I learned about the many names of God. Through learning this I know that God can be so many things for you and me. He can be our peace, he can be our savior and he can be our king, all in one. Often times God can be what we feel like we’re lacking most, it’s hard and frustrating sometimes for me but God is my King and I need to bow before him. I also learned about what it looks like to be a truly committed Christian, not only through Philipsons teaching, but through his natural intentionality. From the moment I met him and he called me by name before I even introduced myself (something Jesus does many times) , I was excited to learn from him. He taught me that in being intentional I can reach more people, and that being a missionary is a lifestyle and not a job. Through his story of telling the tattooed man about Jesus I learned that, when evangelizing, its best to actually hear what people have to say and come at them from an angle they can relate to. If we shove Jesus in people’s faces, it will be hard to get through to them, but if we walk by their side and show them Jesus with grace, then maybe we can make a difference. Another thing I learned is that in being a faithful steward to God, he will provide. Whether being faithful means randomly pulling over to talk to someone while driving, moving into a house with no electricity or starting a soccer tournament without a coach, if you trust in God, he will provide in ways you never expected. This next part may not have happened in class but, it pertains to what I learned this week. On Wednesday I was reading during my devotional, and i was struck dumb by what I found in Deuteronomy 13. The chapter talks about how to deal with those people who try to draw you away from God. In my eyes, the chapter was incredibly harsh and confusing, I didn’t feel like Jesus would agree with Deuteronomy 13. After reading this I fell into a very painful unbelief and questioning. Is the God/Jesus/Holy Spirit really the same now and forever? I still grapple with the question, but I’m not immobilized by it right now. For all of wednesday and most of thursday I let my confusion blind me and weaken me so much. I had lost my light by not trusting Jesus. Although everything about Romans 12 should have appealed to me, I let my anger cloud any benefits I could’ve reaped from Thursday’s lesson. At work duties Thursday, i was pleased to be surrounded by people to shield me from my overbearing thoughts. The teams from cap Haiti were at the depot too and just talking to them reaffirmed me in the love of Jesus all though not all the way. After work before dinner, I was thinking about how Philipson taught of intentionality and seeking others out, So I sat with the other Dts at lunch. In doing so, I had an extremely fruitful concersation about my struggle, with Janea, who I had just met in line for lunch, all because I trusted Philipsons teachings and Gods call through him, to be a people person, I had been found in Christ again and after her and I’s conversation, I prayed a prayer of ultimate surrender. Surrender being another thing that we learned of, especially noted in Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God”. God knows more than you do, he even knows you better than you do. Now I know that I want to be set apart for Jesus like, Deuteronomy 10:16-18 and Romans 12 both talk about. The type of person that makes people say “dang I want what that guy’s got” because you can see me living a life where I give all that I am to God and in doing so, i worship him. In closing, Worship is giving all that you are, back to the God that made all that is.
Week 1
In my hands, I have it,
Control of it all
At least that’s what they taught me
They said I could do anything
But I can’t even hold it
This weight broke my fingers
And the yoke broke my back
tried to do it in my own
Acted like I was a god
And now I lay here crying
Week 4
Now I know
It’s not in my hands but in his
nail pierced battered hands
I can’t do it myself
But in him who strengthens me
He took my weight
threw the yoke down
And held me in his arms