One of the messages coming through strongly to me in the stories from Mozambique is that God responds to a hungry and desperate heart.In Jeremiah 29 God says: “…you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
In Luke 18 Jesus begins with a parable showing that we should always pray and not give up. He uses the example of a persistent and desperate widow. At the end of Luke 18 we have a story of a blind beggar who was desperate for a touch of God upon his life. He cried out to Jesus and when he was told to be quiet he shouted all the more. Jesus commends his desperate cry as faith and the man receives healing. This sounds so much like the stories I am reading about in Mozambique.
But then in the middle of this chapter we hear the story of a self-sufficient, wealthy man who also wanted to engage with Jesus. Unfortunately he was not as desperate and hungry as the widow and the beggar and so he walked away sad, still clinging to the things of this world!
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My thoughts echo yours Andrew. In recent days I've found my enthusiasm beginning to wane and as I was praying this morning I was telling God that I want to be hungry for Him and want to persist in my pursuit of Him. Then I read Luke 18 and felt that the story of the persistent widow was His answer to my prayer. Jesus is saying it's important to persist in pursuing Him and His presence.
The other thing that struck me was verse 34 "The disciples did not understand any of this." It occurred to me that even though the disciples were there with Jesus day and night for 3 years and would have witnessed and heard far more than we can, they were still pretty slow on the uptake. And yet, those un-understanding disciples went on to become the world's first missionaries and martyrs for Jesus. Following on from this Jesus heals the blind beggar and uses His catch phrase "Your faith has healed you". Therefore, the take home message for me is that I am not necessarily required to understand, but I am required to have the kind of faith of a woman hungry for justice, parents hungry for their children to be blessed, and a man hungry to see again.
In contrast to this, Luke 18 warns that pride (the pharisee) and a love of riches (the rich man) can take away my hunger pretty quick....this love of riches stuff seems to be a very recorrent theme
In my "ye olde" translation, the Rich Young Ruler (RYR) answers Jesus with the words, "All this I have done"(v21). And it got me thinking, how would I answer Jesus? I have been a youth leader, Sunday school teacher, played in a church band, preached a bit, been a Christian counselor, talked about my faith to others (but only when asked!), marched in a few Christian parades, helped organize wells to be dug in Malawi...like the RYR, I can answer Jesus, "All this I have done." But none of it has really cost me; Jesus new it about the RYR and He knows it about me.
And speaking of riches, dunno if you guys saw the article in the paper on Wednesday about the rich US tele-evangelicals being investigated by the IRS? A guy called Creflo Dollar (are they kidding me?) has a Roller and a Gulfstream jet; Joyce Myer has a dunny seat made of marble ($25,000 right there)- can you imagine sitting on that baby on a cold winter's morn? Ay carrumba!; and the Pastor and wife of the Church Without Walls are also now the church without wrinkles as they have had a stack of tax-free cosmetic surgery. Now as as I sat reading this stuff and making my jibes about 'only in America', my left eye started to tear-up and when I rubbed it, a plank of wood fell out! And it happened again and again, and pretty soon I had enough wood for a pulp-mill...er, sorry Chris.
What was exposed to me is that I am the Creflo Dollar to some poor Christian here or in Timor Leste or [pick your spot of earthly hell], and I hope that thinking of myself in that light will make me a more humble steward of what God has blessed me with. Just call me Creflo!
And Andrew, found a Christian who gave it all away to the poor - Leo Tolstoy. Yeah, isn't always the last place you look! Story is not pretty though. Talk to you about it on Tuesday.
I'm finding this journey interesting in that I can treat each day as a discrete block of time.
Today I had very little interaction with people - only weaving in and out at the markets. Our neighbour came over but I was in the spa and she was talking to Sherrie. Sunday is family day for me. I didn't see hurt or need and had no overwhelming prompt to use my faith or pray persistently - but I did watch the news and saw the devastation in Bangladesh - please Lord help them! Not sure whether it is good or bad living in this cocoon. In the last few weeks I have been thinking about the sabbath and keeping it holy - not necessarily church, just taking time out with the family and keeping it mellow, and making time with God.
I too was challenged with the verse that it is "harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into heaven". I sometimes wish that one wasn't in the bible - might check out the US tele-evangelists for an interpretation that makes me feel better.
With the book - I'm about a third of the way through. I like it when they talk about their (needy) neighbour as also being being the well dressed working people that we walk past day by day - but leaves us with a greater challenge and less excuses.
Aaah Creflo - How funny is that!
I wanna belong to the church without wrinkles!
Ok Serious now.
The parable of the Rich man is interesting. He wanted 'things' to achieve and tick off. Works. To be 'in control' of his own salvation really.
I don't think Jesus response in any way means that everyone must sell their stuff and give it away - but it does mean trust Him absolutely for and in everything - hand over control.
Last Sunday - I just felt that old chorus washing over - I surrender all. I want to be so in love that I can sing that wholeheartedly. For me that requires more quality time with the Beloved!
I'm with you Rosaleen! Just one more thing that a footnote in my Bible alerted me to; the five Commandments that Jesus cites centre on our relationship with our fellow-man. Reinforces (for me) how important loving service to others is for Jesus. Mother Theresa once said that "Love is Faith in action."
JB, your comment about being Creflo Dollar to some people has stuck with me today. Just imagine them talking 'bout us in the 3rd world,
"Did you know some people have cold boxes to store their excess food in or money in a bank to use when they need it or two , three or four cars per household...I think you get the point"
Thankyou so much everyone for your great reflections today. They have really encouraged me and I mean this genuinely.
But in all honesty, my huge concern is that tomorrow we find another bible chapter to discuss and this post then just becomes another "historical discussion". I too am another "Creflo Dollar" but my real fear is that in 3 months time I will look back on this blog and nothing significant will have changed. Lord have mercy and deliver me from passivity.
This verse really stood out to me too. v22. "There is still one thing you lack". We can think we are doing what God asks of us. But are we? Sell all & give to the poor. After all this is what the Baker's did wasn't it? Not sure what this means for me yet.
Andrew - re your concerns that in 3 months time nothing will have changed.
This Word we are currently 'devouring' at pace - IS alive.
So is the body [each other] that we are sharing thoughts with. We are each and jointly enlivened by the Spirit.
I am certainly gaining more understanding through this joint activity than I would on my own.
My Father is the Gardener and I am trusting him to be watering the seeds, and pruning branches to promote new growth through this time when - one is taking up blood and bone through the roots....
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