Entry 07 - March 6th, 2014
More than just lip service...or wrestling with the ghost of Tom Joad
Moving right along, here's installment number 4 in the Voice
series:
The Voice of God is Crying Out
I imagine your life at home is pretty comfortable. All of
you have the things you need to live, food and drink, clothes to wear, a place
to sleep, and I would say a good many of you have a lot of things beyond that.
I bet some of you have an xbox or a playstation, an ipod or cellphone, and so
many other modern conveniences that make your life pleasant and possibly
easier. You’ve been blessed. There are some out there tonight who have not been
as fortunate as you are. Somewhere not far from here tonight a little boy is
going to bed hungry because there isn’t enough food for dinner. There’s a
family huddling together under a bridge to keep warm because they don’t have a
house to go back to. Over in Africa there are hundreds of people crying out for
relief from decades of war and strife; where little children are forced to be
soldiers. In some other countries in Asia young girls are pressed into slavery
in brothels and sold to men for unspeakable acts. None of these things escape
my Father’s sight. He sees all of these injustices and atrocities and it causes
him to weep. My Father is crying out for someone to go to these and show them
how much He cares for them.
So what does this mean to you? I know some of you may still
be wrestling with the question of the voices and which to follow and that’s
fine; you have to come to that decision on your own. Let’s talk for a moment
though about what it actually means to follow. It requires an active
participation. There is no room for anyone to just sit off to the side and watch
the proceedings, no need for spectators. My Father is calling you to Him and
crying out for those around you who may not be able to cry out for themselves.
I imparted this to my close friends while I was here that my Father was seeking
their hearts not their sacrifices. Anyone can put on a show and make a display
of their “devotion and worship” for everyone to see, but this is not truly
following my Father’s voice. When I was questioned about following His voice
through the Law I summed it up this way: “love God with every part of your
being and then love your neighbor the same way you love yourself, all of the
Law ever given falls within this.” I also told it to my friends this way: “people
will know you’re following my Father if you love everyone the way I’ve loved
you.” I know this wasn’t an easy thing for them to understand and I can see you
might be struggling with it too. Look at it this way; if you were having a hard
time getting by wouldn’t you want someone to offer a helping hand? If your family
lost their house because of a fire, wouldn’t you want friends or neighbors or
extended family members offering to help you pick up the pieces? That’s what my
Father does for each of you and it’s the way I showed my friends how to follow
Him.
Like I’ve told you during our time this week, my Father
loves all of you and wants you to follow His voice. One of the biggest parts of
following Him is showing others just how much He loves them by taking care of
them the way He has taken care of you. He wants you to sit with the kid in the
lunchroom that no one else wants to sit with and show them that they’re not
invisible or unwanted. He wants you to spend some time with your elders or
visit a nursing home and talk to the residents and show them that someone is still
interested in their life and what they have to teach us. He wants you to get
involved in your community and make a difference in the lives of those who
haven’t had an easy time in life. When you do these things, even something as
simple as offering a drink to someone who is thirsty, it’s like you’ve offered
it to my Father Himself and that makes Him smile. Following the same thought if
you decide that you don’t have the time to get involved or you don’t care about
those in need or the lonely ones, it’s the same as telling my Father that you
don’t have the time for Him or the things that are important to Him.
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