radical?

July has come with great speed. It brought along with it many goals, many hopes and many convictions....

I confess I love blogs! I love reading other's thoughts and life stories. I find encouragement in the lives of others whether I know them or not. When I started this blog I decided I wanted to follow other missionaries who also blog. Wow... the Lord lead me to a few that have captured my heart, my emotions and my thoughts.

My heart is inspired when I read about others giving their lives to serve people around the world - Haiti, Uganda, Sudan, Australia, Bolivia, USA... Each and every person I follow has a different story, a different ministry, a different method but each and every person has the same purpose - share the love of Jesus with the world!

I am reading Radical by David Platt. Or should I say I have been reading (for quite some time now). The pages are filled with so much that my heart can only take so much at a time. Between this book and the blog Sit a Spell my heart is filled with conviction and the desire to change... to be like Jesus.

It is every present and clear that a huge part of my heart is dedicated to "the poor". The scriptures in the Word regarding the poor and oppressed grip my heart every time I read them. I have worked at a homeless shelter for over a year. I believe one day I will serve in missions in a developing nation. The poor, the oppressed, the orphan, the widow - Jesus loved them. He LOVES them. Because I love Jesus, I will love the poor. But I am not doing very well at the loving part.

Something that July brought into my life was the conviction of how I live my life. Moving into a home with a family forced me to examine my thoughts, my things, my heart. Where are my treasures? I found that I have stored up many earthly treasures and have grown very attached to them. In God's amazing gentleness He made it so that I would need to get rid of most of my possessions for this move.

Where before I could fill an entire apartment wall to wall with ease I now have enough to fill a room. All of my earthly possessions will fit in 2 suit cases and 5 containers. And to my great surprise instead of feeling upset, I feel free!

However reading Radical I have been challenged to take a deeper look at my heart. Just because I got rid of some possessions, where do my treasures lye? What do I value? Am I really willing to do as Jesus asks - sell all, give to the poor and follow Him?

Am I? To be honest I don't know... but I want to be.

Heather at the blog I love Sit a Spell has been doing a series on "The Poor". These posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) have wrecked my heart (in a good way). Her thoughts have really provoked me to search deeper and longer into what God says about and how He feels about the poor. But more than that what is my role in His plan regarding the poor.

All of this has brought up hidden expectations I have as well as some hurts. God does not exist in a box. He does not fit within our expectations. Our heavenly Father has a plan and it is perfect.

God is not sending me to a developing nation to minister to the poor. He is sending me to a developed nation to minister to His children. What does that look like? I do not know. What I do know is this... Jesus desires to have His inheritance in the people of Italy. He loves Italians deeply and wants them to love Him. He wants the church (body of Christ) to be raised up in Italy.

It is not my responsibility nor my heart to go into Italy to change and save the people. What Jesus has asked me to do is go, to share His LOVE, disciple believers and equip Italians to reach Italians with the gospel. I believe that Italian believers can transform their country to reflect the image of Christ.

The Word says that the poor will always be with us. That means that the poor will be with me in Italy. My prayer is that Jesus will teach me how to love His people the way He does!

Am I radical? No. So I pray a "dangerous" prayer... Father, make me radical. Teach me to love You, love Your children, and live a lifestyle that radically reflects Jesus. Amen.

What do you treasure?

~Nicole

source - google images