Act on it

Compassion.  (according to Merriam-Webster)
:a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

A lawyer once asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered with the great commandment. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)
The man then asked "Who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answered, as the teacher was prone to do, with a parable. In this parable a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, beat him, and left him for dead. Several came and passed by him. Some the lawyer and others listening would have assumed would stop and help the man. However it was a Samaritan, one who was hated by those in the audience, who stopped. Jesus said, "But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion."(Luke 10:33)
How often do I feel compassion for people I see in need? A sad friend who needs a listening ear? A homeless person who needs something to eat? A child who needs a hug? My heart and eyes are open but I am distracted by other things: I am too busy with other important things to stop. This lesson is not going to study or teach itself. What will other people think? This is not on my to-do list.
I see the need and I may even have the desire to meet the need but what about the next step? I am sorry to say that oftentimes I allow my busyness to interfere with showing love to those around me. I am not loving my neighbor as myself.
In the parable the Samaritan didn't just feel the compassion, he acted on it. "He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him." (Luke 10:34) He went the extra mile for this stranger. He gave of his time and resources to help this man. I love the way the text emphasizes that he used his own animal. Nothing obligated him to act this way. The likelihood of this man repaying him in any way was slim, especially since they were considered enemies. This, however, didn't seem to matter to the Samaritan. He was simply acting on his compassion and being a neighbor.
Jesus ended his parable with a question, another thing he was known for. "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" When the lawyer replied that is was the one who showed mercy, Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
Not only is it a good idea to act on our compassion but it is a command of Jesus. He has called us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to have compassion on those around us.

May we act on our compassionate feelings today. You never know who might need your help today.

He is Worthy

I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, 

When I keep on letting you down?

And each time I will fall short of your glory,

How far will forgiveness abound?"

And you answer: "My child, I love you.

And as long as you're seeking me face,

You'll walk in the power of my daily sufficient grace."

Since the first time I heard the song Grace by Laura Story this chorus has been a prayer for me. Countless times I have sung it as a prayer when I have realized that something in my life is not right before God. This past Thursday I had the opportunity to see the artist behind the song in concert.

Laura Story shared how every time she gets on stage to sing and play she is flooded with thoughts of why she is here and how unworthy she is to perform. At this time God gently reminds her that she does not do these things because she is worthy, but because He is worthy. This inspired her to write her first song, Grace.

Wow! That hit me hard. Sometimes in my busyness in day to day ministry I get caught up in the how and forget the why. I don't minister to children and families because of anything I have done. After being away from my church on a Sunday morning and nobody dying I was reminded that I am expendable. This children's ministry does not exist because of me. It exists because God wants it to exist. He has called me to simply obey Him in this task because He is worthy. 

Let us remember that we are all players in God's master plan. May we not get caught up in the pride and self focus of this world. May we look to the only One who is worthy and live for and obey Him knowing that when we fail he will give us his daily sufficient grace. 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Bring it on!

These words are not easy for me to say. I find myself comfortable in my life of daily routines. While in the life of a minister nothing stays the same I have found a somewhat normal pace of things that works for me. However, today I am convicted that this is not how I have been called to live a Christian. I am to be vigilant and striving to be holy in my life, even if this means an interruption to my carefully planned schedule or my life is turned upside down. Not only should I be a follower of God but I should also be a threat to the devil.
Today I am reading through the first chapter of Job, preparing to teach children tonight, and I see that God pointed Job out to Satan. "Have you considered my servant Job...?" (see Job 1:8) Hold up! Yes, Job was a blameless man who was upright, who feared God and turned away from evil (see Job 1:1) but this seems to be going a little far. Surely anyone who lives for God is going to have some pressure from the enemy, but to actually be called out by God to the enemy? Just think of the pressure that puts on Job in front of the devil. One reaction readers might have to this story could be, well, I'm glad it's not me. That is just too much pressure. Surely I am not good enough for God to call me out. Besides I don't have time for my life to be interrupted.
But we should be.
In the New Testament we are called to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). If we live like this than the description of Job could describe us. While in our human state we will never be perfectly holy, we are to strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14) in our lives. As we do this and continue to honor and obey God in our lives we become a threat to the devil. When we are a threat to him and his purposes than we will draw attention to ourselves. Though God may not say directly to Satan as he did with Job, "Have you considered my servant Mary Beth?" or "Have you considered my servant (insert name)?" may we strive to holy and to be known by the devil as a God-follower and a threat to his schemes on this earth. May we not have the reaction mentioned above of "I hope it's not me." Oftentimes we can be made more holy in times of struggle and hardship because it is then that God's strength can be seen. May we strive for holiness and live in such a way that with God's strength that our lives say, "Bring it on!"

