Jehovah Jireh

     The name Jehovah Jireh means "The LORD our provider".  Last week, I witnessed a beautiful testimony of this while I was on a mission trip to San Diego with 14 other people from my church.  On Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of serving hot meals to homeless people in Chula Vista.  A small amount of clothing was also available for the people to sort through after they finished eating.

     One of the women we met that night had walked to San Diego from Arizona.  Understandably, her shoes were very worn.  She asked our youth minister Joe if we had any shoes.  Joe didn't know if there would be any, but went to go look.  Sure enough, there was 1 pair of shoes and they were her size.  When Joe brought them back to her, she began to cry and said that she could now look for a job since she had shoes.  It was as if God had made sure that both she and those shoes were there that night so He could give them to her.  Jehovah Jireh- the LORD provided.

     I think that night was a favorite for many of us because it was one of the few serving activities that we di where we actually got to interact with the people we were serving.  Sorting through donated clothes didn't seem as exciting because we didn't get to see the faces of the people who would receive them.  Yet the way God provided for this woman gave us a glimpse of the way people would be blessed by our service.

     Wanting to continue the work God had been doing in our hearts during the trip, we tried to find things we could take home with us to make a difference here in Modesto.  As we sorted through clothes, I kept remembering all the clothes I have in my closet that either don't fit or that I simply don't wear.  I've intended to go through my closet for awhile now, but I never actually get around to it- that is, until today.

     So what's so different about today?  Today I walked out of the house to find a plastic bag in the front door to collect clothing for disabled American veterans.  As I sort through my closet looking for clothes to donate, I know that God already knows the names and faces of the people who will be receiving them.  God is in the process of providing clothes for people who need them.  That bag on the door?  That was my invitation to join Him.  That was Him asking me to give Him clothes that I no longer use and allow Him to bless someone else through them.  That was Jehovah Jireh in action.

Monster In Me

I have the privilege of volunteering with the Art Resores Kids program at my local Family Justice Center. Now, I am not very artistic myself, and fortunately, this is not a requirement. One of the workshops we do with the children, called "Monster in Me" involves coloring with cray-pas, spraying the paper with water, and then painting over it with water colors. I liked the effect this had and decided to try it at home and just have fun with it instead of creating a monster as one would do during a "Monster in Me" workshop. This is one of the pictures I worked on this Lent:

 

As I was painting it, I realized that it is, in a way, representative of a monster in me.  A monster named sin.  A monster that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, all the while deceiving me into thinking that it is making me happy.  A monster that put the one and only, blameless Son of God through an unjust trial, beat Him, mocked Him, and crucified Him.  Yes, the bloodstained cross reveals to me that there is a monster in me.

Yet at the same time, the empty cross reveals a bigger, brighter picture to me.  That cross was the battlefield on which Christ took on that monster- and WON!  As beaten up as that monster left Christ, it was the monster who was defeated.  The monster was left nailed to a cross, while Christ rose from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and sent His Spirit to live in me.  No longer monster in me, but Christ in me!

This Lent, I have felt the battle between Christ and that monster more than I ever have before as that battle plays out in my heart.  That monster won’t die without a fight.  Fortunately, Christ already won and this Easter weekend I get to celebrate Christ’s victory over the monster that sought to kill me and take part in the life which Christ has to offer.  This Easter, I get to remember that because of the cross and the resurrection, it is no longer monster in me, but Christ in me!  And THAT is a reason to celebrate!