Much Given, Much Required

Blessing.  I have heard the word so many times, and the majority of these references relate to God’s desire to bless us, His people.  While that is true, this week's assignment took me through many biblical passages related to blessing, and I saw something I have never noticed before.  Most of these verses showed how God blessed His people, and they, in turn, did or did not honor Him.  Blessing or cursing would follow depending on their decision.

As I studied, I began to ask the question, “Why does God bless people?”  It’s easy to think, “because He loves them.”, and while this is true, there is more to the story.  The Old Testament is filled with examples of God’s people following Him, receiving blessings, and then turning from Him and being given to other nations.  I thought, "What if the Israelites were sold into slavery because they took God’s blessings solely for themselves?  What if the reason He blessed them was so they could honor Him with that blessing, and He removed the blessing as soon as they kept it for themselves?"  I have heard the verse, “To whom much is given, much is required”(Luke 12:48) many times, yet never fully considered its implications.  While this is such a simple concept, it struck me as an essential truth.

God has blessed me in tremendous ways.  He has given me a close family that loves God, a church that has helped develop my faith for over fifteen years, supportive Christian friends, the opportunity to travel on several mission trips, and now a year to study God and His Word with twenty seven like-minded believers.  I can’t take this lightly.  This blessing isn’t meant to remain stagnant.  God calls me to take everything I’ve learned, and declare His name to the nations.  When I say, “I can’t share Christ with that person… what would they think?”, I am throwing away the experiences and blessings God has given me for my own comfort. 

The Bible says God cuts off those branches of a tree that do not bear fruit(John 15:2).  I don’t want to be that person.  I want to bear fruit in every area of life, honoring God with the talents He has given me.  This week has taught me more about the purpose of God’s blessing.  His love towards me is intended to be carried on in order to fulfill the greater purpose of glorifying my Maker.  Only with His help can I do that.

Wait on the Lord

What does it mean to wait on God?  Psalm 46 says, "be still and know that I am God".   I have often wondered how this is possible.  On the outside, it seems like an easy task... after all, can't I just sit down in a field for a few minutes?  While that is often a great way to calm down and refocus, it's not that simple.

During my time here at Impact 360, I have found myself in the middle of two extremes.  In one, I'm so busy thinking about new ideas, writing papers, talking with fellow students, that I have trouble finding time to focus on God.  The other extreme was noticed during the backpacking trip two weeks ago.  As I sat alone in the woods, I found myself struggling with this same inability to focus.  Here I was by myself with five hours to talk with God, and I couldn't hear anything!  What was wrong?  I realized this frustration wasn't just a one time occurrence, it's something I have struggled with for years.

Why is it so hard to listen?  I looked closer at these recent experiences, and realized one major problem is my inability to wait.  "Waiting on the Lord" is commonly thought of as "not talking" or "being alone", however a closer look reveals something quite different.  A person can experience stillness and peace in a crowd of people.  My problem was that I was not waiting, but trying to force answers out of God.  I wanted to know where to go to college, what to study, what my future would look like.  Instead of simply resting in God's timing, I wanted His answer immediately.

The person who truly waits on God doesn't feel obligated to please anyone, but is satisfied with who he is.  He isn't constantly looking forward to the next activity, but is at peace with where he is now.  His heart is always open and attuned to the movement of the Holy Spirit, and he joins God in His work.  God speaks to him because his heart is on his Maker.

This is the kind of person I want to be.  Throughout the coming weeks, I want to be connected to God constantly, not just when I find time to pray or read the Bible.  I want to invite God into every aspect of my life, and to honor Him instead of constantly seeking fulfillment for my own desires and answers for my own questions.  As I practice this, I believe God's voice will become more and more familiar.  He wants to speak to me... but I must listen.

He is Faithful

This week has been odd.  For the past month or two, I have known that my grandfather was not doing well.  Last week, I was informed that Grandpa didn't have long to live, but I didn't know when he would go.  Our team had a camping trip planned, so after thought and prayer, I decided to go along...

Monday morning, our group departed for the mountains of Alabama where we would participate in a four day backpacking trip.  After stopping at Chick-fil-A for lunch, we pulled our packs out of the vans and hiked in under cloud cover, knowing the forecast of rain would cause an interesting first hike.  The group leaders decided to camp early, before the rain started, which turned out to be a great decision as it began pouring down right after we finished setting up tents.  The group came together that night for a few teaching sessions, and then went to sleep anticipating a long hike the next day.

Tuesday was beautiful, and spirits were high.  We made a breakfast of rice with raisins and cinnamon... a new dish to me, but it was good!  As we washed dishes, one of the leaders pulled me aside after hanging up his cell phone.  I knew what had happened.  Grandpa's funeral wasn't until Saturday, so I would stay with the group and finish our trip. 

The following days were filled with activities, including rappelling and caving, and although I struggled to be fully present in them, it was a good place for me to be.  I was surrounded by the beauty of nature, and the support and love of thirty other Christians.  Wednesday, each student practiced the spiritual discipline of "solitude" by spending a few hours in the woods alone. I took some time to write down many of the things I remember about Grandpa.  On Friday Dad picked me up, and brought me to Hendersonville for the funeral. 

As individuals, we often go through a lot in a short amount of time.  I definitely experienced that this week as I went through busyness and silence, joy and sadness, support and loneliness.  However, every day I learned more about God's faithfulness.  Although it's often hard to see what He's doing, He asks me to trust Him with everything.  He will give me the strength I need, and the grace to trust Him when I can't see the path ahead.

 "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6