Lessons Learned

There is so much that the Lord has shown me in this time, but here are some big points.

1. Love the poor. Loving the poor is a direct reflection of the Gospel. We were spiritually bankrupt, without righteousness to our name, and would have been condemned under the wrath of God for it, but Christ saw us in our state, and took us in, gave us everything He had: righteousness through His life, death, and resurrection. The beauty is that He did this, not when we were cleaned up, free of sin, and loving him well, but “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” The Lord continually repeats that we are to care for the poor and be blessed, and if not, be cursed of God; but we benefit so much from this because we are thrown into living in light of the Gospel.
2. Treasure your local church body. There is no way on earth I would have stayed encouraged and been able to minister well were it not for the men in my church who were there with me willing to listen, give sound advice, and pray with me. Folks, plug in to a church, plant roots, and actively love the people in your community for decades. This is a gift of God that rebukes, encourages, and sharpens us in our pursuit of the Savior. Oh, and if you don’t have one, click here.
3. Trust the Lord. I know. I know! The things the Spirit spurs us to do seem overwhelmingly difficult sometimes. But do not forget the One who holds you. He is the One who holds back the raging seas, the stars in their places, and who holds all things together! Christian, do not forget who it is that stirs your heart up for righteousness and good deeds. Remember that you are the very bride of Christ (for God’s sake)! Would He let His most precious bride fall into ruin? These endeavors are even impossible things, were we striving on our own. But recall how you were saved-by the Spirit. Remember that The Helper, The Counselor is there to carry you along through all of it. The very One who has called you to accomplish such a feat has not left you-He will be there throughout the battle, even when you forget Him.

The Passover Lamb (2 Parallel Stories)

The Passover Lamb was slaughtered so that many wouldn’t be.

The judgement of God was coming for them. They had worshiped the gods of Egypt along with their masters-they were just as guilty of idolatry. But they had faith in the promise God gave: that because a lamb was slaughtered, the angel of death (sent by God) wouldn’t slaughter them.