Day 38 - Worth The Cost - Month 2 Week 6 Day 3
Exodus 4:14 - 5:23
Psalm 34
Isaiah 30:18-33
Matthew 24:29-51
God forewarned Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let Israel go free. I imagine Moses understood that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened—but not that life would become harder for the people. Moses cried out to God, saying, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”
Life becomes harder. Why me?
When God asks us to do something, or go somewhere, it doesn’t mean the journey will be easy. I’ve been in that place. Back in 2005 we established and ran the Haven Bed and Breakfast Inn. God gave Syl and I this as an opportunity to serve our local community. We didn’t realize at the time that we were also being called to work with youth. It was harder than our original answer to serve the local church and its congregation. Instead, we found ourselves running an after-school program for youth and an evening program for high school students we called The Rock. Sylvia was also given opportunities to speak at a small women’s ministry.
God paved the way for these ministries. However, the church that hired us ultimately fired us because the parents of these teens were not adding to the financial coffers of the organization and fear set in about “potential” damage to the newly constructed building done by teenagers. Therefore, they considered the youth ministry to be a financial drain. Our entire life, as we knew it, was turned upside down—and once again, “Why me?” became the question of the day.
And yet, God was at work.
Sylvia had the incredible opportunity to introduce one woman to Jesus through the speaking engagement at the women’s lunch. Through The Rock, we were able to invest deeply in the lives of teenagers. We grew to love those teens. One day, a teen came into my church office and said, “I’ve done it.”
I asked, “What have you done?”
He replied, “You know that Jesus stuff you’ve been telling us we need to make a decision about?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I’ve done it.”
Years later, we attended the wedding of two teens from The Rock. We had witnessed them meeting for the first time at the Rock, and one of them was the fellow I spoke about above. There are other stories like these, but the important thing is this: our calling was to serve the youth, and God made it effective—even while life was incredibly difficult.
Jesus tells us that life will be difficult for His followers, especially in the end times. He encourages us to be ready. In Matthew 24:44, He says,“You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
So be faithful to Jesus. When times get difficult, trust Him. You can be confident you’re on the right track when your life is focused on Jesus and His calling for you. My encouragement is to be like the youth who sat in my office—and do it. Reach out to Jesus. Remember yesterday? I AM is calling you.
If what I’ve written today connects with you, please feel free to follow or comment. If you’d like to contact me directly, you can email me at steve.d.pauls@gmail.com. If you’ve decided to “do it” and become a follower of Jesus, I would be honored to encourage and help you as you begin this new journey.
It will be difficult—but it will be worth it.
Have a great day today!
Steve
Exodus 4:14 - 5:23 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%204%3A14-5%3A23&version=NASB1995
Psalm 34 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034&version=NASB1995
Isaiah 30:18-33 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2030%3A18-33&version=NASB1995
Matthew 24:29-51 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024%3A29-51&version=NASB1995
Comments
Post a Comment