Are we missing the point?

On Monday, I was on the way home from Lancaster and was nearly home. So I decided to stop and fill up with gas even though I had nearly a 3/4 tank left. As I pulled in I noticed a man standing beside the street. He was dressed in shabby clothing, and was holding a cardboard sign which I'm sure you can guess what it said. I noticed that his belongings were stuffed into a bag which lay at his feet. It hit me that here I am filling up a nice vehicle with gas (when I really don't need to), when this man is in need. He can't call many people his friends (if any) and I'm coming home from a long weekend of hanging out with some of my friends. I had taken a week and a half off of work - by choice - and I'm sure he would have been happy to have even a small job. I have been given the gift salvation and am blessed with a wonderful group of people to call my home community, and he doesn't even know Jesus as his own - he doesn't belong to a community that cares about him.

Have we really missed the point of why we live here?  Is it really God's purpose for us live our lives isolated to the point that we aren't touched by those living in deep need around us? Somehow I don't think this is what God is calling us to.

He calls us to live radically. To give all to Him - even when it is incredibly painful. When I can't imagine giving up something it is obvious that I need to give it up because it is holding me back from serving God fully. Living radically looks different for everyone. I look at others and think they are so radical and sold out for God and wish I could do that. But God's picture of how I should live radically for Him looks totally different! Our calling is tailor made for each of us, it is for us to make the decision of whether we want to accept or not. Its something that scares the livin' begeebers outta me, but if I accept my Father's invitation He will take me on the ride of my life. It won't be the most pleasant ride but God isn't interested in my comfort, because its my comfort that hinders me. He is more interested in my growth. A friend once told me, 'life begins at the end of your comfort zone'.

Our culture teaches us to enjoy living in our padded little boxes, when God doesn't want us to be living in those boxes. We need to begin to focus on those around us (outside of our culture) instead of focusing on ourselves and the problems we have. We need to stop squabbling about what we should or shouldn't allow and begin to search God's face on how He feels about these things (dress, standards, etc). We must quit focusing on whether we have a nicer vehicle than others around us. We need to focus on what God has called us to, we need to focus on a relationship with our Father instead of focusing on things that bring us no spiritual fulfillment. Our culture has some really good things that we should never lose, but I do believe that we need to go back to the Bible and re-evaluate what our true purpose is here on earth.

This is a subject that I've been pondering for a while and this past weekend it felt like it all came together. It was amazing! Let me tell you about it...

I was at a 4th term tour reunion in GA and I fully expected to go down there and have a party. To begin with it took a bit to get back into my old groove of being goofy and I was rather annoyed at myself. Then it came I was living it up and really enjoying myself. About half ways through the weekend i began to feel really unfulfilled and longed for a good long chat with one of my friends there. That night I cried out to God and asked Him very specifically for the chat and that He would show me my purpose for being there. The next morning God answered the prayer beyond what I was even expecting (my expectations really weren't high). I did end up have an amazing chat with my friend about some of the things that I've been thinking about for a while specifically about living radically.  Something she kept saying was 'its all about relationship with Jesus Christ'. We talked about how it would be so much easier if we'd have someones steps to follow, but that is not what God wants of us. He wants us to trust Him completely and to make a path where no one else has been. As I was involved in the conversation, I suddenly realized that this is why I was there. It was so amazing I nearly got goosebumps.

Later that afternoon our choir director expanded on the very thing we had been talking about - another WOW moment! Something he said really hit me... 'There is a part of us that longs to be fulfilled and the only way it will be is by spiritual connection with others.' Then it hit me that, that was what I had been longing for was this very thing. I had been longing for it more because at one point I had a strong spiritual connection with this very group.

God does hear our longings, our cries. Later I was pondering this and realized that the more my will becomes like God's, the more my requests will line up with His will, which will result in answers to prayer and will build my faith and make me long for a deeper relationship with my Father. Its an amazing cycle and a journey I'm embarking on.

God has shown me a different part of Himself in the last several weeks. A while back I had been offered a job in downtown Cambridge at a general store. I sent in my resume fully expecting not to work there because the pay wasn't the best and it was only a 1 day a week job and I didn't really want to break up my schedule any. Several weeks past and I next to forgot about. Then there was a day when I decided to cut back to 4 days a week at my current job because I couldn't handle working at home as much as I was and some other major things were happening to to contribute to this decision. The following day I got an email wondering if I'd still be interested in the job. The timing was beyond perfect and had God's fingerprints all over it. It makes me so excited all over again. Two weeks ago I worked my first day and I'm back in today again and I enjoy the slowness and time by myself. It blows me away how God saw a need a provided it even when I didn't realize the need existed. God is amazing!

There are some people that I thought of that are currently living a radical life - a life fully committed to God and His plan for their lives. 1) My dear cousin Lynita: A while back she had bought a car and soon realized that she couldn't drive it because she had a very weak ankle and the car was manual. So she was using her parents car in the mean time. She began praying that God would provide a buyer for her car and decided that she would allow God to provide the buyer without her doing anything of her own. She realized that she wouldn't be able to sell it since one of her friends had taken it to Indiana and she wasn't sure when she would get it back. Shortly after this her friend in Indiana called her and said that she would like to buy her car. This friend had gone through a period of waiting for her Dad to give her his blessing to buy this specific vehicle. So it was a done deal. With her car sold, Lynita began waiting for God to provide a vehicle for her before school started again (she's a school teacher in Indiana and is from Ohio). There was one car that she had dreamed of owning for 2 years, but it didn't seem like it would work out since the current owners needed it. This time she was more nervous about it since selling her car had been a deal between her and God and she had more people watching as she waited for God to provide a car. I don't know the exact time period here, but after a while she was offered the car she had dreamed of owning and she bought it. God is so amazing how He works and He must get the glory for all of this! Its been amazing to see this journey that God has been taking her on. God is being glorified in her life!
2) kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com This a lady that's my age serving God in Africa. She has an amazing calling and has been an inspiration to many including me. Check out her blog to hear about her story.

Let's be open to hear God's voice and to obey when the call comes even if it isn't comfortable. Let us pursue a vibrant relationship with our Father, because that's what life is all about anyways! Our lives will change if we pursue Him with every breath we have.

We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our businesses or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is about. -R.C. Sproul

Are we missing the point? This is a question you must answer for yourself in complete honesty - a question you must grapple with and apply to your individual life.