I kicked off my day with the following message by Gordon Ferguson (probably most familiar to some of you for his authorship of The Victory of Surrender): youtu.be/OHKpkF8F8OQ I had originally intended to listen to a message by him on the Boston Church of Christs Vimeo page, but my phone was being a hater so I found this on Youtube instead. An article that has really stuck with me recently is the following: disciplestoday.org/south-asia-middle-east/middle-east/item-6760-persecution-in-iraq-as-in-the-book-of-acts#.VI8y1If6g6U I was shocked at the very idea that numerous Christians would be stripped of all but the clothes on their backs, including their wedding rings! It made me pause and think about how I spend my money. At the time I was planning to buy a video game that would have cost me about $60. When I read the article I realized that sixty dollars would probably buy two wedding rings in that part of the world. Over the past couple years the passage on the poor widow (Mark 12, Luke 21) has been challenging me. Ive been striving to live with that kind of trust, not just being trusting and sacrificial with money, but with my energy as well. I can be stingy toward other people and toward God, or I can be generous even when I am relatively poor in that respect due to my chronic fatigue. The passage that Gordon Ferguson mentions on storing up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21) puts it so well in concluding that ...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Ive seen consistently that God does provide as promised in amazing ways, and when I am willing to let go of my time or money or energy my heart improves. I once damaged an insulin pump (Im diabetic) doing something foolish. Because of normal wear and tear it had ceased to be waterproof, and I jumped into the water while wearing it at the arboretum in Seattle (Elena Anderson can attest to this event, and to the fact that it took me longer to jump and that I screamed louder than her). I had a backup insulin pump, but it was only programmed to work for ninety days. However, before the ninety days was over, the company that makes my insulin pump called me and told me that they planned to upgrade me to the next pump for free. I asked why? and was told Im not really sure. I hold on to this memory and remind myself of it frequently. My initial response to the above article was: If I were a husband and my wedding rings were taken away, I would be furious. To hear that Gordon Fergusons wife voluntarily went twelve years without a wedding ring, in order to support missions efforts, shocked and convicted me. I often think about how it is a cultural norm for Americans to buy an engagement ring, which is basically an expensive rock that most people agree is aesthetically pleasing. To be completely forthright, I know that part of this has to do with insecurity, having consistently struggled financially throughout my life, but hopefully that is not the dominant component in this pondering. I would like to conclude by encouraging you to consider Matthew 6:21.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:47:23 +0000
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