"The secret of life is that all we have
and are is a gift of grace to be shared."
Lloyd John Ogilvie
Why
is it that trying to live a righteous, holy lifestyle, embracing the
teachings and character of Christ is met with such blazing opposition by
the very people who should desire the same? It seems the more I desire
to become unoffendable, walking in love and forgiveness, the greater
battles come from "religious" people. Even the ones we love the most,
our families, close friends seem to be changing colors and attitudes,
seemingly for the better, yet not so, rather a contentious spirit of
jealousy and division seem to form a stronghold, often difficult to
penetrate much less pull down.
The first and third
Wednesday nights of each month I have been leading a Bible study for
teenagers and adults called GLOW, an acronym for God's Love on
Wednesdays. I have been trying to instill in my listeners the importance
of knowing the scriptures, engrafting them into their hearts, as I was
taught by my mother, grandmother and teachers, and as I did the same for
my family. How can we share the faith with others unless we have a love
of the word and the Author in our own lives? And how can we be the
hands and feet of Jesus if we do not spend time in His Presence daily
learning to know Him?
"Time alone with God can help us grow, but so can serving others.
Instead of feeling guilty about how little time alone I get, I need to look
at how I can connect with God in the midst of my chaos."
Keri Wyatt Kent
I
am a very practical person who has had to learn to "modify" teaching
styles and ways of doing things to compensate for what is available and
what works. Not everyone learns how to do a thing in the same way, so
the approach has to be adapted. Thankfully, this is a gift God has given
me to use for His purpose. So I am designing games based on scripture
to encourage participation and spark enthusiasm in studying and learning
the word of God. My first attempt at a variation of the game Wheel of Fortune was a success marked with optimism and enjoyment by the participants, encouragement for me!
So
I continue on...! I must admit, however, that there are times I grow
weary of the challenge. I begin to wonder if what I am saying means
anything to anyone, because no one appears to understand living for
Jesus is not a Sunday morning game show, or a time to be entertained for
an hour or two with stories and puppets. It takes time each day to
build any relationship...quality time. As O. Hallesby shares:
"All work takes time. When it becomes clear to us that prayer is a part
of our daily program of work it will also become clear to us that
we must arrange our daily program in such a way that there
is time also for this work, just as we set aside time for other
necessary things, such as eating and dressing."
Max Lucado in And the Angels Were Silent puts
it another way, as my younger son would appreciate: "God's not a genie.
He's not a good luck charm or the man upstairs. He is, instead, the
creator of the universe who is right here in the thick of our day-to-day
world who speaks to you more through cooing babies and hungry bellies
than He ever will through horoscopes zodiac papers, or weeping
Madonnas." Or...
"Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no,
it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable
dependence on a God who loves to surprise
us out of our socks."
Max Lucado
God Came Near
What else can I say except... to know Him is to Love Him and to know He loves us so much more!
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