Today was a calm day. We had breakfast and devotions as usual. Then we pick the house up a bit. After that I had some time to myself. This was a blessing to me because it gave me the opportunity to write down my heart for missions and this blog. It was a special time for me to meditate on what different scriptures say and what He's put in my heart and the different things He's done with me. As I think about it I get really excited about what God is doing and especially about what he might do. I find myself recognizing how much I still have to learn and how much I don't understand . Oh Lord there's so much You still have to do in me and not enough time in the day to accomplish it all. I have so much I want to start and do and I'm so ready to be about all of it. And then I hear His voice saying "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth." This reminds me that it's not all about me exalting Him in the nations or encouraging the nations to exalt Him; He's going to do it in HIs time and all I need to do is walk in His way in the moment. It's amazing and humbling to realize how much I do not know and how much I have yet to learn and understand. It seems the more I learn, the more I find I have yet to learn.
Anyway, the rest of the day was spent with making food and helping out here and there. After dinner, Mrs. McMath, Rachel and I went to the Faith Bible Institute (FBI) that they're hosting in their church. It was excellent! There are a few thoughts that I specifically took away from it. We first went through parts of the Old Testament. One of the accounts we discussed was the man of God who prophesied over the pagan alter that King Jeraboam had made and caused the kings hand to wither (1Kings 13). This man of God was instructed by God "And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’” 1 Kings 13:16-17 As he was going on his way, however, another man who claimed to be a prophet, 'said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He was lying to him. 1 Kings 13:18 ' And so the young prophet disobeyed God and ate. And God judged him because of it. The lesson in this is that even if an angle tells you something contrary to God's word do not listen to him. The word of God (for us the BIble) is always the standard not the words of men or angels.
Ok so another crazy truth, this one was a paradox shifter. The setting of this passage is that king Jeroboam has fallen away from God horribly and lead Israel to do the same. Because of this God is pronouncing judgment on the house of Jeroboam. The back round before this passage is Jeroboam's son is sick and his wife disguises herself and goes to a prophet to find out what is going to happen. The passage comes from 1 Kings 14:10-13 therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!”’ Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam." In this passage we are told that things are going to get really bad for the house of Jeroboam. It's going to be horrible and there is going to be pain and suffering and death. And then we're brought to the matter of this child and The Lord says "for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel." So this kid was going to die because he was blessed of God? What? Then we think to ourselves (or at least I did) "God I don't get it, what am I missing from this story, I must of missed something." Here's what I had miss; I forgot to remember that death for a believer in the eyes of God is a blessing. Think of how it would have been if that boy had lived. God had cursed his family and life for them was misery. Even if God had blessed the boy with life; he would have watch as everyone in his family died and was eaten by dogs and birds. He would have watched as those he cared about came to utter disaster and he would have been powerless to rescue them because they were under the righteous judgment of God. And the blessing of life would have been closer to a curse. Instead God allowed the child to die and that child went to heaven where there is no sorrow, no pain, no suffering, only joy, peace and love. Where he could live in the presents of a loving God forever without want. Now I don't know if I've explained this well enough for you to recieve the revealation of it, but if nothing else let it be a reminder to us that regardless of what we think God's ways are ALWAYS higher than our ways, His thought so much higher than our thoughts. How can we, finite, sinful man judge the all knowing, infinite, perfect, God. So let me encourage you, brothers and sisters, that when you find yourself saying "God that just doesn't seem fair" or "God that doesn't seem loving" to humble yourself and pray for God to work in your heart and help you to see thing the way He sees them. And forgive me, I am not just talking to you, but to me as well and maybe more to me.
Anyway there were several other things I learned that I'll have to write to you all about latter. For now, good night. Sleep well and God bless.