Feed My Sheep

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.

Jesus states this in Matthew 25 while talking to his disciples to explain transition into heaven. They quickly respond by saying, Jesus you were none of these things and we never followed these instructions. He follows this up with explaining to them that it is rather when we do these things for our brothers and sisters that he is praised graciously.

These verses struck me in a different way then they had before. I used to think that these commands applied solely to those that are poor and outside the church. Today, rather, God compelled me to look deeper. In the verses in the Bible he uses the word, brother, which cross referenced actually appears to mean those that believe in Jesus. Therefore, my deduction from these commands can only apply to the church.

I admit I am guilty of not turning to those in my church with love and compassion as this passage states. Rather, I like the people I like, and try not to be annoyed by the people that drive me crazy. Yet, in this passage, Jesus is telling me that in order to truly love him, I must be willing to show love in the above listed ways to all people in my church.

Each of us struggle with certain "types" of people in our churches and in our lives. For me, I struggle with people that are always telling me bad news and missing out on the good news. I struggle with people that want to always tell me how greatly accomplished they are in work, sports, life, etc. And, I definitely struggle with people that put down others and talk without regard for their emotions. Yet, what I learned from reading this passage is that Jesus can see past these annoyances and can see the real needs of people.

We often feel compelled to love the homeless man on the street with a pot of food or a new sweater. But, we look past the people that know Jesus that are struggling day to day with the weight of being his. We must not forget each other. We must not get annoyed with the worldy things that inhabit even the Christians in Jesus' church. This passage helps us to remember to feed the hungry and the poor in our churches to welcome the stranger and to love the forgotten.

This was quite a challenge for me today. But, I am so thankful that Jesus cares enough to break my heart with the root of my sin. We cannot go on creating churches that forget about the needs of those within the church. So, thank you Jesus that you care about the people that annoy me. Thank you Jesus that you see them as pure and righteous. I pray that my eyes would be opened truly so that I may see you in them and provide what they need through your Holy Spirit.

Have Faith, Jesus is With You

I ran a marathon today. I never thought I could run a marathon. I never really wanted to run a marathon. But, in April, I stumbled upon a running group that turned out to be a direct sign from the Holy Spirit. Now, I am not one to overspiritualize things. I just felt that God was saying, "Have some faith, Danielle." So, I trained for 6 months. Every Saturday up at 6:30am, not because I was dying to say, "I ran a marathon," but, because God commanded me to do it.

If you have never run a marathon, you have no idea what the process is like. It is nothing like what you train for. There are moments of joy, there are moments of severe pain, and there are moments you are thankful you believe in Jesus because you might just return to see him before the whole event is over!

Today, I learned that being a perfectionist is shot out the window. Today, I learned that you can train, but you cannot predict the way things will go. Today, I learned just what God wanted to teach me, "have some faith." He did not want to teach me, "have some faith that you will run the best race ever!" Definitely not. Rather, he taught me that no matter how much I try to control the outcome of things in my life, He is God and I am not.

I love the marathon. It is where the rubber hits the road. It is where you find out that even if you think you can do it, there is always a point when you feel like you can't. This is what life is like my friends. When my mom passed away, I felt like I was at mile 20 of the marathon. How can I go on? How can I keep this life pace without her next to me? But, something happened. Jesus came along side me, put his arms around me, and said, "You can go on, because I am with you."

I finished this marathon today because my family and friends were waiting for me at the finish line. Throughout the race, I thought about how much I wanted to cut out but their faces crossed my eyes and I knew I could not let them down. I wanted to see them and for them to put their arms around me. Just like that, Jesus is waiting for you and me at the end of this life. He wants you to finish this life and he tries to flash before your eyes to remind you that he is there. He gives you strength when you have none. He gives you power when you are all out. Jesus runs this life with you and cannot wait for you to show up at the finish line.

