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!

This post is linked to Titus 2sdays, We Are That Family, A Holy Experience and Raising Homemakers.