I watched this video and it convicted me greatly. Here is an 18-year-old who just saw a need and trusted God to fulfill His word. Now at 23, she has done more for Christ than so many of us! Her story is from min 0 to about min 15.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT9iBWNsHgA&list=HL1367361387
by romanchog on 2013/4/30 15:40:12I watched this video and it convicted me greatly. Here is an 18-year-old who just saw a need and trusted God to fulfill His word. Now at 23, she has done more for Christ than so many of us! Her story is from min 0 to about min 15.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT9iBWNsHgA&list=HL1367361387
romanchog,
I am sure it is a good video and I will watch it but what concerns me is not the video but your statement that "she has done more for Christ than so many of us."
It seems you have just turned personal conviction into public condemnation and I urge any readers to not be moved by condemnation. We are all called to do our own part in the Kingdom of God and that part is being faithful to the Lord in the thing which He has called us. We should encourage others to be faithful to the Lord, instead of trying to outdo one another.
I am sure you were trying to be encouraging, but don't you see how our only standard is Christ and not one another? We are all called to walk as He walked and abide in Him, not one another.
2Co_10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
pilgrim777 said: "It seems you have just turned personal conviction into public condemnation."
I apologize if this sounded like condemnation. I did not mean it in that way. Of course, I do not know what everyone else is doing for Christ and I have read of many here who are doing wonderful things for Christ.
pilgrim777 said: "We should encourage others to be faithful to the Lord, instead of trying to outdo one another."
I was not saying we are supposed to compare ourselves with others. I truly believe that those who are going to be most blessed in the Kingdom of Heaven we have not even heard of.
What amazed me is the complete trust that this young woman had in the Lord to just launch herself into this ministry. I think many of us simply think about things too much before we do them. Of course, now someone will say that we have to be prudent and wise, which I agree with and would not suggest otherwise.
I don't know what to say. I just pray my post can be taken in the Spirit in which it was offered.
God bless you.
Hi romanchog,
I do take your post in the spirit in which it is offered and I believe it was offered in a very good way, meant to bless the readers. In our day and age, Christendom is competitive and is always using the acts of others to spur on the "inactive" ones and I was only bringing your attention to that. We know very little about the heroic acts and the crosses that so many bear, though they don't stand out publicly. Thanks for taking my post in a good way, too. I was not turning around and condemning you. We don't want to make people feel ashamed and inadequate.
God bless you, too.
Pilgrim
This was a real inspiration. Thanks for posting, romanchog. I guess I identified with the words of your original post in the sense of "what could keep any of us from doing this for Christ"? I don't mean precisely what she was doing; just whatever the Lord asked us to do. May it be an encouragement to seek God's direction for our life afresh.
Good dialogue romanchog and pilgrim777. Thank you for the thread.
I did not watch this video but from the reports of others who did I can well imagine its content.
I get inspired to read testimonies of those who serve the LORD in seemingly challenging situations because it makes us ask ourselves some pointed questions about our own obedience and spiritual stability.
The downside of that the devil will make us feel unworthy in our walk with the LORD: "You are not doing much!!" So we whip ourselves over the head... The devil sure won that round!
In face of all this I have learned one should bloom where you are planted. To attempt to do otherwise would be living in rebellion to God's will for me.
After reading this thread this morning, I went to my email and found this. I thought this quote sums things up beautifully.
""Suppose you had all the knowledge in the libraries, all the power of the world's leaders, all the gold in the world, all the sex you wanted. What would all that profit you if you lost your soul? The soul must really be worth something if it's worth more than that - and God thought it was worth sending His son to die for...I'm counting totally and completely on the Lord Jesus Christ, and not on Billy Graham. I'm not going to heaven because I've read the Bible, nor because I've preached to a lot of people. I'm going to heaven because of what Christ did." - Billy Graham "
The reason that we should not scrutinize and compare one another's "works" is because we are bound by relationship with the Holy Spirit to only do what He instructs us to do. We can do no else than what He instructs. And to be sure, your life will not be boring, walking with the Living God.
Being attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit will keep you busy enough, though much of the work the Holy Spirit leads you to do, is not normally seen of men. Yet, spiritual men see the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, while others may not.
It is not about adding up great works of doing good. The greatest work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is conforming us to the image of Christ.
Out of knowing the Lord, you will be doing the "true works" of God and bearing much fruit. But here again, there are different definitions of fruit amongst men, yet the Holy Spirit through Paul is very clear about what constitutes true fruit.
Doing "great things" for God and bearing much fruit can be very different indeed as the "men" in Matthew 7:20-23 found out.
The great exploits of the Saints are truly encouraging. I am no less encouraged when I see the image of Christ in a fellow Believer. They are both witnesses and encouragement for me to go deeper with God witnessing the great things that He does through those that have a single eye towards Him.
Pilgrim
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