First in My Life

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— 

that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—
what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.        1 John 1:1-4 (HCSB)

What or Who is #1 in your life? As a Believer and Disciple of Jesus Christ (I am committed to Him, not part of a denomination of that name) God is #1 in my life. My husband is not first. My children and grandchildren are not first. My career or how I identify myself is not first. God is #1 in my life.

If God is first in my life, then when I think about Him and spend time with Him I AM EXCITED! If spending time with God doesn’t excite me – then I need to think about my relationship with Him. Loving passionately brings excitement and expectation into the relationship, doesn’t it? I want to spend time with Him. Is there something that was taught or said to me that made me think that those emotions are not “appropriate” in my relationship with Jesus? Think about what He has done for me! How much He loves me!

I have had some very dark nights. One of them was the night my son died. The house was quiet. I laid down and looked across the room at the empty hospital bed. My son was gone and he wasn’t ever – ever coming back to this world. The pain was so intense and heavy. And then I felt a hand stroking my head. At first I heard no words, just the comfort of that touch. I felt surrounded and safe. I drifted into sleep and it was there that I heard Jesus speak to me as I dreamed. I saw myself moving on in my life. There would always be a hole. I would learn to live in a “new normal”. And I received the assurance that I would one day see James again. Until then, he was safe and well with Jesus. Until then, I was safe and well with Jesus.

From the beginning of my life with Jesus, I have seen things with my eyes, heard things with my ears and known things with my spirit. It is to these that I know and to all that He is going to continue to teach me, that I testify. It is worth some excitement!

What is my thinking when I am traveling to worship on the Sabbath? Am I excited and looking forward to worshiping? Or am I just attending because it is expected? Am I willing to discuss my attitude with Jesus? Do I have “complete fellowship” with the Father and Jesus? Is my “joy complete”? Ask Jesus to do a Holy Spirit ‘scan’. Sit and listen. Spending time with Jesus is not only time well spent but time that is multiplied in what I learn and how I grow in my relationship with Him.

John goes on to say that in God there is light. There is no darkness. Life can seem foggy and confusing. God brings light into my life and leads me in His good way, not in sin. I have the promise that when I spend time with Him I will always find a way out of temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and into life of fellowship with Him.

I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.
I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever.
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.    Psalm 145:1-5 (NLT)

I am going to take time to meditate on #1 in my life – my LORD.

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Today’s Opposition

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 24, 2010]

20What honor is there in it if you are treated badly for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you endure suffering when doing good, God graciously blesses you. — 1 Peter 2:20 (HN)

– Henry Neufeld

When Peter penned these words, he was talking to Christians who might face persecution at any time. Most of the time they were left alone. At certain periods, the Romans instructed their officials not to pursue Christians, but to take action against them if they were reported. At one point, since martyrdom was considered great, some Christians would turn themselves in so as to become martyrs.

I doubt Peter was addressing that particular situation, but it illustrates a potential problem. Many Christians like to think of themselves as persecuted. For whatever reasons it makes them feel better. They wouldn’t want to undergo actual persecution, of course, but they like to be thought of as upholding their faith against great opposition.

Now I don’t want to belittle the opposition that Christians do face, including ridicule from unbelieving coworkers. More commonly you might face ridicule from others who are Christians, at least in name, usually because they regard some of your spiritual or moral choices as fanatical. At the same time, I think we need to be careful how we use the word “persecution” when all over the world there are people who are truly persecuted, in the sense of being killed, tortured, or at a minimum have their lives threatened. This type of persecution is very rare in the United States. Perhaps we could try “harassed” or “annoyed” for what we go through here.

The people Peter addressed, however, were more likely to give up on being law abiding citizens. After all, they were outlaws already, so what was the difference? Why not go all the way with the “citizens of another kingdom” thing? Peter is telling them to be sure they don’t deserve the trouble. Suffering for Jesus when you’re doing right is good. Suffering because of your own wrong actions is quite another matter.

Now I want to transfer this principle to modern day Christianity. Many Christians determine not to witness because they are afraid of opposition. Others who do witness tell repeated stories of being laughed at, ridiculed, or otherwise mistreated. I would start by reminding them that there are many places in the world where you would be likely to get executed for witnessing, so what’s a little verbal opposition. The number of people who will drive you off with a shotgun in America is vanishingly small.

