The Least of These, Part II
I am restless in my spirit. I'm having many of the same thoughts and feelings that I talked about in The Least of These, Part I. A friend brought to my mind yesterday the thought, "What in my life has actually changed as a result of some of the strong convictions God has brought into my life?" I know that Chris and I are called to something more, something different, something harder than the life we now lead. Is it in the Caribbean? Is it in the ghetto? I know it involves sacrifice and passion and change. Just tonight, God has brought a Scripture to my attention from three different sources in a matter of half an hour.
Matthew 25
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
And God asked, "Who are your 'least of these'?" I am having a hard time living my normal life this week. Sometimes I'm so comfortable in it, but I end up miserable, searching. And then God brings me back to the point where I see so much of my life, my activities, my conversations as a complete waste. I see that so much of what I do has no eternal impact on others' lives. And I feel this restlessness. This drawing of the Spirit. God has so changed my heart and my view of what a follower of Christ should look like, but I feel like my life doesn't yet match that.
I must remind myself that He will reveal His plans and purposes in His time. But I don't want to miss it because I'm so wrapped up in my comfort. We have so many excuses for not even seeking God's will, much less following it. I get tired of hearing my own excuses and the excuses of others. How tired must God get of hearing them? I am so convicted each time I read this blog. I know I've shared it with you before, but what God is doing in this girl's life is amazing. But so often we read it, our hearts are stirred, and we walk away from the words with no evidence of change in our lives.
I am reminded of these words from James 1:
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
I am drawn to change my life for Christ. I'm just struggling with what that means for us. I don't want to just be a listener, but a do-er. Take the time to ask God today, "Who are my 'least of these'?" Who is it that He wants you to pour your life into? Your time, money, security, comfort?
We have been deceived into thinking that the American Dream is a noble thing worth worshiping and attaining. We thank God for our freedom and blessings, while only using them to bolster our retirement plan, our savings account, and our wallets. We've used the freedoms He's given us to build our own secure bubble where He's not even needed or wanted. We plan our whole lives for the few years at the end where we can enjoy leisure and travel rather than for the eternity that will follow. We talk of God's great love - and it is great - without fearing His wrath.
Lord, I beg you to show me the specific ways in which you want me to use my life to glorify you both now and forever, and then give me the grace and strength to do it.
"Fight for us, O God, that we not drift numb and blind and foolish into vain and empty excitements. Life is too short, too precious, too painful to waste on worldly bubbles that burst. Heaven is too great, hell is too horrible, eternity is too long that we should putter around on the porch of eternity." — John Piper
Matthew 25
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
And God asked, "Who are your 'least of these'?" I am having a hard time living my normal life this week. Sometimes I'm so comfortable in it, but I end up miserable, searching. And then God brings me back to the point where I see so much of my life, my activities, my conversations as a complete waste. I see that so much of what I do has no eternal impact on others' lives. And I feel this restlessness. This drawing of the Spirit. God has so changed my heart and my view of what a follower of Christ should look like, but I feel like my life doesn't yet match that.
I must remind myself that He will reveal His plans and purposes in His time. But I don't want to miss it because I'm so wrapped up in my comfort. We have so many excuses for not even seeking God's will, much less following it. I get tired of hearing my own excuses and the excuses of others. How tired must God get of hearing them? I am so convicted each time I read this blog. I know I've shared it with you before, but what God is doing in this girl's life is amazing. But so often we read it, our hearts are stirred, and we walk away from the words with no evidence of change in our lives.
I am reminded of these words from James 1:
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
I am drawn to change my life for Christ. I'm just struggling with what that means for us. I don't want to just be a listener, but a do-er. Take the time to ask God today, "Who are my 'least of these'?" Who is it that He wants you to pour your life into? Your time, money, security, comfort?
We have been deceived into thinking that the American Dream is a noble thing worth worshiping and attaining. We thank God for our freedom and blessings, while only using them to bolster our retirement plan, our savings account, and our wallets. We've used the freedoms He's given us to build our own secure bubble where He's not even needed or wanted. We plan our whole lives for the few years at the end where we can enjoy leisure and travel rather than for the eternity that will follow. We talk of God's great love - and it is great - without fearing His wrath.
Lord, I beg you to show me the specific ways in which you want me to use my life to glorify you both now and forever, and then give me the grace and strength to do it.
"Fight for us, O God, that we not drift numb and blind and foolish into vain and empty excitements. Life is too short, too precious, too painful to waste on worldly bubbles that burst. Heaven is too great, hell is too horrible, eternity is too long that we should putter around on the porch of eternity." — John Piper
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