I'll Remember

Almost a week ago, America remembered the events of September 11, 2001. It's hard to believe those events happened 12 years ago. Last week, my Facebook status boldly declared "I'll Remember - 9/11/01," and I did. I thought of where I was as a 13-year-old homeschooler thinking I was getting in trouble for not doing my work when Mom called us downstairs to see what was happening on TV. The terrorist attacks on that day are something this American will never forget.

But today I was convicted of something that I tend to forget. I am really good at comparing myself to others around me and thinking I'm not good enough. Questions I often find myself asking are, "Why me?" "I'm 25-years-old and single, what's wrong with me?!" "Why can't I be more like...?" All of these questions shout discontentment. These thoughts come when I forget what I should remember. I should remember that I am made in the image of God and that I am to be an image bearer of Christ. According to Psalm 139:14 I am wonderfully made and in Jeremiah 29:11, God has an plan for my life. God don't make no junk and is at work in my life.

There is another day of remembrance I have in September. On September 28, 1996 I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. At this point, though I did not fully understand it in my 8-year-old mind, I was no longer my own. I could no longer live my life the way I wanted to but it was to ordered by Christ. I am so glad I am not in control of my life and all I have to do is follow. This is not always easy, however. Especially when I forget to remember and start comparing myself to people, things, and circumstances around me.

So from this day forth I choose to remember to focus on Christ and trust in Him in everything.
Praise the Lord!! He's not finished with me yet!!

Peace like a River

I've got peace like a river. I've got peace like a river. I've got peace like a river in my soul.

I used to sing this song with motions as a kid at church, complete with pointing to the sole of my shoe when singing the word "soul." This past week I have thought a lot about the peace I have in my soul and mind concerning my future.
In a recent sermon I heard on peace the pastor gave six steps on the path of peace. These steps included:
1. Rest in the peace God provides- God is with me in the midst of my not knowing what my future holds. Peace is not the absence of the storm but the presence of God in the storm.
4. Access the peace of God's Word - the only thing I can be sure of in this world is that the word of God never changes. I need to know more of it today than I did last week.
5. Learn to be at peace with your life - when I compare my life to others my age or others in my vocation it is easy to become discontent with where I am in life. Yet my job now it to live this moment for him.
I am glad to know the One who holds my future in His hands!

Celebration in Creation

The Handley family had such a great weekend staying in cabins, hiking the waterfalls, and swimming in Mentone, Alabama. Home-cooked meals, movies, and games made for a fun time of just being together.
I am taking an Intern Leadership Development course at the church I am working at this summer. For the class I am reading The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. One of the disciplines Willard advised in his book is celebration. We should celebrate what God has given us and enjoy what we do. I experienced great celebration yesterday as I hiked though God's beautiful creation and swam under a magnificent waterfall. 

Introduction

I have always enjoyed writing stories. If you asked me at any point between middle school and now if I had a story I was working on in my mind, I would say yes. The characters were from my imagination in times and places I had only dreamed about or perhaps seen on a field trip (i.e. Colonial Williamsburg). Lately, I have had the urge to begin writing again. But instead of using my imagination for fictional stories I have decided to use my own life. I will share some of what I experience in my day to day life with the world (or whoever actually reads this).

The title of my blog is the cry of my heart to God. Wherever he leads me I will follow. On August 21 I plan to begin my final semester of college at North Greenville University. I plan to pursue a future in children's ministry in a church. I have no idea what this looks like or where I will go as God has required me to be willing to go anywhere in North America. I thought this blog would be a good way to record this journey and to share it with whoever is interested. The address mbdisciple.blogspot.com is a reminder of who I am and my place and calling in this world. I am a disciple (a follower) of Jesus Christ.

I am aware that I have begun similar blogs before with only a few entries. With this blog however I plan to keep it going to see what God has in store for my present and future. So without further ado let us begin....