me!? My cousin has a tumor and I love her, and can't be with her, and she is sad. I need you to pray!"
As she said this to me, with desperation in her voice, another girl no older than 3 was clinging to my legs and I was filled with this eagerness to take away all their pain right in that moment if God had of allowed me to. What truly amazed me was how she had just met me half an hour ago. I didn't tell her I believed in God, I was simply playing with her, giving her my time. But there is something radical that happens when we live our lives where God has called us. He moves. Somehow this little girl, who became my friend, knew that I had the power to pray for her cousin. Not my own power but power that is given to me from Jesus Christ when we say we believe in him, power from the Holy Spirit that dwells in us once we become believers. It WASN'T ME! It's not about us! It's not about finding where we fit in but about searching out how to fulfill what God has already called us to. What's even more crazy, is this little girl lived in the middle of Waco Texas and we were hanging out on a playground! You don't have to go overseas to take care of the poor! Crazy right?..
One more thing. Through Mission Waco we were able to visit church under a bridge. Which is literally, a church, under a highway! Surrounded by people who have no homes, who were eating their first good meal in awhile, and were filled with the joy of God even though they had nothing besides the clothes on their backs..they.had.nothing. I met a lot of broken people, and never felt more accepted in a church, Because this church gets it!
Praise God I can't ignore this anymore! I can't keep pretending. It's hard to express fully in my own words what I'm experiencing through this revelation, however here is a quote from some one I look up to a lot that summarizes what I am getting at perfectly! "Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken...." Rich Mullins
So, I don't know about you, but I'm ready and eager to start living as I am called by Jesus Christ. What are you called to? What are you willing to give up for Jesus? Lets start living as believers that live in obedience, and boldness to Him, not comfort and fear out of ourselves. I challenge you with what God has been challenging me with. Dive into the word of God and see and learn how alive it is! Don't just read it, but make it your life, do something about it! Lets be a body of true believers that actually live as we are called. Not in complacency but in action.
To Him be the glory!
"Isaiah 58 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,[a]
and oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
"Isaiah 58 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,[a]
and oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and
your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure[c] on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure,[d] or talking idly;[e]
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;[f]
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Luke 14:33 "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure[c] on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure,[d] or talking idly;[e]
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;[f]
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Luke 14:33 "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
