The daily readings of the past week or so have taken me back to a very sacred place in my faith life. And the beginning of why I do the ministry work I do now. I wrote about it a little, here a long time ago...
I lived in fear.
My neighbor was dieing, Jannette.
I really only knew her in her dieing.
She came to live with her daughter, our neighbor, when she was diagnosed.
She had ovarian cancer.
I did not know if she 'knew Jesus; had accepted Christ.'
She was Catholic.
I loved her. I visited her everyday.
She was the most gracious, joy filled woman I have ever known.
Always pleasant and kind.
I loved being with her... in her dieing she added so much to my life.
I came to her as this fearful...judgemental...evangelical
out to save her.
I came away from her as a trusting child.
I thought I was being used by God for her, only after did I come to understand that He was using her in my life to transform me.
I saw through her living and dieing the love of God.
By her peace and love and faith and hope she revealed God to me as good and kind and loving...
not as judging.
And that gift will never leave me.
Through her He made me face my own fears, my own judgemental attitudes, and platitudes and replaced them with His gentle truth.
And in His truth I found my proper place in Him...
I needn't 'save' the world, He did that.
I just need to love...live His love.
just...
as huge a thing as 'saving' the world?!?!
but not...it's His love that I long to minister...to give...to serve
perfect and unafraid
unafraid to touch, unafraid of germs, death
confident of one thing
"The devil has come to kill, steal, and destroy.
I have come that you might have life
and have it more abundantly" John 10:10
and this is what I received from Jannette's frail little life and final days
I thought I was there to give...I know now, I received...
this was the verse that clinched it for me
Matthew 10:29-42
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?
And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore
you are of more value than many sparrows.
He who receives you receives Me,
and he who recieves me receives Him who sent me.
AND
whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple,
assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.
Sunday, September 27
Mark 9:35
Jesus to the 12
If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.
and He took a little child and set him in the midst of them
and when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them
Whoever receives on of these little children in My name receives Me
and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me
Now John answered Him saying
teacher we saw someone who des not follow us casting out demons in Your name,
and we forbade him because he does not follow us.
Jesus said
Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of me.
For he who is not against us is on our side.
For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him is a millstone were hung around his neck...
if your hand causes you to sin...
if your foot causes you to sin...
if your eye...
Monday, September 28
Luke 9:48
Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest, and Jesus, perceiving the thoughts of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him...
Whoever receives this little one in My name receives Me,
and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Now John answered and said
Master we saw someone casting out demons in Your name and we forbade him because he does not follow with us, but jesus daid to him "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."
:56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.
Wednesday, September 30
{:58 foxes and birds}
yesterday, Friday, October 2
Matthew 18:5
Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck....
if your hand or foot causes you to sin.......
if your eye causes you to sin.........
Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that
{in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven}
For the Son of Man has come to save that which is lost.
100 sheep
It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
I began to see that I had no right to cause one of God's children to stumble...
I began to see that serving God wasn't some complex thing...it was a simple as giving a drink of water.
I became comfortable in my visiting and being received by her, that where she was going, she too would be received.
No comments:
Post a Comment