This morning Jeremy was telling me about a conversation he had with a mutual friend of ours. This friend is a believer, and has felt for years that God has burdened him to be a "giver." Now the thing is, he and his wife have very conservatively paying jobs, and for the wife especially, this burden kind of scares her. She is a very calculated, regimented, careful sort. He, on the other hand would love to be giving even to the point of it being hillarious. He hasn't necessarily known HOW God has wanted to develop this burden into action, but it has stuck with him.
So, the current converstaion is this. Jeremy asked him where all of this is at today. He said, "Well, everything is kind of on hold with that. We are trying to pay off our house in 10 years....so yeah."
WHAT?!
Immediately, Scriptures come to mind. Mark 10:17-31--the rich young man--"One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."......"no one who has LEFT HOME or brothers or sisters.....OR FIELDS...will fail to receive hundred times as much in this present age..."
Mark 8:21--the cost of following Jesus--"Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
The FIRST order of business is NOT to take care of our personal earthly affairs. Get all of our ducks in a row--finances, family, careers, THEN you can walk into the calling of God? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I am trying very hard to not walk in criticism and judgement towards our friends. I definitely have areas where I hide out in fear and hold back too. WOW! The world is lost, the church is falling apart at the seams, and we sit like ducks nuturing our little nest egg WAITING for that day when we can spring into action? Not good.
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