You have Not because You ask Not

How many of God's daughters don't ask their heavenly Father for anything because of their experience with their earthly fathers' lack of care and interest? Don't answer that.  Many times, we, daughters of the King, stop short of what we need. However, we need to push forward and be bold. 

The Old Testament contains an interesting tale about six behold and asked for what they needed. These girls' father had died and left no male heirs. They asked for their inheritance, and God responded gave them, not only what they asked for, but changed how women were treated in Israel forever: “Our father died in the desert.  Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.” So Moses brought their case before the Lord and the Lord said to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance over to them.

God moves the boundaries to bless all Israelite women: “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

God wants us to ask Him for our true  hearts' desires. He desires for us to trust Him to answer those desires. God does not always  answer our prayers when and how we would like, but He does listen; He does care, and He will answer.

Listen, I am encouraging myself in God's loving nature. I have prayed for 26 years for someone with whom to work in the ministry. I believe God knows the right time, the right person, and when I am ready to embark on this journey with that person. Keep knocking, asking, and believing.

Sometimes, God waits so that He can maximize His glory, so that He can prove the naysayers and the misogynists wrong. He did so with Zelophedad's daughters. Did Zelophedad wonder why he wasn't 'blessed' with sons? (You have got to give him credit for trying six times). God wanted to expand His glory, so that His renown as God of equity and equality would be seen through holy chutzpah of six women.

Just like Jesus would later do with Mary, Martha, and the Samaritan woman, God wrote women into the story in a culture and a time that doing so was unheard of or even imagined.

Here's to chutzpah,
mj

Waste-Not Living

God wastes nothing. I know this fact intuitively. I spent last year in Nicaragua, Kenya, and Brazil as I prepare to be launched into full-time international missions. I am presently teaching an internationl business course for students gaining a master's degree in business administration. My first class was yesterday. As I began talking about globalization, ethics, human rights violations, imperialism, and colonialism, I never imagined how all of my recent  missionary trips abroad would enable me to teach from a truly international perspective  how integrity, equity, and ethics can be used in  a secular setting. I shared about the scriptures requried by the class syllabus,  in addition to many others, all the topics, plus several others,for almost 3 hours without stopping just based on what I experienced on the mission field.

God has opened my eyes to the fact that missionary work is really a business; there is a bottom line, and it better be in the black.God is educating me even as I teach these students; as I teach these business principles,  I am learning them as well. In fact, my students' project is launching a private all-girls school,  like the ones God has commanded me to do,complete will all the necessary guidlines for minimum wage, safety concerns, human rights concerns, etc.  I have three MBA students brain-storming the encorporation of  my school in Africa.


When Jesus wanted to feed the mulitude of 5,000,  He asked his disciples what to do: "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." (John 6: 5-7).  Like Phillip, it is tempting to respond with a lack of faith- looking at the multitude and not at the God who multiplies division or even Andrew, who has a bit of faith, but then allows reason to get in the way: "Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (John 6:7-9).

However, Jesus gives simple instructions, gives thanks to His Father, multiplies the offering, and picks up the leftovers .Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Jesus wastes nothing. He picks up the pieces, and He had the same amount with which He began the ministry: "When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. " (John 6: 12-15).

I know that God wants to take us and break us to the nations, but are we willing? Are we like Phillip saying it can't be done or we like Andrew, we start with faith but do not end with the faith?


Broken for the Nations,
MJ

What's in your hand?

God asks Moses,“What is that in your hand?” (Ex. 4:2). God is asking us the same question. He is not asking us about our ability, but availability, not our strength, but our weakness. When we look at ourselves, we see our limits, and not God's omnipresence and sovereignty. That is why God asked Moses what was in his hand. God was not interested in the fact that Moses was a murderer, the former child of Pharaoh's sister, had an interracial marriage, or a speech impediment. God wanted to take who was at the moment and the rod in his hand and deliver His people Israel from bondage.

What did Moses do with that rod? It turned into a serpent that ate up the magicians snakes (Exodus 7:10). Moses used the rod  to split the waters; the Red Sea opened so that God's people could walk out on dry land. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen” (Exodus14:15-18).

Moses led the people in war with the staff: " Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand” (Exodus 17:9). The rod was the answer to satanic attack; it was the path to deliverance; it was the means of provision. We have all we need to do the work God has sent us to do.

Unfortunately, we can use the tools God has given us inappropriately. Moses did  strike the rock, which represented Jesus, with that very staff. For that offense, he did not enter the Promised Land. Numbers 20: 9:12 states,So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” This story is a cautionary tale and a lesson for who will wield the authority God has given us. It is not our authority; it is God's, and we must always regard Him as holy.

What's in your hand: is it a staff or five loaves and a few fishes? God will use it and multiply for His purposes.

Jesus told Paul that his strength was perfecting in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is not about us; it is about Him. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that "we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

In His hands,
mj

mj

Happy Valentines

Dear Friend,
You are 

Valued
And
Loved
Eternally by His Tender Heart
Nestled
Tenderly
Inside His Scarred Hands
Nurtured
Extravagantly by the
Savior's Mercy

mj