God Uses Who Would be Considered Unworthy 

In the Old Testament book of the Bible, Joshua 1:9 God says, "Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord Thy God is with you wherever you go."

This was a time of discovering Joshua's leadership abilities both for himself and for the people he was to lead. However, Joshua's service to Moses and the people was well known and his devotion to God established. God's reminder that he would be with them wherever they go was of great reassurance. 

In the Israelite's' pursuit in finding a place to live, after leaving the bondage of slavery, in Joshua 2: 6, Rahab a citizen of Jericho and a harlot (today we would call her a prostitute) was used to hide the men sent into Jericho. Rahab not only hide the men, at great peril to her life and that of her family, she also guided them to a way of escape from the King's men who pursued them.

Out of all the people that could have taken on the task of housing the men of Israel and aiding in their escape God allow a prostitute to be chosen. God reached throughout human existence to teach humanity a lesson. That he chooses who he will to fulfill his purposes. Rahab had a knowledge of the God of the Israelites and trusted enough to ask for salvation. The mercy shown to the harlot was to shine a spotlight, to place a bookmark on the example of what mercy should look for those who are followers of Christ as we interact with others.

Because of Rabab's courage and faith in the God of Israel, while all around her was destroyed, she was given refuge, along with her family, among the people of God. Rahab did not yield to her nation's King, instead she yielded to the King of all kings, she yielded to the grand authority, she yielded to God.

And He Taught With Authority

Jesus was considered by the Jews, his own people. to be just a man. Jesus was thought to be unworthy of what he claimed to be, the Son of God. He was a threat to the religious order while, at the same time, dispensing hope to those who came to hear him as he taught with the authority of God. 

Matthew 5:17 Jesus told the crowd, "Do not think I came to destroy the Law or Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  The Law are standards to live by, rules to follow and judgment to be received. Just as in human government there are standards to live by, rules to follow and judgment received when laws are broken. But God's law has a purpose and divine insight that spans the globe and human existence. Jesus came to fulfill what the law alone could not do and that was to soften the hearts of man that they may have a thirst and hunger for the righteousness of God.  "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  John 1:17

When one  has rules to follow, because of human nature, there grows an affinity to not follow rules. The exercise to  escape the rules ensues. Eventually, you will stray away as your attention is drawn away. If there is a way to rework the rules or to get away with not following them that is what human nature will do. The Law of Moses had its greatest affect on those who lived during Moses' time. Eventually, Israel strayed away and fell into a state of disobedience, decay and finally taken captive. Many continue to follow the law of Moses with varying degree of success. 

Jesus had a reputation among the people to be one who taught with authority. He was not a mere man. He had great wisdom to share. He was the authority.  Jesus laid out the law with two commandments. Mark 12:30, 31 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater then these." it is the deep love for the Savior that motivates one to obey God no matter the cost or personal sacrifice. It is His mercy and grace and our deep love for Jesus that resets our passion for righteousness when we stray away. 

What Jesus gave us is what no other could or will ever give us. He gave us mercy and grace. He gave us the way of escape from our own selves and our sins that so often overtake us. He is the great hope that we can depend on. Ephesians 2:4 -5,  " But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (By grace you have been saved)." 

What Will You Say Yes To?

In our lifetime we will have many decisions to make and choices to choose from. Many will have consequences that will follow us throughout our lifetime while others will follow us into eternity. The question we must all answer is whose authority will we yield to? There is government authority and religious authority that is often at odds with the authority of God. Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You can not serve God and mammon."  Mammon is material wealth. And the chapter 6 address that. However, there are other things that compete with our serving God and the list is endless. What or who is your master and what and who will you yield to? What will you say yes to?

The Bible speaks to God using who he will for his purposes. He also loves without being discriminatory. His ways are easy to follow when our love for Him grows and encompasses our very being. It matters not what the world says or teaches. What matters is the Word of the Lord. Whose report shall you believe? Whose voice will you follow? Who has the greater authority in your life? Yes, there are rules to follow and Yes, Jesus died that we may be saved. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  The Bible acknowledges we have sins and that God is faithful to forgive us of our sins when we confess, acknowledge own up to our sins. Will you say yes to accepting the authority of Christ Jesus and to confess your sins before him? The choice is your of course. The hope is that you will say yes to Jesus not some of the time, but all of the time and into eternity.

Additional Bible Reading

Matthew Chapter 7, Romans Chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 2, Ezekiel Chapter 33

Hope In the City

The downtown night lights glow as bright as diamonds! What a beautiful sight to behold as every building sings its own tune.How fascinating it is to see the people walking to and fro as you wonder where do they go? The in and out of the the buildings in the entertainment district the travelers go to seek that fleeting moment of excitement. Yet in the distance from the glitz and glamour of the night life are the streets of desperation. Only a few will even notice the eye sore. The Grungy men and untidy women searching to find what those only a few blocks away seem to have.

