A dear sister from New Zealand wrote me the other day about something God is doing in her life. She was responding to something I wrote in an earlier blog: “Your work is to simply follow him there. When you do he will place you among the body just as he desires and you will know the joy of sharing a growing dependency on him with other members of his body.†She wrote to tell me how Jesus was doing this in her life.
I am beginning to experience what you talked about here. First there is Ingrid. She is employed to help me at the swimming pool. She has a police record but she had the chance of a job because I signed a disclaimer. She comes from a Mormon background and has done some foolish things in her life. Father told me to offer to pray for her. She accepted. I see her twice a week and just share with her as Father leads. I have given her your book, He Loves Me and I just keep telling her he does. That idea has revolutionised my approach. I used to start with the fact we were sinners.
Next there is Alannah who I used to know at the Sunday meetings. She was a bit disillusioned with the Sunday services and has since left. I just kept bumping into her ‘accidentally’ but now we often arrange to meet.
Yesterday I met Maureen at the pool. Another I used to know at the Sunday meetings 20 years ago. She has left the Pentecostals and is attending the seventh day. She is not the first I know, who being disillusioned with the Pentecostals, has gone to legalistic (non spirit led?) groups. We had a good talk and she said, “I can see Jesus in you.†What more could I ask? I gave her the Lifestream website.
Life has become so exciting!
I love this. It is amazing what God can do when we’re just free to give our lives away to the people he’s already put right in front of us, instead of trying to find or organize people into some kind of group experience that we want. Relationships are about people not groups; groups happen because enough people have found relationships with each other and desire to share those relationships with others. I love the simplicity and power of this process and how it encourages us to keep our eyes open for people we can love and serve.
Wonderful there! I love the simplicity of it all as well. It has taken me so long to learn to go with the Lord’s flow. And that “learning to listen” stuff? Well, it seems like that is becoming more and more part of me.
Religion teaches us to get busy so we can get God’s attention and approval. Jesus teaches us to be still and know that He Is.
Thanks for this along with all the continued encouragements for us fellow journeyers.
Dave
Wonderful there! I love the simplicity of it all as well. It has taken me so long to learn to go with the Lord’s flow. And that “learning to listen” stuff? Well, it seems like that is becoming more and more part of me.
Religion teaches us to get busy so we can get God’s attention and approval. Jesus teaches us to be still and know that He Is.
Thanks for this along with all the continued encouragements for us fellow journeyers.
Dave