But a more important point is this: Don’t bring harassment on yourself because of your behavior. The fact is that too many Christians see witnessing as the process of proselytizing, which we could define as “making other people into Christians.” But that isn’t it. God makes people into Christians, or not, according to his knowledge and purpose. (I’m purposely skirting the “free will” discussion here!) Convicting and changing hearts is the work of the Holy Spirit. Your job is simple: Witness.

Now there are matters of timing, but most of us, if we would just treat witnessing as a natural part of our lives, would have no trouble with that. What do I mean about treating witnessing as a natural part of our lives? If you buy a new car you tell your friends about it. You don’t break into their church service, for example, to do so. You do it when it comes up naturally in conversation.

If you live as a Christian, you will have little difficulty finding opportunities. In fact, if you are involved in your church community it is likely to show, and you’re likely to get questions. Answering someone else’s questions is always good timing.

Make sure that if you’re being treated badly for your faith, you’re not bringing it on yourself. As Peter says elsewhere: “. . . Always be ready to give an answer to those who ask for the hope that is in you. 16But do so with gentleness and respect, having a clear conscience, so that those who speak ill of you for your good behavior in Christ might be put to shame when they abuse you” 1Peter 3:15b-16 (HN)

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Valentine’s Day 2012

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

There will be cards, chocolate, and fields of flowers moved around today by hand, through the postal service, and even the internet as we all try to tell those that we love – how much we love.

But all that “stuff” means nothing without the real stuff. I mean buying a card or five pounds of chocolate or a three-carat diamond will mean nothing to someone if every day we do not love them.

Now I could go on and on about what love really means but why try to reinvent the wheel when Jesus and Paul already did it so well. So I am going to bow away and let them speak to me and to you. May we open our hearts and receive God’s Word today, growing deep roots and yet freely giving it away.

[Jesus said,] “I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other.”     John 15:9-17 (CEV)

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.     1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 (NLT)

Now listen –
At the Cross by Brian Doerksen

Posted in 1 Corinthians, John | Comments Off on Valentine’s Day 2012

He is There

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Happy is one who cares for the poor; 

the LORD will save him in a day of adversity.
The LORD will keep him and preserve him;
he will be blessed in the land.
You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed;
You will heal him on the bed where he lies.      Psalm 41:1-3 (HCSB)

Lectionary texts: Isaiah 43:18-25, Psalm 41, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12

It’s late at night. I am up for several reasons. I usually work late at night as it’s quiet. I have several people on my mind tonight who have needs. In my human reasoning, I have no answers for these people but one.

When sickness comes, when relationships become tangled, when someone I love moves away or dies, when something happens in this life – that is just hard, I turn my eyes and heart toward God and cry out to Him. I ask Him for help. I ask Him for healing. And He always answers.

“But God didn’t answer me!” “I lost my job!” “My mother died!” “My baby was sick for a week!” “But I loved him! Why did he leave?” “Why did we have to go through this?”

The enduring promise of God is that He will never leave me. God is the perfect Father. He loves His children. He has been there, watching and waiting, all the time. From the moment I said “Yes” to Jesus, He moved into my life. Through the times of unlimited joy, my LORD has been there with the biggest smile, dancing over me (Zephaniah 3:17). Through the darkest, loneliest of nights when my face is flooded with tears, my Jesus is there to hold me and comfort me (John 14). When I cannot find the words, for whatever reasons, I can go to Psalms and find the outlet for my feelings. God has heard them all before. He’ll hear them again.

God will sustain when I am too weak, too tired, too confused. When the path He asks me to walk is long and steep, He will walk beside me every step. He will even pick me up and carry me.

God will refresh when I am dirty in sin, exhausted from trying to climb a mountain He never intended for me to walk alone. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (John 13) to set the picture before me that He will wash the sin from me, all I have to do is ask. He walked the road, bloodied and torn, to Golgotha so I would know there is no road that He will not walk before me.

God will speak to me words of Life when the world chatters on about things that are temporary and just downright lies. God will speak only truth. His words will not contradict who He is. His words will encourage me and strengthen me. God’s truth will convict me when I have strayed but never condemn me when I return.

Oh, my friends and fellow travelers through this world, we struggle not against flesh and blood (2 Corinthians 10) so our relief from those struggles, our victory over those struggles, comes not from my flesh – but from my LORD. Are you struggling today? Then come closer to our Father. Sit down today with Jesus. Listen with your spirit to the words of comfort from His Spirit. He is faithfully there.

Posted in Psalms | 1 Comment

Life Words

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus Heard You
from He Lives, He Comforts  (ISBN#978-0800760519, July 1977)
by Corrie ten Boom

Jesus heard when you prayed last night.
He talked with God about you.
Jesus was there when you fought your fight,
he is going to bring you through.

