What will you loose...

Have you ever prayed to loose your job ... your health ... your life? What are you willing to give up? Do you serve a cause bigger than yourself? Really, ... whom do you serve?

I serve a King. Fortunately my King is not like the kings of today (how few there are left) or the kings of Medieval Europe that are told about in fables or studied in history. No. My King is a Creator, a Father, a Ruler. He Created the World. He is Father to everything that is in it. And He Rules perfectly over all of it. He is sovereign, above all, in all, sustainer of all.

Because I serve this King, I am called to something higher, ... something bigger than me, this life, this world. I am called to the purposes of the King. This means that all I have is actually His and I get to use it because He has allowed me to. That means that nothing I ever do, nothing I have or will have, nothing in this life He has so blessed me with is of any value, except for my relationship with the King.

My King is good. He knows what is best for me and though I may not see it now or understand it, His goodness given to me will always be better than any other shiny imitation that might draw my attention for awhile, but ultimately not deliver the goodness that is only His to give.

So the real question is, whom do you serve? We are all tied to something; money, food, power, sex, etc. But whom will you serve?

If you serve the same King that I serve, then what are you willing to loose for the sake of His greater purposes? From my experience, and that of some fellow servants of this King, I am confident is saying that there is no way to know what will happen. Sometimes the King will ask you to loose that thing you cherish, sometimes He won't and just wants to know that you are willing to loose it. There is no way to know which time this is, but I can be assured of one thing. My King, the King that is calling out to you and I to loose something, He is good and He is sovereign and He loving. He will take care of you whether or not you actual loose that thing He asks of you. Trust and offer, that is all we can do. The King does the rest.

What will you loose to His greater purpose?

He knows your thoughts

I was reading the Gospel of Matthew today and was astounded by something. Matthew mentions, almost as if in passing, "He knew their thoughts." Wait a second, WHAT? He (Jesus) knew their thoughts!?! He knew what they were thinking. A quick search of www.biblegateway.com shows that this happened a couple of times throughout Jesus' ministry. So how do you doubt someone when they turn to you and say, "why are you thinking that" and then proceed to teach against the evil thoughts that you just had. How do you deny that that person is God?

Or better yet, what are you thinking about that you wouldn't want God to catch you thinking about. He knows your thoughts: past, present and future, He knows. He delights in the good ones and forgives you for the bad ones. But no matter, what He knows. Shouldn't we all strive to cultivate a thought life that brings more pleasure to God than forgiveness from Him?

Brother Yun

I'm reading "Heavenly Man" about Brother Yun and the Chinese Home Church movement. All I can say is WOW!!!! If anyone ever questions if God still works in teh way He does in Scripture, the answer is YES. just check out Brother Yun's life.