Just Me

March 31, 2012

Thanks for praying for our kids. I think they are healthy again. God has faithfully healed each fever, headache, stomach, and pain over the last couple months. Sometimes I think it is crazy to live somewhere where there are no reliable doctors or hospitals. It can be a terrifying thought with a family. Yet if I had doctors to go to I might fail to go to Jesus. Each time when our child falls sick we run to our great Healer. We pray. We trust in the power of our Father to heal. Each time my faith is increased by His healing power. He is with us. He made our bodies and knows just how to make us well again. So we have the best in home doctor of all!

Our kids were playing church yesterday and I just marveled at how they played. The church they played was very Ugandan. They did all the same songs, wording, and cheering. It made me realize that this is their normal. Not Michigan like where I grew up but Ugandan because this is where they are growing up. Crazy. They are really special kids for it too.

Funny thing, as you we ride to church now days we look for animals but not the ones you see usually see. We have had a group of monkeys run across the road in front of us, seen some along the road side and once had to stop for a monitor lizard crossing. It reminds us how different our normal is than yours.

We have rain! We got our first big, real rains. It is such a blessing to see the dry earth watered and be relieved with cooler temperatures. I get so excited with the change and relief it is almost like the first snow. Maybe I’ll even get to put on long sleeves some day soon!

I have been thinking about something someone shared with me the other day, God’s blessing come with responsibility. How true. Too many Christians want the blessing without the responsibility. We ask God to bless us but don’t do our part. We cry out to God and wonder why He isn’t answering but we don’t even know His will. We blame God for taking away our blessings when really we have stopped obeying Him. Every blessing comes from obeying God. Have you ever read the O.T.? It is full of God’s desire to bless us IF we will obey Him. If we choose to disobey there will be trouble instead of blessing. The chose is the same for us today. Follow the Lord and be blessed or do your own thing and have problems. So why do we too often choose to disobey? And then wonder why God isn’t blessing us.

I have been reading in Matthew and Jesus teaching in chapter 5 & 6 are so challenging.
- 6:25-34 Don’t worry. Are you more worried about yourself and the things of this world than you are about my kingdom? Seek Me first and I will give you all you need. Hear the responsibility that comes with a blessing?
- 6:19-21 Don’t store up things in this world. It means nothing and will not last. But store up things in Heaven. Where you have your most valuable things is where your heart is. Is your love in this world or in God’s Kingdom?
- 6:14-15 If you forgive when people sin against you, God will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive someone, God will not forgive your sins. Hear that responsibility and blessing? How many of us have held bitterness and our hearts refusing to forgive then wonder why we are miserable and God is so far away? God is waiting for you.
- 5:48 Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. We can be in Christ!
- 5:38-42 Everything in our world today tells us it needs to be fair. I have a right. Self is first. But in God’s kingdom things aren’t fair.
- 5:33-37 Lying comes from the evil one. Tell the truth.
- 5:31-32 Here is a big one for the church. Jesus says if you divorce, except for marital unfaithfulness, and you remarry you commit adultery. Do we obey God’s Word here? Yet we wonder why we aren’t blessed and why we have so many problems in our lives.
- 5:27-30 Listen up men of God. Lust is as serious as adultery so if you are tempted by something cut it out of your life! It is better to loose something on earth than to be loose it all in hell.

I want to conclude with an update on God’s authority. Last week I wrote how God’s Word has complete authority and questioned if we obey it. This week reading in Matthew has continued to teach me and affirm the authority God Word has.
- Matt. 7:29 Jesus taught with authority and it stood out to the people as very different. God’s Word was now made flesh and dwelling among people and He was still the authoritative Word of God.
- Matt. 8:9 The centurion recognized Jesus authority and said I know if You just say the word my servant will be healed. He knew Jesus’ word had authority.
- Matt. 8:26 Jesus spoke and the storm obeyed.
- Matt. 8:32 Even the demons obeyed Jesus’ one word and left. They recognize Jesus authority.

So again I ask do we hear the authority as we read the Word of God? Do we obey? Or do we read it and go on doing our own thing? Jesus saw great faith (vs. 10) in the centurion who recognized and believed (vs. 13) in Jesus authority. Even the enemy of God recognizes and obeys Jesus authoritative word. How about us?