Missing in Action

We were missing in action to the rest of the world for the last eleven days due to lack of an internet connection at home. We are now settled in to our new quarters, a two-bedroom, second floor apartment in a new building a block from the old house. Internet came on yesterday. It seems we missed a lot of exciting news with hurricanes and earthquakes and such. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for those like Hudson Taylor who got on a ship, sailed for months then hiked into the interior of some remote country to preach the Gospel.

 Our move to the new apartment went well. We have a great landlord who allowed us access ahead of the start of the lease. We had help with the move from friends and most of the finishing touches are in process. Our only issue so far besides the phone line, is the lack of an air conditioner. It will be put in, but we have to wait for the Federal Electricity Commission to upgrade the lines. In the meantime, we are living in an oven. The roof, which is concrete like the rest of the house, is painted with a water sealant of a dark red color. Needless to say, it collects a little heat when the sun is strong, which it almost always is. To give you an idea, the ceiling (inside) gets almost too hot to touch. It radiates that heat onto everything under it. We have been fortunate to have a little rain the last few days to cool things off and to hide the sun. Just so you don’t feel too badly, I am writing this under a fan in a hammock hung in our sala de estar (living room).

We were really blessed this week. Our friends at the Red Cross stayed in their seats at the end of class Thursday. They were looking at each other as if something was up. It seems they wanted to find a way to compensate us for our time and effort with them. They appreciate us and they don’t want us to quit. We told them that their friendship was more than adequate payment. They seemed somehow surprised, but pleased with that. They know we are Christians even though we haven’t preached at them. They know other people to whom we are connected. We get the sense that we are being talked about a lot around town. In many ways, it is a small community here. We pray that people are seeing Christ in us. If the warm acceptance we receive in so many places is any indication, they are.

Our friend and new brother, Bernardo the taxi driver, made a special trip to our house Saturday because he found out I had been a little under the weather from a cold. He was concerned and wanted to check in on me. I can’t begin to describe how that felt. He has been asking questions about the Bible. We have experienced several other encouragements and special blessings this week. There isn’t room to share them all. Suffice to say that God is a God of encouragement.

This continues to be a season of spiritual insight for me. I have finally begun to understand that God is not pleased by my obedience. I don’t mean that I am not obedient enough. I confess that I am not. I am saying that obedience in general is not what God is looking for. Obedience doesn’t cause God to love us more. He already loves us with an infinite love. Obedience doesn’t make us more acceptable to God. We are incapable of sufficient obedience to stand righteous before Him. However, we are already the righteousness of God in Christ if we have accepted His gift of salvation through His death (for us) on the cross. Jesus paid it all.

God is not looking for our obedience as much as He is looking for the result of our obedience. The obedient behavior itself is what produces the blessing. God is pleased when we are blessed. He doesn’t hand out blessings as a reward for obedient behavior and curses for disobedience. God, as the ultimate loving Father, wants to see His children blessed. He gave us the rules so that we can be blessed. His disappointment comes from seeing us suffer the consequences of our disobedience. Our ultimate blessing is fellowship with God. God’s ultimate desire is our fellowship with Him.

I am experiencing an increasing sense of freedom and rest from striving to be obedient. I am finding a desire to be obedient replacing the struggle to choose rightly. Praise God!! I was blessed to be able to share this message in Pastor Solomon’s church Sunday night. It was very well received.