A word from Jen

I am truly amazed with God’s abounding love and faithfulness. Currently I have been studying the life of Moses and have learned so much from his walk with the Lord. He went from someone who committed murder, ran away to escape, spent 40 years as a shepherd, then was called by God to deliver His people, questioned God’s call saying “who am I and I can’t do this?”, to confidently appearing before Pharaoh on behalf of His God, leading about 2 million people through the parting of the Red Sea, to being fully committed and sold out to follow God. In fact when God got angry with the Israelites because of their great sin against Him and said just go to the Promise Land that I promised you, but I will not go with you, Moses begged God and said NO, we will not go if you do not go with us! So God as a loving and forgiving God relented His anger, forgave the people, and restored His commitment to go with them if they obeyed. Moses grew in His knowledge of God as He continued to experience Him and seek Him. When Moses asked for God to reveal Himself, God allowed him a glimpse of His glory. But because no one can see God’s face and live because He is too holy, God revealed Himself through His character. He says in Exodus 34:5-7 “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…”

God has spoken so much to me through His description of Himself. Currently in my life as I prepare to move to Thailand, God has blown me away with allowing me to see His abounding love and faithfulness. I feel like bursting sometimes because He has filled me with so much that I just cannot contain it. I have to tell others! It’s really not about money or moving to another country, but it’s just shown me that when we are obedient to follow God’s call and really give up our own plans (which I struggled with last year), then He pours out His blessings on us. I teach junior high students in BSF and the aim of our lesson the other day was – God rewards His obedient and faithful workers. He really does! The rewards do come in all kinds of packages and shapes and sizes. But to me right now, God’s reward is through peace and confirmation of His call to Thailand, through increasing my faith to believe in Him for the impossible, seeing how He is using my life to spur others on to pursue Him, and to see the joy of others excited to be a part of His work. God told Moses in Exodus 23:20-21 “I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and do what he says.” This angel was Jesus Christ Himself going before them and preparing the way. That is what God is doing for Stephanie and I. This is His journey! And He will pave the way!

Each of us have a specific call on our lives. Some are called to stay right here and be faithful to love others, serve others, give, pray, and to tell others about the hope you have in Jesus Christ with those around you. Some are called to go to Thailand and other parts of the world. No calling is more important than another. But God has a special calling just for you. This is so exciting to me! Be faithful to follow His plans exactly as He commanded. Why? Because He is Sovereign, knowing all things, and He is a loving Father that wants what is best for His children. Our pastor always says, God isn’t trying to rip you off! No, He wants to give us abundant life, full and richly blessed. That doesn’t save us from pain and tough times but it does save us from going our own way and from bringing additional pain that was never meant for us. Will you be faithful with what God is calling you to do? It’s taken me a while to get to where I am at and fully laying everything down to follow Him. And this certainly won’t be my last struggle of doing it. But what I have learned is that when I am faithful to follow Him wholeheartedly, I see God’s abounding love and faithfulness and man, oh man, does that make me want to see Him more. “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” Psalm 34:8 When you taste the Lord’s goodness you crave more, just like a really great desert! :) You just can’t get enough! So seek God – find out what He has in store for you and be faithful. Remember nothing is too small or too great for the Lord. And if it seems impossible to accomplish, then that is probably right where He wants you so that you and I fully rely on Him! (If you haven’t tasted and saw that the Lord is good….well I encourage you to try Him out. Find out who this God is and find out why He transforms lives. I would love to talk with you more about my story of grace.)

Humbled by God’s love!
Jen