Live, Behold, Inquire, Taken, Blessed Broken and Given

I write a weekly encouragement for the women involved in the Crossing Church meal ministry. Here are some of my recent thoughts.

 

Henri Nouwen wrote a book called "Life of the Beloved" in which he taught that each believer is to be taken, blessed, broken and given. Much like the words in the communion supper. At church and in small group we have been discussing studying the Bible and letting the Word transform us.

Oswald Chambers wrote in "My Utmost for His Highest" "The golden rule for your life and mine is this concentrated keeping of the life open towards God. Let everything else - work, clothes, food, everything on earth - go by the board, saving that one thing. The rush of other things always tends to obscure this concentration on God. We have to maintain ourselves in the place of beholding, keeping the life absolutely spiritual all through. Let other things come and go as they may, let other people criticize as they will, but never allow anything to obscure the life that is hid with Christ in God. Never be hurried out of the relationship of abiding in Him."

 

 

Even as we cook for others, pray for them, deliver meals, encourage, we must stay, abide, keep our lives open to the Lord.

Psalm 27: 4,8-9 reads "One thing I asked of The Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. "Come," my heart says, "seek His face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide Your face from me."

 

Even as He uses us in His service, we are to abide close to His heart, listening for His word to us each hour. Letting His word transform us, we are then taken, blessed, broken, given in service as He leads us.

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.