So many reflections!
Last Thursday night, we had five of our students over for our "dinner with the Ayars" night. We enjoyed lots of good conversations about politics--both in the States and in Haiti (Election re-re-re-re-re-re-re-scheduled for November 20th)--and got to know some of the newer students better and shared lots of laughter together. Whenever the time came to share prayer requests and praises for all of us to be praying about, I was incredibly touched by their individual emphasis, over and over, for prayer for those in their families and lives who are not yet in Christ.
We prayed urgently for fathers, for brothers, for friends, dear cousins, for men and women they have shared the Gospel with over and over, but who continue to struggle on without Him. Seeing the urgent passion each student had for these lost renewed my heart for the many of our friends and family that I tend to relax praying for, while these students shared loved ones outside of Christ as their MOST urgent, number one prayer request...such a good reminder!
Saturday was the Harvest Bible Church team's last day, and I had the very rare opportunity to accompany them and serve as a translator, this day for Dr. Leevin, brushing up on my medical vocabulary and learning (and seeing) lots of 'exciting' new things. I just love being with people, and getting to touch base with so many lives and share some practical love with them was really a blessing...so thankful for that rare chance and for the delight of a team in love with the Lord and deep in their walks.
This week, the rain continues, but we are pushing through classes with as many students as we can, most now living on campus until the rains end, transportation being almost impossible...it took Bill and Julie over TWO hours to get their parents to the airport Saturday (normally a 30 minute drive)...So we are all spending lots of time at Emmaus with our eternally wet laundry.
Personal circumstances and the rain making going out so difficult have me spending extra time with God and Oswald this week, and yesterday's entry in "My Utmost for His Highest" touched my heart.
Whatever fears and doubts we are facing today, O. Chambers insists that there IS NO PLACE for them.
We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ, the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs.
Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.
All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith.
How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear!
Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.
Someone go get me a tattoo pen.
My first thought upon reading this (and much difficult-to-reconcile Scripture) is, "Clearly, he is unaware of MY special circumstances, which DO merit doubt or fear."
Once I read Him again and again, and realize how incredibly arrogant that is, and that it is EXACTLY my circumstances that He is speaking into...I let it soak in.
There. Is. NO. circumstance today, believers, that should instill fear or doubt in our hearts, as we refuse to nourish ourselves by faith. Even if I were at the hands of the most evil intended evil one, even if my circumstances were to be the most horrific nightmares of this day and age, even if all WERE lost, and I were utterly alone...still in the life of the Identified-with-Christ there might be utter confidence and triumphant belief.
That there is nothing that can separate us today, family, from the Love of Christ. There is NO defeat that will not result (and soon!) in His complete and utter victory, there is no foundation laid which Christ has not laid. There is nothing man might do to me, there is no thorn too deeply wedged in-side, there is no experience or mood that can keep us from absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom our Hope is found.
If ALL our fears are sinful, as doubt coming before our King, may we lay them down, lay them down, may I lay them down with you, perfect love casting it out.
Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.
Until that is what I look and sound like...I press on, He presses on in me!
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