My view has always been that those of us in America have so many opportunities to hear the Word, with a church on nearly every block, If you don't receive Christ, it's out of your own ignorance. Why should I try to share this grace if you have no desire to learn of it? And once again Jonah comes to mind.
Jonah ran from God not because he had no desire to serve, but because he didn't feel the people God was calling him to go to deserved God's grace. There have been people in my life that I can't stand to be around. Every time they talk I cringe with hate. I didn't want to share God's love with them because I didn't want them to have it. And it doesn't seem like much has changed. I've withheld God's love of those around me because I didn't feel they deserved it. How much of a jerk have i been? Who am I to judge? I am no greater than any one who walks the dust of this earth.
But theres more to Jonah's running away. God was calling Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria, and proclaim to them on the streets to repent and ask forgiveness for their sins or they will be destroyed. The funny thing is, at the time, the Assyrians were the enemy of Jonah's people, the Galilean's. Really God? To go to your enemy's streets and yell to them to ask forgiveness to for their sins or they will be destroyed? Maybe Jonah ran because he felt the Ninevites didn't deserve Gods grace, maybe he ran because he feared they would surely kill him on the streets. Either way from the perspective of man, Jonah had legit reasons to run.
When Jonah finally went to the streets of Nineveh the entire city fasted and asked forgiveness. And what did God do? He forgave them. This is where Jonah's reaction gets interesting.
1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity
Jonah 4:1-2
Jonah actually got angry at God for showing them grace! How often do we hold back God's love because we're either afraid fro our lives, both physically and socially, or that we don't feel those around us deserve God's grace?
Come the end of this year I will no longer be tied down by school, one roommate who will be moving in with his brother, and another roommate who may be in Tanzania (Which is awesome!). Then on top of that I have a job that allows me to work from anywhere. What does this mean? what does this point to?
As much as I desire to live and serve full time I can't help but feel there are multiple things holding me back. First of all myself. I know there's part of me that fears dropping everything I have lived my life for up until this point, and serving. There's part of me feeling that I am not prepared both spiritually and in wisdom to be the Christ like example in people's life. But at the same there's so much out there that needs the love of Christ. How much I would love to aide those who were trapped into human trafficking, Or bring God's word to people who don't even have the Bible translated in their own language! There's so much work to be done and here I am making pretty little graphics on my computer.
Then theres part of me that feels my calling is here. That I have the ability to make large amounts of money and give it all away. To support those who are reaching out for Christ, Those ambassadors that fearlessly go where God call them to be.
So who am I? The ambassador or the supporter?
No comments:
Post a Comment