30 April 2016 - open doors

The world is going to hate us if we are faithful to you Jesus. If really live out the faith you give us we become an indictment of the world's selfish ways, just as you do.

He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,i
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways (see Wisdom 2:13-15).

This is the reality of the life to which we are called. We can choose to hide it and bury our light. But we ought instead remember the word you speak to us. We aren't a part of that world anymore. We don't belong to it. You chose us out of the world. We can't let ourselves slip back into that way of acting just to fit in. Fit in to what? Why? Help us to remember your word. Help us to stay close to you and the one who sent you.

The world needs the truth of real love that you possess Jesus. But not every door is open to us.

When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.

If we find closed doors it is because there are others you open to us instead.

A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once, 
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

So we must not let persecution slow us down or make us give up. There are people calling out for us to help them and you want to send us to them. If we hide our light we help no one and we ourselves risk losing the blessings you bestow.

But you do not begrudge the world that persecutes you. It is that very world for which you die. And you want us to love even as you love. If the doors we try seem closed to us today let us keep knocking until we find the one through which you want us to bring your love to the nations.

The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.