During
my recent trip to Romania one of my translators was a terrific young
pastor, Gabi Rusu-Hack
(pictured below)
He
is the kind of young man who could be making lots of money elsewhere but has
decided to work full time for the Lord as pastor of a small church.
I
asked him what he felt the biggest challenge to the church in Romania is right
now. His answer was as
important as it was unsurprising. He said the biggest challenge to the Romanian
church is comfort. Now that
Romanian Christians are free to practice their faith, it has become all too easy
to take God for granted. It
seems to be a time tested truth that as prosperity increases faith decreases.
When
Gabi told me that, I thought of what Moses told the fledgling Israelite nation
upon their deliverance from 40 years in the desert and 400 years of slavery.
I believe this passage has great relevance for the people of Romania and
also for us. I would be surprised if
you don’t find this passage challenging to your own struggle to maintain a
vibrant faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ.
Take a moment to read it slowly and thoughtfully.
”Remember
how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years,
(for Romania was 45 years under communist control) to humble and test you
in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his
commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,
which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not
live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty
years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD
your God disciplines you.
“Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. (Like other former satellite states of former Soviet Union Romania’s prosperity is slowly increasing)
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
“Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. (Like other former satellite states of former Soviet Union Romania’s prosperity is slowly increasing)
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
The
Big Lesson?
Prosperity has a deadening effect on faith.
When we have all we need without God, awareness of God fades.
Faith entropies.
The
Antidote?
Moses tells us to remember.
How
do I remember?
I
have found that when I get around those who have suffered and sacrificed and as
a result are spiritually alive, that helps me remember God.
It was humbling and powerful for me beyond measure to sing in unity with
men who suffered in ways that are light years beyond what I have faced.
I would suggest that you, too, find a way to go on short term mission,
find people who have faith, learn from them and serve with them.
I
have also found that it is important to sacrifice when I don’t have to.
When I take time for someone when I don’t have time or use my gifts and
talents for others when I’m too busy, these things sharpen my faith and bring
a spiritual reward.
The
writer to the Hebrews tells us make a sacrifice of praise.
When I praise and thank God when I’m feeling ungrateful, that’s a
sacrifice which builds my faith and trust in the Lord.
Expressions of praise and gratitude beget praise and gratitude.
Finally
when you put your money in the basket on Sunday morning, make sure it’s an
amount that is a sacrifice, an amount that causes you to have to give something
up. That’s the kind of
giving that sharpens your faith and grows your heart.
God has wired us in such a way that wherever we put our money
sacrificially that is where our heart goes.
When my heart follows money sacrificially given to God then my heart gets
healthy and sharp and resilient.
And
God uses that money. Pictured below
is the van
purchased by CLC giving that gets orphans to and from school every day in
Timisoara Romania. It is also used
to deliver daily meals to the needy and is the means of transportation between
the widely dispersed Jesus Hope of Romania ministry centers in Western Romania.
In
what way is the Lord leading you to strengthen your faith while living in the
land of plenty?
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
No comments:
Post a Comment