Brokenness
(Where is the God of our Salvation? - Part 8) 
by Mike Rule

Over the past several months I have shared how difficult life is for us right now. We are on a roller coaster ride unlike anything we have previously experienced. God is dealing with our personal financial crisis in HUGE ways, but in daily life things are worse than ever because we have absolutely NO resources left. This week we are facing our telephone being turned off and having our auto insurance cancelled. We are thousands of dollars behind in our bills, and things look very bleak. As I have mentioned before, our house is up for sale but there has been no interest in it. More than three weeks ago I applied to over sixteen employment agencies looking for a temporary job. There have been no responses.

The ministry is suffering too. Overall, donations have been down to the point that LCMI is struggling to cover its overhead expenses. Of course, this also means that we are months behind in our salaries. Most of the counseling I do is with people who do not pay for one reason or another. Some cannot, even if they wanted to. Most of the events that we have held this year have not brought in enough to cover the cost of hosting them. Yet, the fields are ripe and God is reaping a harvest. We watch as He daily transforms lives before our eyes.

Does this situation mean that God is not caring for us? Certainly not. This week alone we received five boxes of groceries. We are not going to starve, but we are in a huge cash crunch and everything seems to be piling up at once.

One of LCMI’s directors recently called to check on us. After updating her on things, the conversation progressed to other topics. At one point I made a passing sarcastic comment: "The rules were made to be broken." As the words came out of my mouth I knew they were from the Lord, meaning, "The Rules were made to be broken.” God is in the process of breaking us, of teaching us, of molding us, and making us more conformable into the image of His Son Jesus. It's not that I did not know that before. However, the phrase was and is a very clear reminder that He is the reason behind our struggles. At each turn we have been thwarted. As we have tried going in different directions He continually blocks the path. Yet He also whispers words to me that I have heard Him say repeatedly for over ten years: "Trust Me." As I meditate on His words, He continues to unfold some of His many reasons for having us on this path.

First and foremost He has reminded me of a simple truth, "Mike, this has to be about you because it is about something so much bigger than you." I have been trying to ignore and NOT talk about what I have observed about the people in this generation and the ways they give and do not give. It seems that the gap between those who give and those who don’t has been widening over the past ten years. Those who give seem to give more and more generously and abundantly, while those who tend not to give seem more and more reluctant to do so. I don’t intend that as a judgment, only as an observation.

In looking at all the churches and ministries around us who are experiencing similar things Becky asked the question, “If the Spirit of Christ is in each believer, and His life is what is natural to a believer, then why aren’t people giving? His life is a giving life.” Christ’s life is a generous, giving life, but not everyone lives in harmony with who he or she really is. I can live in the lake like a fish, but that does not mean I will be happy doing it. Fish find it very natural to live in the lake while I don’t. Does that make me a lousy fish, or does it prove that I am not a fish? The reasons people give and don’t give are manifold, but there is only ONE reason to truly give. It’s not because I have to give, or because God expects me to give. It’s not because giving is the “right” thing to do, or because I should give, or because I can afford to. It is for one reason alone: He invites me, and I WANT TO!!!! I give because giving flows out of who I am and who Jesus is. As a result, it makes me happy. It lines up with who I really am at the deepest part of me.

Jesus has us on this path not only because of what He wants to accomplish in us, but also because of what He wants to accomplish within those with whom we minister. Hence, He asks us to walk naked and unashamed while sharing what we have seen and heard on our journey. Shalom!

Verses for Reflection

Speak to the sons of Israel, and let them take an offering for Me. From every man whose heart impels him, let them take My offering. (Exodus 25:2 LITV)

Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing and generous heart, let him bring the Lord's offering: gold, silver, and bronze … And everyone whose heart was moved, everyone who was guided by the impulse of his spirit, came with his offering for the Lord, for whatever was needed for the Tent of meeting and its work and for the holy robes. They came, men and women, all who were ready to give, and gave pins and nose-rings and finger-rings and neck-ornaments, all of gold; everyone gave an offering of gold to the Lord. The children of Israel, every man and woman, from the impulse of their hearts, gave their offerings freely to the Lord for the work which the Lord had given Moses orders to have done. (Exodus 35:5 ,21-22, 29 BBE)

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Jehovah: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. (1 Chronicles 29:9 ASV)

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. (Ezra 1:5-6 KJVR)

I can assure you that they gave as much as they could, and even more than they could. Of their own free will they begged us and pleaded for the privilege of having a part in helping God's people in Judea. It was more than we could have hoped for! First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well. (2 Corinthians 8:3-5 GNB)

Let every man do after the purpose of his heart; not giving with grief, or by force: for God takes pleasure in a ready giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 BBE)

And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." (Luke 19:2-8 NASB)