Go therefore...

Ephesians 6:10-18

^“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  
 ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”


        It is dark world and hard to understand.  We have a gracious and loving God who "sees the whole book" of our lives- as a world and as individuals.  It is so hard not to be able to skip to the end of the "book" and see how it ends. The time of Joah was a hard time.  He did not understand God's plan.  He begrudgingly stood alone in a sinful world, teaching the sinful city about God. 

My pastor said the other week that we need to be "saltier" and "brighter" than ever before…

Matthew 5:13-16

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that^[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

 

If the darkness is great, we need more candles.  Jesus is the light, but we need to be reflections of that light.  God sent only Jonah to Nineveh and used him to do a great work in that city (despite of himself)... God can so use us in this time of despair. As hard as it is to not become consumed by sorrow as watchers of this horrible event, and trust me, as a teacher, I do find it hard. I cannot fathom the depth of the grief of that town. We, who watch in horror, have to use it to spur us to make a change.  And I am not talking about gun control or mental health issues. Those are important in their own rights.  We need to preach “The Change” that matters.  

I love that so many of our blogging friends are talking about giving to others, without thought of self.  I have read such inspiring stories.  I have been convicted of that.  Giving is the thing. Of ourselves. Time. Money. Gifts. Prayer.  A listening ear.  All of those point to the message that we are trying to shout in the wilderness- God’s greatest gift.  Jesus.  The only person who can heal hearts and comfort hurting souls.  Not a temporal thing that we humans offer, but eternal comfort and life with Him.  

I would so appreciate your prayers for me as my mission (sad that this has to spurn me to be more mindful of it) is to be a light and witness to the dear children in MY charge at MY school.  There is a child in my class who has admitted to not being a believer.  He is so searching.  I know God is working on his heart.  I would be so grateful for prayers that my words would be seasoned with salt, and that God’s words would flow from me.

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I cannot change hearts, but I know someone who can…

Thank you for listening to the ramblings of my heart!

Blessings!

Heather