Do Something Now

"Compassion isn't compassion unless you do something now."  --Christine Caine

For the last month, to say that Jesus and I have been disconnected would be a VAST understatement.  I couldn't get out of a funk.  I knew I needed to spend time in the Word; I knew I needed His joy, His love, His peace and that I was being depleted of it.  That depletion was affecting my attitude towards friends, co-workers, and myself.  I vented to a friend, telling her my frustration with me but telling her about my lack of motivation to communicate with my Creator.  She did as only she can do and called me out, "Marlie, I can't do anything for you.  I can tell you over and over that you need to read your Bible, but you already know that.  No one can change that but YOU.  It's YOUR relationship with Christ, not anyone else's."  Oh, dear friend, how correct you were!  I had forgotten that it's my relationship.  Other people don't fit into this relationship and make it happen.  I hit my knees, begging for the Lord to once again revive me, and He so lovingly reminded me, "My love doesn't run out or give up on you."

So, I read Luke 4 today.  It quoted part of Isaiah in it and it went something like this:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good new to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  --Luke 4:18-19

You know, you can browse over that passage and be like, "Ok, good.  I'll do that when I'm older or when I have 'enough time' or enough money."  Scripture doesn't say wait.  Over and over it says to take care of the poor, orphans, and widows.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27

"He [God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.  And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens to Egypt."  Deut. 10:18-19

"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow Me.'"  --Matthew 19:21

So what am I doing?  Ok, Lord, I'm a nurse, and I take care of the needy and people who don't have a lot of money all the time.  But what am I really doing?  He calls us to an abundant life in John 10.  Did you hear me?  Abundant.  More than I can ask for.  Overwhelmingly good.  Fulfilled.  Content.  That kind of LIFE.  Not just sort of going through the motions, "oh this is such a lovely day", drink your cup of coffee in the morning and hit the sack at night kind of life, but truly LIVING.  I believe that to truly live we must truly serve.  To truly serve, we must truly seek His face.  One of my favorite verses in Psalm says this:  My heart says of Him, "Seek His face!"  Your face, Lord, I will seek.  May we seek.  May we find.  May we give.  May we do something now.