Quote from Forum Archives on November 20, 2003, 4:49 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Today's message is about serving God without holding anything
back. It really convicts me in plenty of places. I honestly
want to serve God in every possible way, but I confess that at
times I'm scared to do so. I can (and do) testify about Him.
Teresa, in the story below, ultimately decided to risk
everything for the Lord and for her children. She risked losing
her home and her stability.

That's where I've bven at for quite a while now. It's getting
uncomfortably close to us losing our home and our reliable
auto. It's nice to have such things, but they certainly arenarenthe bed rocks
of true peace. Even so, the thought of having to
lose them and embark on an uncertain future is disconcerting -
I've nveer been there before. Have you?

The story tells us to be prudent, but it also tells us to be
faithful to what we are called to do and be. I don't know where
I will end up, but I do know that my life circumstances are
continually turning me to places where I help, encourage, and
serve others. None of those places are financially profitable
(in fact, so far, they don't make ends meet). But I am strongly
pulled to do jobs in which I can give people a chance to make
the most of themselves - in education, in prayer, in spirit.
Right now, I'm working as an educational assistant in my local
school district and as a prayer list editor. To me, those are
both important tasks.

I need prayer - maybe you do, too. My prayer is that God will
uphold each of us, provide us with direction - and the means -
to accomplish whatever tasks He lays in front of us. I also
pray that you and I will accept whatever challenges and
assignments God gives us, even if we don't know how to
accomplish them. God is faithful, and He is able to do
exceedingly more than we can ever ask or imagine (see Ephesians
3 or Matthew 19 for two specific examples).

Yours in Christ,
Brian
_____________________________

Purpose: Leadership Meditations Ministry: You were shaped for
serving God

By: Paul Borden

Teresa was a single mom with a dream. All her life people had
told her that she was an entrepreneur. As a little girl she
played store, ran the lemonade stand on the block, and organized
the other children to play her games. Her dream was to start a
business that would fulffulfill gifting, help her support her
children, and touch the lives of people in both redemptive and
creative ways.

Teresa faced numerous obstacles. She was committed to the
spiritual, moral, and intellectual development of her children.
She felt she needed to be fiscally responsible with her funds.
And single moms with two children often find it difficult to get
the financing they need to start a new business. She was
convinced her plan was from God, and yet to implement it in
obedience to him would not be easy.

Teresa faced the same tension David encountered in 2 Samuel 8.
He had become king of a conquered nation, and therefore, he
fought battle after battle to achieve independence for Israel.
As he gained each victory, he did two things. First, he
hamstrung the horses. This made them incapable of pulling all
the chariots being collected in victory. Second, he took much
of the gold and silver he recovered in victory and put it into
an irrevocable trust dedicated to Jehovah. This made it
impossible to use this resource to finance more battles. David
did these two things in obedience to God, who said that kings
were not to collect horses and wealth, in order that their trust
might be in him (DeutDeut).

Such obedience put David at great risk---so much so that when he
fought both the AramArameans EdomEdomites thought he would lose
this two-front war (Ps.6Ps. Instead, God came to his aid in the
Valley of Salt, and David became king of a conquering, not a
conquered, nation. God was honored when David obeyed to the
point of risk.

Teresa chose to follow the pattern of David. She risked
everything, including her house, to start the business. The
first year was so difficult that she lost her home. But then
the business took off. It not only enabled her to touch many
people, but the whole experience became an opportunity for her
children to grow and develop.

Certainly we are called to be prudent stewards of what God has
given us, and such bold risk taking isn'isnor everyone. But we
are also called to do whatever Jesus tells us---even when the
outcome is uncertain.

REFLECTION

Has God given me a dream that is requiring some risk from me?

PRAYER

Lord, help me to discern between foolish risk and obedience that
does not count the cost.

"The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself how
it is to cross rivers." ---Gladys AylwAylward02-1970), English
missionary to China

Leadership Meditations
Edited and selected by David GoetGoetz2001 Christianity Today International
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved

Devotional from purppurposedrivenlife

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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