Horrors of death

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Last night we watched a fictional crime story in which a female singer was electrocuted in her bath tub. Suspects included her partner who had no motive and was later murdered too, several co-workers with several motives, a five-year-old child that the police could not rule out, and two fans, one so obsessed with the singer that the mother feared she would lose her if the singer moved out of their vicinity, so she killed the singer. I like mysteries, but this one was bizarre and made me wonder what goes through the minds of those who write such stories.

Then I read a newsletter from an organization that seeks freedom for those trapped in slavery, whether it is labor or worse, and how people are being found and released from years of mistreatment. This is real, not fiction, and their workers are motivated by the Holy Spirit.

An app on my phone offers current prayer requests from the workers in an outreach ministry, some for the workers or their families, and most for the success of their labors in reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. 

Many Christians are so horrified by seeing war stories or pictures of the holocaust, or of abortion, or even news on television and might even try to put some of it in that fiction classification because they are not able to cope with the horrors they see. I remember visiting the holocaust Museum in WA and seeing a room filled over 12-18 inches with the shoes of children who were killed in the death chambers in Germany. My mind could not go there and think of the little ones and their suffering. It was too horrible for me.

Piper express the same utter horror about the Holocaust, and babies lost to abortion, yet wonders why many Christians are not equally upset about the reality of sinners perishing in unbelief. Hell is depicted in Scripture as eternal fire. Not trusting God in this life means facing judgment eventually and missing the delights of walking with the Lord in this life. Do I feel the same about the horror of that justice as I do about the unjust treatment of humans by other humans?

Piper expresses these same thoughts. Both of us can only do what we can do. He cannot go to all the unreached peoples of the world with the good news of salvation from sin nor spend all the time he would like writing, speaking, traveling, and agitating for the cause of threatened children or other injustices in this world. Nor can I go beyond my abilities and opportunities. To reach the world for Jesus is far too large a task for any one person. 

The question remains: What shall I do? Again, I agree with Piper… the family of God is also the army of God and not everyone is called to the same battleground. Some plant seeds of faith, others water, or reap. Some preach, or teach, or write. Some feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and most of all, we pray for those who do what we ourselves are not able to do, or not equipped, or not called to do. I’m not in this battle all by myself.

The hard part is that much of what God is doing through His family does not make the regular news. He is busy reaching the lost through the work of unnamed warriors who do what they are told, impressive or seemingly insignificant. I need to remember that He even rewards those who give a cup of cold water in His name.

PRAY: God, You ask this: Which horrors in the world today make me ache the most? Where will I pour myself out in the few years I have before I give an account to You? I know my answers. I also know that each of Your children have a different burden or calling from You. May I support them and never be critical. Even a cup of cold water. . . .  

God’s desire for my life

 

Nearly everyone makes an APPEAL to God at some time or another. We want protection, healing, wisdom, justice and compassion and when all else fails “all we can do is pray.”

Appeals in the OT are earnest requests, even pleading for something from somebody, either God or a person in authority or a position to grant the request. In the NT, the meaning is the same: to appeal to someone for help, however, there are a few verses that indicate God is appealing to His people, not for help but to do what He wants done. Sometimes those appeals are worded as if they come from the human author, yet the desire of God is indicated in their requests. Some examples:

God appeals to His people to be totally yielded to Him in Romans 12:1. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

He also appeals to us to pray for one another and to live in harmony:

Romans 15:30. “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.”

Romans 16:17. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”

1 Corinthians 1:10. “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

As His people, He uses us to make His appeal to others, pleading with them to make their peace with Him through faith in Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:20–21. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. As I consider the wonder of who God is and what He has done, I realize that being His child is a wonderful privilege with a primary responsibility. “I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that I should walk in them.” His appeals are important. He saved me and when I cooperate with Him, then my life is not in vain as suggested by 2 Corinthians 6:1: “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

Certainly that cooperation includes standing firm for what I believe as Jesus’ brother Jude writes: “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

It also includes being in His Word, in prayer, listening, doing as He says in the ways that He outlines and always with His glory as my source and goal. His plan for my life is far above all that ever entered my mind, yet following His plan in a fallen world is not easy. Even so, because it is from God who loves me, His appeals are far more ‘appealing’ that any alternative!