Jesus knew when you shed those tears,
you did not weep alone.
The burdens you thought too heavy to bear,
he made them his very own.

Jesus himself was touched by that trial,
you could not understand.
Jesus stood by as you almost fell
and lovingly clasped your hand.

Jesus cared when you bore that pain,
indeed, he bore it too.
He felt each pain, each ache in your heart,
because of his love for you.

Ms. ten Boom’s words could have been written within the psalms. Her experience in Ravensbruck concentration camp gave her a wealth of wisdom and encouragement that continues to bless so many of us over 50 years later.

It’s hard to remember that in whatever circumstances God has the last word – and it is victory! The voice that whispers inside my head that God is ‘way off and isn’t interested in what unimportant me is doing or He has bigger problems than mine to handle. My own shortcomings or sins add to the doubt that God is or will become an active part of my life.

My Bible has, besides a small concordance, two lists in the back of it. The first is a list of “Promises” with related Scripture references. The second is a list of Scriptures on “Perspectives” or “What to read when:”. If you don’t happen to have those features in your Bible, go to Amazon.com’s book store and check out The Bible Promise Book (ISBN#: 978-1557481764) which is available ‘used’ for one penny! These ‘tools’ have been invaluable during times when finding the impetus to begin my own search for words of truth, encouragement, and strength were just too much for my “feeble limbs” (Hebrews 12:12).

Jesus, by His example, gives me footsteps to place my own feet in as I walk through difficult seasons in my life. He shows me how to persevere and keep focused on the goal He has for me. The Hope that is Jesus is the anchor when sickness, failing relationships, financial burdens, and events that may seem random and horrific try to demolish the peace and balance in my life. The closer I walk with Him the better I can hear and copy His life.

If you have never read some of Ms. ten Boom’s, or haven’t recently, I encourage you to do so. I cannot imagine her daily life in a concentration camp but she does an excellent job sharing her experience with Jesus in her writings. Every word shared is connected to Jesus and Him crucified and victorious.

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Jesus: More, So Much More

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from March 4, 2010]

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says,
“They parted my garments among them. For my cloak they cast lots.”
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.   John 19:23-27 (WEB)

I believe God pointed this Scripture out to me today because I know some people who are going through great pain in their lives right now. Jesus’ road to Calvary is full of His love for me. (I hope I can write this next part clearly – help me, Lord!) Jesus went to the Cross and gave His life in sacrifice for me. That was everything and enoughbut – today I saw that even though that was everything and enough – Jesus gave me more! Jesus showed me again (and again!) how He – even as God – can also show me in ‘humanness’ His understanding of my life and the tragedy and suffering that can come.

Jesus’ personal garments, all that He had left in this world, became no more than ‘booty’ or plunder for the Roman soldiers. I was always taught as a child in Bible class that Jesus’ garment was probably made by His mother. It was certainly made with much effort and skill to weave it as one piece and without seams. They were not a rich family and Jesus, being single, may very well have been wearing a tunic made by His mother. And so maybe His mother was standing there watching her son being tormented and beaten and then one more insult on top of so many – His tunic is given to a Roman – through the degrading sport of gambling!

Then the ‘camera lens’ swings around and I am no longer looking toward Jesus but I am looking through His eyes to His mother. Mary is always shown to me as a woman of quiet yet determined faith. She has withstood the whispers and snickers since before Jesus was born. And yet she, too, has set her eyes forward and not looked back. Jesus turns His eyes to this woman that, I don’t believe any of us would debate, He loves. He sees to her care and entrusts her to one of His closest disciples, someone He trusts will do whatever it takes to care for her. It is interesting to note here that Mary had other children who I would assume would take up her care after the death of her eldest son – but Jesus knows the weakness of His biological brothers and sisters. He turns to John who is already standing close by and maybe instinctively ready to support Jesus’ mother however he can. Jesus confirms to John what he wants him to do – care for His mother; allow her to care for him. How beautiful and how awesome!

Jesus brings me through the pain and the suffering so that He can show me the hope and the promise that only HE can guarantee.

“Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”      Revelation 22:12-16 (WEB)

If this is a day of pain and suffering for you – take heart! Jesus has (it’s done!) overcome this world so grab on to that true promise! If you know someone who is suffering, then be that disciple, that ambassador, of Jesus and walk out His promises to encourage and point your loved one toward the hope that is Jesus.

