God is calling us to develop a relationship with Himself, to seek His face, and to know His direction for our lives. In James chapter 1, we read:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
As servants of Christ, who are devoted to loving Him and carrying out His mission, we recognize that first and foremost, we have to maintain our sense of abiding in Him, being connected with Him. He wants us to know Him better and to be people who study the Word, so that we can hear His voice, know His will, and be empowered to carry out His mission. We are seekers of truth and He will communicate His truth to the world through the people He has called by His name.
The apostle John writes in the book of 2nd John about the importance of obeying God and walking in the truth...
4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.
5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.
6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Talk about making good use of your time and finishing strong...Lillian Weber is 100 years old and she set a goal before she reached the century mark - to sew 1,000 dresses for less fortunate kids. Christian Today reports that when the dressmaker celebrated her 100th birthday in May, Lillian not only accomplished her goal but even surpassed it when she donated a total of 1,051 dresses to Little Dresses for Africa, a non-profit Christian organization that has sent more than 3 million dresses to young girls in 47 African countries and 31 other countries.
She adorns each dress with a little something extra, perhaps an extra stitching or a special detail. Her daughter Linda is quoted in the piece: "She personalizes all the dresses," adding, "It's not like good enough that she makes the dresses, she has to put something on the front to make it look special, to give it her touch."
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The apostle John writes in the book of 2nd John about the importance of obeying God and walking in the truth...
4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.
5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.
6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Talk about making good use of your time and finishing strong...Lillian Weber is 100 years old and she set a goal before she reached the century mark - to sew 1,000 dresses for less fortunate kids. Christian Today reports that when the dressmaker celebrated her 100th birthday in May, Lillian not only accomplished her goal but even surpassed it when she donated a total of 1,051 dresses to Little Dresses for Africa, a non-profit Christian organization that has sent more than 3 million dresses to young girls in 47 African countries and 31 other countries.
She adorns each dress with a little something extra, perhaps an extra stitching or a special detail. Her daughter Linda is quoted in the piece: "She personalizes all the dresses," adding, "It's not like good enough that she makes the dresses, she has to put something on the front to make it look special, to give it her touch."
Lillian Weber described the creation of dresses as a labor of love and said that for as long as she can, she will continue making dresses for little girls in need. She is quoted as saying, "It's just one of those things you learn how to do and enjoy," adding, "I won't quit..."
Little Dresses for Africa recognized Ms. Weber's accomplishment at age 100 with a plaque. Organization founder Rachel O'Neill said, "There's no age limit to this. Somebody who's 100 years old still putting out this quality with such a positive and inspirational message, it's just been wonderful." She noted, "Lives are really saved because of these dresses."
From 1,000 dresses to 11,200 pounds of Oreo cookies...That's the number that an Atlanta-area church attained recently in its Operation Oreo, which started in 2009, when the pastor of Alpharetta First United Methodist Church had a conversation with a young soldier whose primary mission was to diffuse bombs. The pastor asked the soldier what he missed most about home and he said, "Oreos, Double Stuf!!!" according to an article on The Christian Post website. So, the pastor committed to seeing "Oreos galore" go to Iraq. The initiative has continued, and this year, 5.6 tons of the cookies were sent to American military members serving around the world. The Alpharetta church has spread the word throughout the community and enlisted the help of other churches.
Senior Pastor Dr. Don Martin is quoted on the NorthFulton.com website: “These Oreos are a sweet and tangible sign of our love and support for the brave men and women who serve in a dangerous land. May God protect them until they come home to a grateful nation.”
These are some impressive numbers, and numbers can be important, But, we realize that numbers can represent the expression of obedience for those who desire to allow God to use them. These stories can challenge us to see how God would want to use us. What gift or talent do we have? What passion do we possess? The Lord is calling us to take the resources that He has given, to follow His direction, and then to place them in His hands so that He might bless and use the fruits of our obedience.
No doubt, the Lord will use His people to make a statement to this world - Lillian Weber is making a statement to African girls; the church people in North Atlanta are reaching out to those who bravely serve in our Armed Forces - in fact, the church is also involved in helping returning soldiers find civilian employment and sponsors the local Old Soldiers Day parade, according to the Christian Post.
Sometimes, God will use the spectacular, other times, he will use the practical. The main point is that He is calling us to participate in His work, to be willing to be His vessels through whom the love of Christ can be shared. Obedience is the key.
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