"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward." - Psalm 19:7-11
Where the treasure of my mind is, my heart is not far behind. That was a quote from Pastor Ed Young, Houston Second Baptist Church last Sunday. I find it curious that very often, I can hear a spiritual truth one day and be confronted with that truth in my own life's circumstances the next. Let me explain.
We are selling our house in Alabama - finally. The market has shifted and our house that was not competitive with the market is. We have been praying that the Lord would relieve us of this mortgage - our only debt. And then we had an offer with the possibility of many others. We heard that it was possible that we might get offers for more than the asking price. Wow! I thought. But I did not want to be like the man that was on his rooftop in a flood asking the Lord to save him - so he passed up a boat and a helicopter waiting on God to show up. He drowned and in heaven he asked God why He had not saved him. God responded, "I sent a boat and a helicopter!" I told a friend, I do not want to be that man. So we accepted the offer. Everything was looking good and then the inspection report came saying that the middle support piers had a problem that was affecting the house. We have done enough pier and beam work after hurricanes to know that it could be big trouble.
We could see our equity being chiseled away. What we thought would feather our nest for our future could turn out to be an empty nest. So what to do? We had asked God to help us, but we had some terms and conditions. Sure, He brought a buyer, but what if we lost the equity in our home? Rather than rejoice in God for being an ever present help - we were tempted to worry about the financial return. That is until the Spirit reminded me that I am a Christian first. That I am bound to do what honors God and demonstrates the character of Jesus. That I am to trust God no matter how rough the seas might be.
I was reminded of Ananias and Saphira and how they caved when faced with giving up what they considered to be rightfully theirs. So the Lord has taught me a lesson in the past few days. It is one thing to recite verses from the Bible and quite another to walk them out. I am also reminded of Job after he had lost everything.
"And he [Job] said: 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.'” - Job 1:21
I cannot encourage you with spiritual truth if I am not willing to apply it to myself. We are all on a journey. The climb is steep and not without perils along the way. For us, we don't know what the days ahead hold. It could be that the deal falls through. But financial gain or loss is not really the point - trusting God no matter what is.
"If God is with us [and He is], who can stand against us" - Romans 8:31
And then I think about the plight of the Ukrainian people. Over a million people have abandoned their homes to find a safe haven from the war. And I, in my warm house, am concerned about a house I don't even live in. And help them! It brings perspective. I often told my children that the worst thing they have experienced is the worst thing they know. But there is always something much worse that has and is happening to others. Lord give us eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to understand.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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