 

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Life Music

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. 
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.             Psalm 62:5-8 (HCSB)

Music has always been a part of my life. I played “pretend” as a little girl, holding a brush in my hand like a microphone, singing and dancing around to “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. (That was an early song by the Beatles…they were a popular group from England…before Wills and Kate.) Music was a way for me to express feelings that I tried to bury deep inside. It was a way to release my longing for love, my hope for the future, and dreams that I feared would never really happen.

There are ‘seasons’ in my life which may seem silent. For whatever reasons, my life stops or halts. It may be a rejection or loss in my life. I may feel that I have failed in some way. God isn’t speaking and I am stunned into a motionless, silent room.

Every piece of music that stands the test of time has elements that can be found in all music. Some are:

Notes. These are the signs that tell a musician how to move from one tone to the next.

Time signature. These indicate the style and speed of a piece of music. It is the rhythm of the music.

Rests. There isn’t any music in a rest but music is made with the use of rests. Music has pause and unexpected, even important, moments of silence that bring greater feeling and expression into the music.

God sends me times of rest. Usually nothing like a ‘getaway weekend’ or vacation. It more often comes in the form of sickness, a frustrated plan, or life change. I may not love the silence of these moments but I have noticed a greater appreciation for the musicality of my life after these rests.

My Creator, Savior, and Comforter is also a great Composer who knows how to mix a song and pull the most beautiful interpretation of its components out of the life song. Will I allow Him to compose my life song? Will I see the importance of God’s rest marks?

During these times of rest I can hear His teaching more clearly, absorbing His wisdom and knowledge. I can also heal during this rest as God pours His comfort and love into me. I have a new view of rest – I am counting on the Holy Spirit to help me put it into practice.

The music today is a well-known song, Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1948), done by the John Williams and the Boston Pops. Notice that not all the instruments play at all times. In fact, the guy who ‘cracks the whip’ must count his rests carefully so as to come in with a snap at just the right moment. It is the give and take between the quieter strings and the more rousing brass that make this song so wonderful, a favorite of many, and a good example of the various musical seasons in my life.

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Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 18, 2010]

32God raised this Jesus, and we are all witnesses to it. 33He was elevated to the right hand of God and received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father. Now he is pouring it out as you both see and hear.   Acts 2:32-33 (HN)

– Henry Neufeld

Sometimes as I’m telling stories of my own life, part of my testimony, I pause and think about just how unlikely many of these stories are. There’s the time my father was miraculously healed. There are many answers to prayer in my own life.

Then consider the simple claim to salvation. “I’ve received Jesus as my Lord and Savior,” I say. “I’m not a friend of God. God is my dad!” What an unimaginable claim that is. I add to that the story that I’ve received the Holy Spirit into my life, I’ve been empowered by God, and through his Spirit he lives in me.

Then we go back in Christian history and we see these remarkable stories. Here is Peter, the fisherman, preaching to crowds after the crucifixion. The day before he was hiding out, hoping nobody would find him. The disciples had been pretty scarce even after they saw Jesus. They knew he’d been raised from the dead, but they also knew that he had died, and they were aware that they might die as well.

Yet on Pentecost they received the Holy Spirit and began to tell these weird and wonderful stories with boldness to large crowds. They quit worrying about dying and began to challenge the world with the gospel message. They quit trying to melt into the countryside, and began standing out as a challenge.

That was the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When the Holy Spirit gets hold of you, you do and say things you wouldn’t do otherwise. You step out of your comfort zone. You tell stories. You talk about hearing God speak to you. You tell people that Jesus is risen, and you know it because he lives within your heart, or perhaps you even say that you, yourself have seen him.

There are two important elements I would like us to think about here. First, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to challenge their world. They didn’t call for some little decision, such as going to church once a week, or attending a small group. They called on people to be transformed, and then to transform the world. Second, the power of the preaching involved both the Holy Spirit and the personal testimony of the disciples. They talked about what they knew and what they had witnessed.

If you’ve had life-transforming experiences with the Lord, are you letting people know? If you’re a Christian, and you can’t talk about something that is life-transforming, shouldn’t you check your relationship with God?

Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and he has sent us the gift of his Spirit. But we have to go, live, and speak.

 

 

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My Expectations

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Lectionary texts: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45

So he turned and left in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.     2 Kings 5:12-14 (HCSB)

After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way.He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this..”

The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.             Mark 1:43-45 (CEV)

The #1 obstacle to my prayer life is that I do not prioritize and make the time in my life. The #2 obstacle is that I limit God’s answers. And that is what He is speaking to me about in these Scriptures.

