Rescue the Perishing

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”- John 3:16
My grandmother always lived in a small town where she knew everyone, not just those in town, but all of the farmers who lived within twenty miles. She would always keep an eye on the local store owned by my uncle, especially on a Saturday, for those who came to buy groceries. It gave her a chance to drop her hoe in the garden and go visit a while, see what was going on, minister the Lord's love to them.
Now we live in communities where we don't know our neighbors, let alone love them. They're all around us, the needy, the unloved, the unlovely, our own mission field, and yet we come home from work and lock ourselves away behind closed doors. Are we afraid that they might rub off on us, that they might contaminate us, or even more so, afraid that we might rub off on them or perhaps rub them the wrong way with our righteousness?
The Lord told us to go preach the gospel. That means to the neighbor who is struggling with alcoholism, that means to the man with AIDS down the street, to the young couple next door who seem to have everything or even to the ones across the street with the yippy dog. We should be throwing our arms open to them. That's what Christ would do. He would pray for them and baby-sit with their kids, bake cookies for them, take them soup when they're sick. But we merely wait. Are we waiting for permission, for recognition, for a voice from the Lord? Meanwhile they're perishing.
An old hymn comes to mind:

"Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Snatch them from pity, from sin and the grave
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save."

We need to open our eyes and see that the world is perishing while we sit calmly by with the answer. We've left it to our pastors, tele-evangelists, and missionaries, those who were "called" to present the gospel, but preaching, sermons, or even wise direction for their lives does not rescue the world. It is rescued by love, by closeness, by caring.
When a high-rise is on fire, it isn't the person down on the ground barking directions through a loud speaker that those who are trapped are so grateful to see. It is the one who goes out on a limb, who climbs the ladder to reach out his hand to them who makes a difference in their lives, in whether or not they live or die.
We need to stop giving the world direction. They've got enough of that already. We need to give them what they really need and what we've already received: God's love, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness. It's there as it has always been, freely offered and in abundance. He has it for all of his creation and they need it...they know they need it...they're dying for it and yet we hesitate to offer it.

"Down in the human heart, crushed by the temptor
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more."--Fanny J. Crosby

Branching Out

"You are the vine, we are the branches, keep us abiding in you."

We moved. A year later, I still find myself wishing I were back "home." as I call it. The only place where I ever really lived. Forty years of lives and places entwined together. And yet our lives have already been entwined with new lives here, and our friends and family have filled in the empty spaces we left behind. Life goes on.

It's a chilly day in my office and I sit holding a cup of coffee for warmth and stare out the window wishing again for the past. I see a tree, beginning to bud, to leaf out once again and my eye is drawn to a branch in the center of the tree which is dying. It's bark and wood have grown dark, and there are only two or three twigs with half-hearted attempts at buds on that particular branch. All of the rest of the twigs have long ago fallen to the ground. Am I that branch Lord, dying because I don't want to grow , to branch out?

Baby Boom

I read an article some time ago about how difficult it is going to become for those of us from the post war baby boom. How in terms of real dollars, our spending power has decreased, how all of our things are wearing out as we use them. At first I was really scared; planned obsolescence catching up with us at last. What is going to happen to me?
I looked around at all the things laying before me, trinkets, souvenirs, reminders of times past and I thought of the trunk upstairs filed with more odds and ends of old memories. I realized that this was true, things were wearing out. The dish that I had treasured was now chipped, the broken statue had been glued together, grandmother's quilt which I treasured so had become stained through years of sitting unused in the cedar chest. And, what is going to happen to our car, that inexpendable symbol of American mobility? No matter how often we buy a new one, it becomes obsolete, worn out, used up in a few short years. Everything we have is going to fall apart and we won't have the resources to replace it. Is there anything worth holding on to? Anything which doesn't become obsolete? I had suddenly entered another valley of the shadow of death.
Then I remembered what the Lord said " Lay not up for your self treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt." It should be easier for those of us in this age of planned obsolescence to stop trying to hold on to any treasures. Our cars become obsolete, the minute the salesman gives us the key, this years color scheme always preempts last years, magazines are constantly telling us what's in and what's out.
Yet we still try to hold on to our earthly treasures while God offers us something more, something that has been tried and has not decayed. The centuries have not dimmed its worth. God's truth, His gospel, His glory has not diminished over the years. It is as new and exciting as it ever was and he offers it to us for free. It's inflation and recession proof and no one can take it away from us. He has promised his faithfulness to us forever
When it comes right down to it, most of the things I am afraid of losing are things which come between me and the Lord.
He promised he would take care of my needs, would even dress me as he does the lilies of the field. If so, then what am I afraid of losing? Prestige? Respect? That comes from God and not from man. My possessions? They aren't mine anyway, I'm just the caretaker. And even if I lost all I have, I would have more still than 80% of the world. My Pride? I could certainly stand to lose that. It always comes between me and the Lord.
So, I have nothing to fear. In fact, the only thing I should ever fear is that I would have fears. That proves that there is something in my life I'm holding on to instead of God.

