37As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 40He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
from Luke's account of the gospel, chapter 19 (ESV)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Enough
Over the past few weeks, words like 'enough,' 'sufficient,' and 'abundance' have been on my heart. I have been challenged by God's 'more than' character.
I think it started with a sermon several weeks ago about forgiveness, I think. I don't remember the sermon topic, but I do remember the comparison Pastor Ryan made between the love we can offer and the love that Christ offers us. We seek to be loved. We seek to be loved completely, in a way that does not hide or shudder or turn when we are not perfect. Our relationships with other humans cannot provide that, even within marriage. But Christ does. Our love has limits. His does not. With him, "there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17, NKJV).
In 2 Kings, chapter 4, there is a story of how God multiplied a widow's jar of olive oil to pay her husband's debt that, being unmet, would have meant that her two sons would be sold as slaves as payment. It is an awesome story, and if you haven't read it, I suggest doing so. Here, in this story, I was challenged to trust fully in God's provision. I had been anxious about money for a while, and anxious about a lot of other things though I wasn't sure exactly why. This is our God, the story in 2 Kings spoke. The God who gives abundantly and in love and care.
I decided to trust him, and I gave my concerns to him, especially concerning my trip to Russia (57 days!!) in regards to ability and resources. And yet again, he has proven faithful. I have been awed several times since November at the way God has chosen to show his care for me. But that doesn't mean I was any less shocked when someone from my church told me that they had collected $1928 for my trip. And that was up from $754 that weekend. Which means that I am now 95% funded--without any sign of slowing down. The oil did not stop pouring until no more jars had been collected. I am so blessed. So blessed. I felt (and still feel) saturated.
He also continues to speak to me this Holy Week, through scripture, through prayer vigils, through shadow services. He himself is enough. Amen.
I think it started with a sermon several weeks ago about forgiveness, I think. I don't remember the sermon topic, but I do remember the comparison Pastor Ryan made between the love we can offer and the love that Christ offers us. We seek to be loved. We seek to be loved completely, in a way that does not hide or shudder or turn when we are not perfect. Our relationships with other humans cannot provide that, even within marriage. But Christ does. Our love has limits. His does not. With him, "there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17, NKJV).
In 2 Kings, chapter 4, there is a story of how God multiplied a widow's jar of olive oil to pay her husband's debt that, being unmet, would have meant that her two sons would be sold as slaves as payment. It is an awesome story, and if you haven't read it, I suggest doing so. Here, in this story, I was challenged to trust fully in God's provision. I had been anxious about money for a while, and anxious about a lot of other things though I wasn't sure exactly why. This is our God, the story in 2 Kings spoke. The God who gives abundantly and in love and care.
I decided to trust him, and I gave my concerns to him, especially concerning my trip to Russia (57 days!!) in regards to ability and resources. And yet again, he has proven faithful. I have been awed several times since November at the way God has chosen to show his care for me. But that doesn't mean I was any less shocked when someone from my church told me that they had collected $1928 for my trip. And that was up from $754 that weekend. Which means that I am now 95% funded--without any sign of slowing down. The oil did not stop pouring until no more jars had been collected. I am so blessed. So blessed. I felt (and still feel) saturated.
He also continues to speak to me this Holy Week, through scripture, through prayer vigils, through shadow services. He himself is enough. Amen.
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