Yesterday, my youngest sister, Jen, was filing me in on her recent trip to Baguio (yes, her first time!)
Invariably, the topic changed to God about how He has been so generous with us. We never tire of discussing happily how we have been playing church all our lives until God finally got our attention, our real attention.
It was just me two years ago but God is so awesome to keep to yourself so I began to engage this young sissie of mine and lifted her up to God especially during our church's 7 days of prayer and fasting. And now she's growing deeper in Christ.
I looked at how I discipled her and thought to myself, it would be hard for our ate who lives abroad to hear too about this Jesus that saves and transforms lives since I am far from her.
But of course I was looking at it the wrong way. It's not me who will change my ate. It's God. I am only tasked to push against the rock, but only God can move it.
I didn't realize that right away but I kept praying for her anyway. My specific prayer was that God would send Christian friends to my ate and to her husband who lives in Europe so that both of them would be encouraged to pursue God... that somehow having Christian friends they would be exposed to a lifestyle where there is a God and He is active even in the most mundane detail in their lives.
More than a year later, I never heard any excited news from my ate about meeting Christian friends. There's a flat mate and a staffer at her work but neither was introducing Jesus to her. And I want a Christian friend for her! I have been growing deeper in Christ through my small group that's why I was adamant in my prayer that ate will find one too.
In January of this year, I BBM'd my ate to join the annual prayer and fasting. I didn't expect her to agree but she did. At the end of the 7-Day Fasting, my ate inundated my blackberry with messages about how amazing God is. Anyone can easily say how amazing God is especially if there's an answered prayer but then often it's the answered prayer that's amazing and not God.
But when my ate sent a long message about how awesome Jesus is to take our sins and put them on Himself and take off His righteousness and put it on us, now that's the encounter! It didn't sink in right away but when it did I found myself down on my knees in worship. What did?
Well, if you were reading the entire blog you would've noticed that what I specifically asked was for God to send Christian friends to my sissie so that she will hear about this Jesus.
Guess what? God didn't. He didn't send even one Christian friend.
Because He sent Himself instead.
Sooo amazing!!!
Jesus is indeed in the business of healing lives, opening eyes and revealing Himself--the Only exceeding joy.
It was just me two years ago but God is so awesome to keep to yourself so I began to engage this young sissie of mine and lifted her up to God especially during our church's 7 days of prayer and fasting. And now she's growing deeper in Christ.
I looked at how I discipled her and thought to myself, it would be hard for our ate who lives abroad to hear too about this Jesus that saves and transforms lives since I am far from her.
But of course I was looking at it the wrong way. It's not me who will change my ate. It's God. I am only tasked to push against the rock, but only God can move it.
I didn't realize that right away but I kept praying for her anyway. My specific prayer was that God would send Christian friends to my ate and to her husband who lives in Europe so that both of them would be encouraged to pursue God... that somehow having Christian friends they would be exposed to a lifestyle where there is a God and He is active even in the most mundane detail in their lives.
More than a year later, I never heard any excited news from my ate about meeting Christian friends. There's a flat mate and a staffer at her work but neither was introducing Jesus to her. And I want a Christian friend for her! I have been growing deeper in Christ through my small group that's why I was adamant in my prayer that ate will find one too.
In January of this year, I BBM'd my ate to join the annual prayer and fasting. I didn't expect her to agree but she did. At the end of the 7-Day Fasting, my ate inundated my blackberry with messages about how amazing God is. Anyone can easily say how amazing God is especially if there's an answered prayer but then often it's the answered prayer that's amazing and not God.
But when my ate sent a long message about how awesome Jesus is to take our sins and put them on Himself and take off His righteousness and put it on us, now that's the encounter! It didn't sink in right away but when it did I found myself down on my knees in worship. What did?
Well, if you were reading the entire blog you would've noticed that what I specifically asked was for God to send Christian friends to my sissie so that she will hear about this Jesus.
Guess what? God didn't. He didn't send even one Christian friend.
Because He sent Himself instead.
Sooo amazing!!!
Jesus is indeed in the business of healing lives, opening eyes and revealing Himself--the Only exceeding joy.
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