Introduction

I have nothing to commend myself to you but a sincere desire to be a servant of Jesus Christ. I won't be disappointed if I am met with skepticism from the Christian community. For I willing can identify with Paul who was rejected by the religious leaders, the Scribes and Pharaisees of this day.

Nevertheless, I know what I have seen. Paul says, we see in part and we prophecy in part. This is not the whole picture, just one persons observations of God in our daily lives.

Waiting

It had been a busy week, short because of Thanksgiving, hurried with committee meetings, work, people in hospitals, and writing that I had wanted to get done. Instead of being productive, I ended up being angry at my husband because, in the midst of all of the chaos and pressure, he decided to bake a custard pie.
I had mentioned making a pie the previous weekend but because of all the things that needed to be done, and the fact that I had gained that same two pounds again, I had decided against it. When he, trying to please me, had insisted, I volunteered to make the crust, but in my haste of rushing out the door to another meeting, I must have measured something wrong. When I came home, there was a custard that neither of us really wanted to eat, another ruined pie shell from his efforts, a mess all over the kitchen and my husband nursing his bruised ego in bed.
In a flash, my anger boiled. Why, when there were all of the obvious things that needed to be done around the house, like laundry, filing of all of the papers that accumulate, cleaning the garage, did he waste his time on a stupid pie that neither of us wanted, creating a mess that I now had to clean up? Why? I questioned myself. Was it trying to be helpful, was it ego, a case of "I'll show her I can make a pie", or merely a case of poor communication.
Suddenly, I was reminded of my relationship with the Father. How many times do I get a fleeting glimpse of what I think he wants, a small piece of the whole picture, and then I go running off on my own, trying to prove my goodness to him by making a pie for him. Finally, after all my attempts have failed, usually after a lot of unnecessary pain, I quit trying. I throw in the towel and climb into bed, leaving a big mess for Him to clean up. I cry to him, "Oh Lord, how did I ever get in this mess?" But down deep inside I know. I've taken matters into my own hands again. And many times, it's not that what i have done isn't good, it's just that I don't have the timing down right. I haven't waited for Him to carry out His plans in the way that would be best.
There are many circumstances where we fail to wait for God's timing. For many of people that may look like marriage to the wrong person. We want to be married at all costs, and just in case we don't get another chance, we jump at the first opportunity then end up unhappier than when we were unmarried. Then we turn to God and blame him.
Or perhaps, we feel trapped in the wrong job, one we took solely out of desperation, one which we took because we saw no alternative, one which eats at our soul. We drag ourselves out of bed, dreading each day in a position which is totally unsuited to us. And we cry, "Oh, Lord! What have I done to deserve this?"
Hey wait a minute! God didn't put us in these uncomfortable places, we did. God promised He would give us the desires of our hearts. It isn't His plan for us to mess up our lives, that usually comes when we have taken things into our own hands. But God can redeem us, He can take those places where we have created a mess, and bring his redemption into them. Whenever our lives seem out of control, we need to step back and let Him take over, let his plans fall in place.
The Psalmist knew the advantage of waiting on the Lord for His timing and His plans. He says in Ps. 40:1-4,
"I waited patiently on the Lord and He has inclined His ear unto me. He lifted me out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. He hath put a new song in my heart. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust."
God can still redeem all of the places we've fallen into, all of the brokenness. Let us all learn to wait.