If there is any joy I have today, it is not because I finished a marathon but rather, because Jesus has so graciously come alongside me in this life helping and comforting me just when I need it most. I am so thankful that Jesus is there with me when I am stuck at mile 20 thinking I didn't sign up for this suffering because it reminds me of what life can sometimes be like. We never sign up for suffering, but it is par for the course and wouldn't you rather have the King of heaven and earth by your side then trying to struggle across the finish without him.

It is not important that I ran a marathon today. What is more important is that Jesus taught me through his Holy Spirit how to have faith in him despite circumstances. Don't worry, you do not have to run a marathon to learn this. Just come talk with me and you will see that Jesus is not some person that died on a cross and that's it end of story. No, he is a God that is alive and well and thankfully he lives inside of you and me. So, thank you Jesus, if you are reading this. Thank you that you are with me. It's unfortunate I had to learn this running 26.2 miles, but thank you. I will sign up for the next one looking forward to what you will teach me.

Christian Community

Community. In every culture, in every country, in every city, this word connotes different meaning. Churches love to state community in their title, in their vision statement, and in their values. But, do we really put community into action in our lives and in our hearts.

Acts 2 from The Message states, "They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met."

Really? If you are like me, you are reading that and asking yourself why is this kind of a community not present in our churches. Some relationships within the church are like this and for that I count my blessings. However, stepping into a traditional Christian church on a Sunday in America will most likely not show this kind of community. It is my belief that if we formed more churches in this model, more people would meet the God in heaven that does not discriminate.

So, how do we do it? How do we form churches that promote 'life together', 'holding everything in common'? The answer I believe is in discipleship. Just like Jesus, we need to form relationships with those we intend to be committed to for a significant period of time. Rather that jumping from event to event, we need to tap into the lives of those that surround us on a Sunday. It is through this genuine relationship that we discuss needs, hurts, and life's turbulance. The best way to build these relationships is joining a smaller group within the church to study the Bible and hear from Jesus himself. We cannot expect to be taught by Jesus only on Sundays. If you are anything like me, you will need a daily, or even moment by moment, encouragement from Jesus throughout the week.

My challenge to you is to get involved in your church. If you feel left behind, or lonely, or you don't like the politics of your church, don't sit back and wait for change because there is probably someone just like you wondering how to change things. Be part of the church the way it was intended. Fill the needs of those around you. Invite people to your home for prayer and meals. Swing open the doors of the place you are blessed to live so that you can meet the needs of others. I want to see this kind of community alive and well in America.

So when are you coming over for dinnner?

Tune in to Discovery

I have been a Christian now for several years. However, it still amazes me, how much God actually wants me to learn about him. Today, I was in church, thinking and praying about how little I actually understand about God. Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking I have it all figured out. I will throw around terms like grace, mercy, forgiveness actually thinking I understand the depth of which those words originate. However, the truth of the matter is that I am still figuring it out. It was so glorious to understand this concept. It makes me so joyful to know that there are so many more layers to God that I have yet to unwrap.

In church, I started thinking about how vast and wide God's love is for us. He sees past our faults and welcomes us in with open arms. This concept is quite foreign to me really. I mean if I am what the bible says I am, wretched, sinner, broken, bruised, and orphaned, why would a gracious, loving God welcome me with open arms? The concept is novel. Really, if a person has hurt me, the last thing I think of is welcoming them with open arms. Yet, that is what God does for us every day. I guess you have to get to a place where you think you actually need to be welcomed in order to appreciate the truth of these statements. I guess you have to look at your life and your efforts and see the evidence of brokenness in order to desire God. Too many times the glare of the allure of the world fogs our glasses of truth. We hang on to the idea that we are not in need of a God in heaven because we can worship the gods of this earth, this creation. Yet, seated on a throne in heaven, is a God that does not turn his back.

The more and more I get to know God, the more I like him. Although I haven't it all figured out, what a joy it is to discover and rediscover new things about him every day. I am thankful I can see my need to be welcomed by him. I am thankful I have a choice to walk with him or to turn away and his love never for me will change.