In the Old Testament passage, Naaman has leprosy. He was a commander in the army but he had a wasting, terminal disease. His servants suggest he go to a prophet in Israel, Elisha. And Elisha gives him a perscription from God – “go dip yourself in the Jordan seven times”. Elisha doesn’t deliver the message in person. He doesn’t put his hands on Naaman. He doesn’t pray over him, evoking the Lord’s name. Naaman is not happy. He expected some personal service that included a prayer and maybe some anointing oil! Not dipping in a little known river.

In the New Testament passage, Jesus heals a man who is also not sure about Jesus. He asks to be healed if Jesus is willing. Jesus’ response was immediate and the man was healed. But Jesus told the man not to tell anyone. The man did not obey. He told everyone. It was a great thing! It was something to celebrate! Why not tell everyone? Wouldn’t that be giving credit where it was due? Wouldn’t that be the expected response to God answering a prayer?

In both stories, expectations of the person did not match God’s response and plan. I am left wondering what was the point of bringing about a healing with river-dipping instead of prayer and anointing oil? Why keep God’s answered prayer of healing the second man? It’s possible, in the New Testament case, that Jesus might have been able to minister in some ways if He had been less popular. I don’t know.

Since God has a different view of my life and His ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:5), there will be many times that I do not understand His answer to my prayers or His commands in my life. The question is: Will I obey? If the answer that I hear lines up with the character of God that I know through His Word and our relationship, then do I trust Him and obey when I cannot see? If I have doubts, do I continue to press in to Him and pray with trusted brothers and sisters?

LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
LORD, You brought me up from Sheol;
You spared me from among those going down to the Pit.

Sing to Yahweh, you His faithful ones, and praise His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.     Psalm 30:2-5 (HCSB)

Let us grow in our trust of God. In obedience we find extraordinary moments of intimacy and peace because no matter what may come, Jesus is here.

Posted in 2 Kings, Mark, Psalms | 1 Comment

Hope to Give

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun.Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.      Ecclesiastes 4:1 (HCSB)

Do you know anyone who is oppressed? It means they are burdened or persecuted by someone who has some authority over them. Maybe it is a faceless group of people in the Sudan or Korea or a big city project. Maybe it is a neighbor who seems nice but alone and withdrawn. Maybe its someone you see at church every week but if you take the time to look, their smile is never in their eyes.

Jesus spent most of His ministry among the people. He rarely answered the questions that they asked but instead answered the question that they wanted to ask (even if they didn’t know it!). Jesus looked beyond what was in front of Him. He looked into the eyes which was the path into the spirit of those He met. He wants me to do the same.

Take the time. It’s a little thing to give someone a genuine smile. It’s a little thing to look someone in the eye and sincerely ask, “How are you doing?” and take the time to hear more than “Fine”. Know someone who is ill or, for whatever reason, unable to be out and about? Send them a card. Pick up the phone. Do you feel Jesus pointing someone out to you?

Listen. I heard a story this week about a teenage girl who, with her parents, went on a mission trip with her church to Haiti. She came home from that trip with a burden on her heart to help the orphans that she saw there. That was seven years ago. Her parents, following their daughter’s example, heard Jesus also speaking to them. They sold their home and moved to Haiti. They have opened two orphanages. Were they crazy? Maybe. But the orphanages are growing, the children are learning productive skills and about Jesus. And when the disaster came, the orphanages were a beacon of light for more displaced children. They listened and obeyed. It was a step of faith.

God may not call on me to do such a big step but He is wanting to use me to encourage His children. Am I willing to listen and obey. Am I willing to give my time, even go out of my way? Do I see opportunities to reach out through local soup kitchens, mission trips, and mission support of goods and financial support.

Prayer. I have several friends who are missionaries. Yes, they need many things and people but to a person the most important thing that they request is prayer. You do not even have to know them personally. If the LORD brings a missionary across your path and you feel the pull on your heart, put their name down and keep them before Him in prayer. My Savior and Protector who is with me is also with them. We are connected in a way that can not be hindered by miles.

The writer of Ecclesiastes seems to have lost his hope as he looks at a world that is oppressed. He had the promise of a Messiah but didn’t see Him. I have the promise of a Messiah fulfilled. I have this Hope that sets me free from anything that burdens, physically or spiritually. It is a free gift that is meant to be given away.

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.                 Psalm 9:9-10 (NLT)

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