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"Why are you downcast? Put your hope
in God"
By Karin Paparelli
My husband and I sat at the kitchen table, discussing summer ministry
projects. (No, God doesn't take the summer off and neither do we.) We
had a clear vision of what the Lord wanted us doing this summer, but still
we lacked motivation. We needed to make concrete plans and yet nothing
materialized. The problem was apparent, we were downcast and discouraged.
Why? The reason was simple, we let others dictate our response to the
Lord. Does it really matter if we plan an outreach and no one joins in
the work? What if we present a film and there is no one there to view
it? If we have been called to run this race, (as I know we have) then
why worry if it seems few are running with us?
The word of God says that "To obey is better than sacrifice"
in 1Samuel 15:22 and sometimes to obey is to sacrifice. This year as we
were working out the details of the March For Jesus, the Lord instructed
us to take the invitation to the highways and byways. I instantly knew
that meant to invite the world. We decided to run an advertisement in
Newsday. Not just any ad, but a full page! I looked into the cost and
found it to be rather expensive. At that time we were still short of the
March budget but even so we went forward in faith. Some money was raised
for the ad, and other monies came in for the March. The day of the March
an offering was taken and it would be two weeks before we knew our financial
status.
Before we moved forward with the ad, we counted the cost. Could we personally
take on this debt if the funds were not raised? Were we willing to give
up our family vacation to meet the need? The answer was Yes. As we tallied
our revenue we realized that we had come up short. The deficit was the
exact amount of the ad, the exact amount of our summer vacation.
At first I was a little angry. On an island of 3.5 million people, with
literally thousands of Christian churches why couldn't we raise the support
we needed? Well the Lord let me stew for awhile. You know He does that
sometimes. Finally I cried out to Him, "Why couldn't we raise this
money? Doesn't anybody care?" And He revealed to me the heart of
the matter. He is sovereign. He could raise up millions of dollars in
a second, He owns it all! But He chose not to. He gave us the opportunity
to honor Him with a sacrifice that stretched us, both financially and
spiritually. And in the end we were blessed to be able to bless Him.
We, the church, are all in a season of testing and purifying. We are to
be a spotless bride without blemish or wrinkle. The Word of God says that
He is a refiner's fire. As gold is refined it is melted under extreme
heat, to reveal what it is made of. The impurities rise to the surface
and are skimmed away, leaving only the purest substance to be molded.
We are very much like that gold. The Lord is desiring to refine us. To
remove the impurities in us, and then mold us into that spotless bride.
Have you been confronting old issues lately? Have you been struggling
with things you thought you overcame long ago? Has your world turned upside
down? Do not be surprised at your circumstances, but remember who is in
control. The Lord is revealing what is hidden in your heart, not for His
benefit but for yours. He allows adversity to do it's work in our lives
to create in us a more pure vessel. So let's welcome the opportunity of
God's refining fire in order to be found pure at the coming of the Bridegroom.
But until He comes there is still much work to be done. So, back to our
summer plans. We evaluated the cost of these projects. Could we afford
to take them on? Could we afford not to? Of course we would continue on
. The results of being obedient to God always outweigh the expense. If
only one person was touched, changed, restored it would be worth it all.
Jesus said He would leave the 99 to search for the one, that is how much
we mean to Him. Should it be any different for us, His servants? No, we
must follow the Master. He has presented the perfect example for us in
order that we too may do the will of the Father and glorify His name on
earth. We have moved forward with our plans for outreaches this summer
which include an outdoor presentation of the JESUS Film and a Veggie Tale,
and a few kindness outreaches. (Details are found in this months issue
of the CLT) We are resolved to absorb the expense what ever it may be,
but if you would like to share the burden (and blessing) your donation
to this ministry would be gratefully appreciated.
We have been given a choice. Will we let others determine our steps or
will we trust God to lead us in all that we do? Trusting God means knowing
that He is in control of our situation and is working out everything for
the good. Everything! Even when we don't see the results we can be rest
assured that obedience to God will always produce a harvest of good fruit,
if we do not give up. The enemy of our souls would love to see us all
give up. But let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We run this race for
Him alone. Our success is not measured by how many people labor with us,
or how many come to an outreach or to the altar. It is measured by our
faithfulness to the Master. I will receive my reward in full when I hear
my Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
I am reminded of an old hymn and I shall sing it out with great resolve,
"I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!
Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning
back!"
May you walk in His grace. Thy Kingdom Come!
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