So here I am blogging. I haven't done this in awhile. Used to be a favorite pastime of mine when I was in high school. Then I started disclosing all my depth onto beautifully lined paper in handsome journals and blue pens. The cramps in my hand were a small price to pay for saving my eyes from computer UV rays.
The assignment is to make weekly entries about what God is teaching me. That's difficult to talk about... Especially when I know strangers are reading this. I'll just pretend that you and I are close friends and we're enjoying a warm raspberry chai latte at local coffee shop on a wintry night. Feeling at peace and happy to catch up with the news of a fellow Christ follower.
I just read Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret. I absolutely L.O.V.E.D it! The most impressionable thing that captured my attention and kept me begging for more was the language. So elegant and descriptive. No one talks like that anymore. I wish we did. Maybe conversations would be more interesting if we all talked like that. But the most important lesson that I got out of it and an issue I had to confront in my own life was about trusting in the Lord. Not in terms of salvation but in other areas of life. Like tithing. I've always known that tithing was an important discipline. The act is a test of faith and willingness to see the Lord's blessing fulfilled in one's life are just a few things that come about when tithing. I've been in some financial distress lately and, of course (and somewhat convenient) simultaneously been convicted on this topic. I love the Lord and I do wish to see His blessings poured out in my life because He desires to pour out His blessing. There's no doubt in that. Yet stress can cause some funny thinking and compromises. Especially financial stress. So I started reading about this Taylor guy. Wow. I'm inspired by his unstoppable faith and deep trust in the Lord. I remember this quote from the book: (Paraphrase) [Taylor finds out that the last bag of rice has been opened and is diminishing quickly] "This means God will provide very soon". Taylor relied heavily on the Lord. He knew for certain that God would provide. There never seemed to be a hint of doubt. I have never experienced a time where I "felt" like God had failed me. He always fulfills His promises. I've seen Him do it. Yet why was I worried about this financial thing? After reading Taylor, I was resolved to put one of his "Spiritual Secrets" to the test.... I tithed even though I personally felt like I couldn't afford to do it. I love my Lord and I know He will provide. I know I can trust Him more than I usually do. I can trust in Him with this financial stress. I yearn for more of Christ. But to have more, I must be obedient. The hot topic in my life right now in demonstration of obedience and faith is tithing. "We thank thee Lord for Pilgrim days when desert springs were dry, when first we knew what depths of need thy love could satisfy" ~ unknown.
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