When I Woke This Morning…

I had two very vivid dreams last night.  When I awoke this morning I was humbled…

In my first dream I was unable to find the 3 other people I was traveling with.    I stopped to spend time with a teenage girl afflicted with some type of physical deformity.  They did not wait for me and I was lost.  The second dream an elderly woman told me that her way to share the Gospel was the only way.  Saying it could only be done by using certain verses from the Word and I did not agree with her… and I actually woke myself up!

It wasn’t too long after I got up and made some coffee I opened my Bible.  I was looking for a verse of Scripture that came to mind,  but I couldn’t remember the entire verse or where it was located (I wanted to read it in context).  I grabbed my small paperback concordance and searched for a common word from the verse.  Instead of finding the verse I wanted, I was lead to Isaiah 58: 5-11 and then to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 25.

“…   Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.  Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?  “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Matthew 25: 35-40 ” For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ” 

Hurricane Sandy arrived on the East Coast amidst the political drama of our presidential election.  Many so-called Christians spent much of their time, energy and resources campaigning while millions of people suffered through a ‘SUPER STORM’.   As of today there are still over 300,000 homes without power, many people without much food/water/warm clothing and panicked folks lining up at gas stations in hordes.  The mayor of New York city has implemented an odd/even license number system to diminish the lines and allow everyone access to fuel. 

It literally breaks my heart that so many have lost so much and Christians are still squabbling over the results of the election.   Is this what our Lord Jesus Christ would have us do?  NO!! NO!!  NO!!

Several days ago I received an urgent e-mail from Convoy of Hope one of the mission groups I have listed here on my site.  Please take a few moments of your weekend and read/see in action our instructions for living according to our Savior and Lord words.  http://www.convoyofhope.org/go/headlines/entry/hurricane_sandy_response_update

Each heartbeat is a bit of grace from Our God… all we are and what we have comes from the Father.

(c) streim 2012