As you span the lens a little further from the sparkling night lights you may be fortunate enough to see the hope in the city. The soft hearts, the bleeding hearts, the organizations and churches reaching out to those who need the help of strangers. While there are some homeless people who have come to depend on the kindness of strangers for their very survival, there are many more who are able to stand on their own because of that kindness. The dispensers of hope are what these kind souls are who do not hesitate to touch one who has not had a bath in an unimaginable length of time. The caregivers of the desperate are everywhere. They notice the man who is standing with the sign reading, "Work for food." They see a man with no socks as his toe is hanging out of his shoe and he learns the man's shoe size to return with a new pair of shoes and a pair of socks. They notice a woman in the heat of the day with the sign asking for .25 cents. Upon looking further they notice the woman is at least six months pregnant. Stopping and talking to the woman they learn she is trying to earn enough money to pay for a hotel room to avoid sleeping in the woods (The woods, any area of town where there is a collection of trees to sleep away from public view.) And she is helped with at least one night's hotel stay for her to take a much needed bath and to have a soft bed for her and her unborn baby to lay for a night.

While it seems more people are needing help in the cities across the country, there is also a surge of hope in the city because of the dispensers of hope. You too can take part in the hope of the city. Just be someone with compassion, have the desire to have empathy, be willing to put aside all bias and judgments, and share the little that you have to help someone needing just a little help. December, the last month of the year, is a good time to start a new and refreshed look at the part of the city that is further from the lights that shine like diamonds.  Look from side to side, in the back and in front of you and you will not have to wait very long for your opportunity to give a hand up to someone else.

Won't Somebody Notice Us?

This story begins during an era before there were cell phones, eight track tapes, cassette players, and CD's. Before credit cards and ATM machines. It is a story of a little eight year old girl who lived in a large metropolitan city on the seventh floor of the fourteen floor building in the housing projects with her two year old baby brother and her unemployed mother. They often did not have money for the things others took for granted.

The little girl's mother announced with reservations that was mixed with excitement that someone finally hired her with the limited skills she had. The bad news was, she was hired for the afternoon shift at a nearby hospital. She asked neighbors to keep an eye out for her children as the little girl was given instructions to care for her brother and not to open the door for anyone not even the neighbors. 

The day came and the little girl's mother was off to work. She was so happy for her mother and finally they would have the food and things they needed. The girl knew that much would be required of her as she hoped for the best for her mother. Each night after putting her baby brother to bed, like a brave soldier, she would prepare for her own night shift.  She would place a kitchen chair in the best spot where she could hear her brother in the bedroom, see the TV and watch the only access to the outside, the front door of the apartment. This became her nightly ritual.  She would watch the door to make sure no one would  break in. Sometimes during her shift she would carefully pickup the chair and place it quietly next to the door close enough where she could look out. She would silently climb up on the chair to stand so she could look through the peep hole. That was a frightening thing because she was never sure that the person on the other side would not be able to see her eyeball as she peeped through, but she would get enough nerve to put her eye to the hole eventually. Once satisfied that no one was lurking outside their door, the little girl would quietly climb down off the chair and carefully pickup the chair to put it pack in its place so she could continue to be the watchman.

​There were times when the noise in the hall would send her in a panic. She would stare and stare at the door until the door would seem to pump like a beating heart. Never did she realize the beating was the fear in her heart. On those extremely frightening days the little girl would cry out in a silent screem, "Won't somebody notice us, won't somebody help us!" Somehow she reasoned that if someone knew that their family needed help maybe it would come by way of employment for her mother that would allow her to be home at night or someone would help in some wonderful way and she would not have to be so afraid anymore. 

The little girl was not able to tell time, but  instinctively knew when it was time for her mother to come home. It was of course always after midnight. When she was sure the time was near enough she would put the chair back under the kitchen table and run to get in the bed. She never wanted her mother to know how much she suffered at night from the fear that controlled her very breath. She did not want her mother to worry about her or to quite her job. The little girl would listen for the key to turn in the lock hoping with great hope that it was her mother and not a thief or murderer. She would listen to the foot steps coming towards the room and she would pray, Lord let it be my mommy.  Her mother would come in their bedroom to make sure her two little ones were okay, to pull the covers over them both. All the while the little girl pretended to be asleep.  

The above story is my story. I distinctively remember the voice crying out, "Won't somebody notice us, won't somebody help us!" This same desperate cry is what I often hear as I mingle among the people in the city. In memory of the cry of that little girl that still lives within me and as the men and women, boys and girls  silently cry out, the question Wholly Committed Ministries ask the people who come to our attention is how can we help you? We may not always be able to help, but we try. The hope of my heart is that you will be one to care to help someone else in whatever way that you can. And sometimes it will just be a smile, a kind word, a soft answer, or a show of compassion and understanding.