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Women Living Well Blog: Are You Cheating?

Women Living Well Blog

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Are You Cheating?

Forneys- Missionaries to Indonesia
Missionaries are my heroes! As a child, missionary stories challenged me and motivated me to want to live the crucified life. When I have a woe is me day...where life seems rough, I remember my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ who have sacrificed all to take the message of the gospel to unreached places. My small afflictions are NOTHING compared to what they face!


One of my favorite on-line missionaries to follow are the Forney's. They fascinate me! Dave is a missionary pilot married to Joy and they have 5 children! Their stories of snakes and jungle flights fascinate me! And my heart most unites with Joy's when she jokingly says on Facebook - "dreaming of a Starbucks coffee today" - or - "sure missing Diet Coke"....She reminds me - I'm such a baby! I'm spoiled and I'm numb to it because it's so normal to have so much in the states.


Missionary newsletters challenge me - they challenge my loyalty to God. How far am I willing to follow him? I think "Oh Lord, I will die for you!" but maybe God is simply asking me to walk across the street and meet my neighbor! Why is that so hard?


It's hard because I'm selfish to the core. I don't like to feel uncomfortable. My flesh wants the easy life but my spirit longs to glorify God. So I must put to death the desires of my flesh to remain loyal to God.


This 3 minute video below, first played over on GoodMorningGirls.org . I share the story of a classmate  from the Moody Bible Institute who was a missionary in Lebanon.  She was shot and killed. For years, I kept the news clipping hanging at my desk to remind me to live a sold out life for Jesus.





James 4:1-12
Warning Against Worldliness

4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”



7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.



11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?


Are you cheating on God with a friendship to this world?


James says "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."(v4)


Maybe God is not calling us to Indonesia or Lebanon - but he is calling us to forsake our love of this temporary world. Release it's grip, pursue God daily, take a risk and live life to the hilt - all for Jesus!


Walk with the King!

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18 Comments:

Blogger Kari said...

This was a wonderful reminder in a fresh way to keep us where we need to be, in Christ and not this world. I talk about this often with those around me and I am finding a lot of people do not understand what it really means. I will share this blog and video with them! And I love the morning study group it is great!
Kari

June 6, 2011 at 12:21 AM  
Blogger Stace Farrow said...

Thank you for that reminder!
Stace

June 6, 2011 at 1:33 AM  
Anonymous Emma from Australia said...

Thank you so much Courtney!

June 6, 2011 at 2:06 AM  
Anonymous Emma from Australia said...

Thank you so much Courtney!

June 6, 2011 at 2:06 AM  
Blogger Linda said...

Thanks so much for the reminder on a day when I'm tired and keeping my eyes on myself rather than on God's best.

Have you discovered the Christian Heroes Then and Now series put out by YWAM? I'm reading them with my girls this summer.

June 6, 2011 at 7:19 AM  
Blogger Jaime @ Like a Bubbling Brook said...

Courtney, wonderful post!

I keep forgetting to mention that my husband and I also studied at Moody, though very briefly. We ultimately chose another private Christian university that was a bit closer to our home; that's where we completed our master's degrees.

We enjoyed our time at Moody, though.

Did you live in the area long? If you ever swing by this way, I'd love to get together :)

My email is abubblingbrook[at]gmail.com.

xoxo
Jaime @ Like a Bubbling Brook

June 6, 2011 at 8:13 AM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Jaime - I lived in Chicago for 4 years while attending Moody and LOVED it! I miss the BIG city! But I do love our large back yard lol!

Linda - no I haven't heard of that series but I just looked it up on-line and it looks awesome!!! I'm writing it on my dream book list! Thanks for telling me about it!!!
Courtney

June 6, 2011 at 8:29 AM  
Blogger jeana said...

Thank you so much for posting this Courtney! I'm new to your blog, but have been reading it and watching your videos over the past few days and you encourage me so much! God has certainly given you that gift. Thank you for speaking God's truth always.

Jeana
PS I got 2 summer dresses from the consignment store after watching your budget video. They were both $10 and under, and I love that I feel pretty for my hubby, thanks!!

June 6, 2011 at 11:32 AM  
Blogger Claire said...

What a thought-provoking post. That family are inspiring!

Cxx

June 6, 2011 at 12:01 PM  
Blogger Kristen Thornburg said...

Thank you for the great reminders!!


www.mrstnaturally.blogspot.com

June 6, 2011 at 2:20 PM  
Blogger Stef said...

(hands clapping) I LOVED Joy's blog - her, Ann Voskamp, and Jolanthe were the 1st 3 blogs I found 3 years ago - my 1st time online blog hopping!

June 6, 2011 at 3:20 PM  
Blogger Amy said...

What a good reminder! I have older family members who were missionaries and whenever I'm feeling deprived, I remember their stories of life in Africa in the 1960s and that adjusts my perspective quite a bit.

June 6, 2011 at 3:42 PM  
Blogger LeAnn said...

This was a lovely reminder of the need all over to lift others. My husband and I are serving an Inner City Mission and are feeling so much love to wards our brothers and sisters who are suffering right here in middle America. This is opening my eyes to the need to reach out more.
Blessings for you!
I am journaling our mission experiences on Monday's
Here is my link: http://lgwilliams.blogspot.com

June 6, 2011 at 4:36 PM  
Blogger Kara Chupp said...

I love this post Courtney...you're so right--shifts my perspective and is so convicting.

I just shared yesterday about our friends, missionaries from Moldova to Moldova...who were with us last week...we were talking about the downturn in the US economy and how that affects giving/support for them....his comment was:

"But if you have security...then why do you need to trust God?
I think we are more blessed.
We have never had security."

They daily cling to God for security in the midst of insecurity.
This is the kind of Faith I want to live.

June 6, 2011 at 4:59 PM  
Anonymous Sybil said...

Wow, small world. Tears in my eyes. Bonnie was an amazing woman, we were friends with her and Gary. Prior to them leaving, we bought their car from them to support them in their journey to take the gospel to the world. She is a reminder of truly following Jesus. Thank you for sharing. Definitely stirs up emotions in me!

June 7, 2011 at 11:44 AM  
Blogger WhatIfWeAllCared? said...

This really put things back in perspective... I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing that has everything off-track/ off-kilter... after reading your blog I now know... I do lists... lifetime, year, month, today... my list making scenario is always based primarily on what I want to get done with God's wants just sot of floating off in the background! Ugh! What a mess! Tonight I am going to sit down and redo it all with Him at the lead!
Thank You!!!

June 7, 2011 at 2:06 PM  
Blogger Gwen T said...

We serve with Wycliffe and are continually reminded of the amazing sacrifices many are making - without complaint! The past several months I've been compiling the stories of some of the retired missionaries - because that history and spiritual wealth is too valuable to be lost.
Thanks for this great reminder.

June 7, 2011 at 10:07 PM  
Anonymous Research Paper said...

I absolutely liked reading everything that is posted on your blog keep the posts coming. I enjoyed it.

June 15, 2011 at 7:49 AM  

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