It
is hard to describe what it feels like to see all your things sprawled
out on your drive way.
Now our
house is empty. The home I have spent the last three years perfecting
to my families taste and needs has been dismantled, from the crock pot
in my kitchen to the squirrel bowl in the entry way. Gone.
When
the ruler asked Jesus what he had to do to be saved, Christ replied
he needed to sell all his possessions. Luke 12
Jesus
constantly reminds us that we cannot love money or possessions and Him
at the same time. Matthew 6:24
I
have always glanced over these verses with a nod, because well, I don't consider myself a materialistic person, especially for an American. However, Jesus isn't grading on a curb here. There is no scale: If you love things,
you can't love God.
Sometimes
I think that we achieve 'Holiness' THEN God asks big things
of us. I have come to realize that he calls us to things specifically TO make us
more like Him. God asked me and Jesse to GO. Wrapped inside that
obedience is God embracing us unto himself. Wooing us to be more
entwined and secure in Him.
What
I didn't anticipate is the joy this surrender would bring.
I didn't
realize that a crock pot owned a tiny place in my heart that God couldn't enter. Until God asked me to chuck it for His glory. And I
obeyed. Now God owns that part of my heart, and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is freedom, hope and peace.
I'll
take that over a ceramic squirrel bowl any day.
I
cannot communicated this enough. God wants us. He is a jealous
lover. He wants every possession surrendered,
He wants any false sense of
security uprooted. That He may heal and fill our hearts.
Post note: However
I caution you. God tells Saul directly through Samuel "the
LORD delight in obedience, not sacrifice”. Sacrificing blindly is a fools religion.
Obedience however requires listening first. It requires an intimate
relationship with it's maker. God may not be calling you to sell
everything you own, He is asking for what only You can give him, a
relationship unto obedience.
“I desire steadfast love, not
sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings”
Hosea 6:6
A picture of False Security
Wow. It is a daily struggle not to be a materialistic person. When we moved I wanted to do so much and make the house look the way it deserves to look, but luckily with going through Dave Ramsey and keeping what really matters in sight (relationships), it makes the dripping faucet and bare windows not as important. I won't lie though- When you said we could buy your couches I was overjoyed! It will be so nice to have furniture to sit on in the living room! I do believe God gave us our home for a specific reason and has a plan for us to use it for his glory. When things like friends offering up there furniture to us so they can go and spread the love of Christ over seas, that just solidifies to me that he is preparing us for our calling. I just hope that Jonathan and I can be as obedient and trusting as you and Jesse have been.
ReplyDeletehey there Dre, I'm pretty darn excited for you. I can picture you and your family in Montenegro (actually I can't really picture Montenegro, no schema in my brain for what it looks and feels like...) I just imagine you guys adapting, cheerfully, getting settled into your new neighborhood and all the joy that comes with living intentionally and relationally in a new place! so great! I would hug you goodbye if I could.
ReplyDeleterachel