The Good News

photo via Christy Stewart

The Gospel is Jesus, the Son of God, living here on earth, dying for our sins, and then raises from the dead. As humans we are born into sin and once we repent God will show us grace and accept us into His family. Then as Christians we try to love God and love others. Most of you reading my blog know this and believe this. That's great! But is that it? Are we really living like we believe the Gospel?

This is something I have been learning about since last December when I was in Haiti. I read a lot more and talked to God a lot more there than I did before and sadly more than I do now. I was reading Ezekiel and saw what our lives look like without God. In Ezekiel 16: 1-14 God tells the prophet how when Israel was born there was no one to take care of her. She was dirty and alone. But God loved her and she become His. Do we ever stop and think of how much of nothing we are? Or about how nothing we do can be good enough for Him and He loves us anyway?

In The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, "grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son."

Recently this topic has been coming up again. The sermon series we just finished covered Hosea. God asks Hosea to marry a prostitute to show the people His love towards them. Through His loving discipline He showed grace. Why do we think we can accept God's grace and then go back to living our lives? How can we call ourselves Christians when we keep putting our trust and hope in ourselves?

Trusting God

Psalm 62:8 trust in him at all times ye people, pour out your heart before him.

During my time in Haiti I learned a little more about what it looks like to trust God in every situation. One Thursday night I read Acts 10 where Peter is called to Cornelis's house. He obeys God, goes and speaks. I felt like Peter. Just go with the flow because God says go. The next morning I was told we are going to church. I still don't know what was special about that day that we decided to have church. 

We sang, someone gave a message and, we read Psalm 104 and 37. In these chapters God says don't fret, trust him, he will provide everything. Later that evening when I was recording in my journal what had happened that day I wrote, "All I did today was worship. I have the best job." 

Around four months of being in Haiti I wrote this, "Because I have surrounded I have peace. I do have worries, but not that you [God] won't work everything out. I worry mostly about the outcome of everything you work out for your plan. But I have no other choice but to obey. It is the best way. And obeying right now means just going with it and trusting you will speak through me. The way you work is amusing to me. It's because it's the craziest way to do it that I know you are the one in control."