Erika Molenaar | Missionary Thailand
Once I was in a church service and we were singing “Fill me up, fill me up”. It was so nice and comfortable to be singing together, but my heart wasn’t comfortable at all. A rush of intense sadness overwhelmed me. Here we are, singing together and outside is a world that is dying! A world longing for real love, real emotion and redemption! God shook me up by sharing His heart and bring my attention to the world that He so loved. So much that He gave his life, to save the world. But how can we make a difference in the world so that those too can receive that heartfelt love, heartfelt compassion, and salvation from God? I believe that happens when we stand in our salvation and follow God. Putting our own thinking aside and pick the assignment God has given us.
Faith, for me, is believing that God is real and that He speaks the truth. And that I adjust my thinking to that. I don’t want to live from what is logical anymore but I want to live from what God tells me to do. And in that way be a blessing to others. I can handle the battle between my humanity and my new, spiritual life by believing in Gods truth. He breaks off the lies and sets me free completely! Through Him I have the strength to not do things anymore that I shouldn’t do, but do those things God asks me to do.
James 1:27 says: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Our salvation comes from what God did for us. Pure and faultless religion is what He expects as an answer to this. God is clearly showing us that He wants us to – all the while imaging His heart – look after the orphans and the widows. And keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, with his call to repent. When people responded to his message and asked him what to do, he answered: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11-12 is a practical way of living out your salvation.
If we take time for Him, become familiar with His voice and His heart for the world. Than His spirit can give us a gentle nudge, to make us aware of the people around us. It happens to easily that we try to reason everything away, but if we obey in love and trust: miracles truly can happen!
Motivated by His love that’s been given to us, that we’ll experience through obedience, we can go into the world and reach out to the need in this world. God speaks a beautiful promise over you in Isaiah 58! Go read that today and let Him fill your heart.
RESOURCES
WORSHIP
🎶 Hosanna – Hillsong Worship
BIBLEPROJECT
🎥 Martus: Witness
📕 Study at home Witness