Saturday, April 12, 2008

All to the Glory of God

For years I've known I need to do something, and for years I haven't done it. It's not too hard, I'm not sure what keeps me from doing it. I've felt compelled to keep a Spiritual journal. This website is the closest I've really come to doing that. I want to have a log of answers to prayer, blessings, and messages from God. Today, I've decided is a good day to start. It may not be on paper as I imagined, but it's a log nonetheless.

Have you heard of George Mueller? I hadn't until watching a Veggie Tales short story on his life (it's on Gideon: Tuba Warrior). Ben grew up watching movies on amazing Christians at church and knew of him. Basically, Mr. Mueller felt God was leading him to show God's glory by not ever asking anyone for anything, but trusting God to provide for his every need. He and his wife ran an orphanage in England. On the Veggie Tale a reporter visited him one evening and overheard that they had no food for breakfast for the children. The reporter was concerned, but Mr. Mueller assured him that God would provide for all their needs according to His riches in glory and invited the reporter to join them for breakfast in the morning. He did and was witness to how God can provide. The local baker felt God wanted him to bake bread for Mr. Mueller and his orphanage and awoke in the middle of the night to do so. The milk cart broke down in front of their home and needed to off load milk there or it would spoil, "You can have all you want," he said. The reporter wrote an article and the Muellers were able to go on to open many more orphanages in England.

I have been praying that God would give me the faith to trust in Him so much that I too could say with confidence, "Join us for breakfast in the morning," without knowing from where it will come. This past week, I did the bills when Ben got his check and since I'd overspent on food the last few weeks (OK, months), the bills got paid, but that was it. We were broke and had two weeks ahead of us before he got paid again. I looked again and found a couple bills I had scheduled to be paid early, so that freed up a little bit, then found we had scheduled some money to be withdrawn for savings that hadn't been taken out yet, and so stopped those to free up a little more. I got my check, which was a little more than I expected it to be. Then it was Saturday night and we had to decide if we'd tithe or not. We usually do, but doing so this time would take half of what I'd scrounged up. Ben gave me the go ahead and in faith we did. We knew that God would reveal His glory this week.

Ben went away this week and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or soup all week in Tennessee. I too, was super careful here at home eating the food I'd accumulated from the months before. Still, we were getting low. Just when I'd spent the last of our money, a check came in the mail from a relative who would probably prefer to remain anonymous for $150. We don't just get money from people very often. I broke down, knowing that even though we were in this pinch to begin with because I'd been a poor steward of the money entrusted to us, God still provided. In fact, we now have more than we had at the beginning of the week (after tithe).

What's more, I went to work yesterday, I always take a granola bar, we were out. I supervise a family visit with each other for two hours each week and can't stand to watch them eat dinner and be hungry myself. In the break room some one had set out a box of fruit/cereal bars due to their expiration date nearing. The sign said, "Free". So, this pregnant lady didn't even have to be uncomfortable for two hours while watching people eat their dinner.

Today's devotional in "My Utmost for His highest," was entitled Moral Dominion and I loved what Oswald Chambers said,
"The weakest saint can experience the power of the Deity of the Son of God if once he is willing to "let go." Any strand of our own energy will blur the life of Jesus. We have to keep letting go, and slowly and surely the great full life of God will invade us in every part, and men will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus." Amen.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is just great! I had heard of George Mueller but didn't really know the story until the Veggie Tales movie! (Our kids sure teach us a lot, huh?!) My mom was a great example of living by faith (i.e. tithing when there was no money and watching God work) but it doesn't always come easy for me. Good job tithing even when you weren't sure how it would work out. A friend of mine often says that you cannot outgive God. You give and He gives you more to give!