I wasn’t sure what to title this post. On one hand, I am overjoyed about some news that I can share with you; on the other hand, my heart is heavy to share about praise in everything. So being that both of these are very exciting and are praises, I landed on ‘Praise’.
Felix, our missionary in the Dominican, has shared some incredible news with me. The work that has been started through Brothers Without Borders is spreading! All of the firehouses that we work with now have Bibles that have been donated to them, and there have been multiple salvations in each firehouse! This work does not stop in the firehouses; Felix was contacted by the Police Captain in Juan Dolio asking him to come share the Gospel. The first meeting took place at Score, while the second meeting was at the Police Headquarters in Juan Dolio with over 35 officers in attendance.
The Gospel is going strong in the Dominican, and I am thankful every day that Brothers Without Borders can be a vessel to help this! I pray for a revolution like this in America. Do you think it would be possible for a police captain in say, Boston, to call up a Missionary to the Boston Fire Department and have him into the Police Station to share the Gospel? It sounds very far fetched, but with God, anything is possible.
Staying on that topic, God is in control of everything and in Him, nothing is impossible. The other day, I was shown forgiveness in a way that brought me to tears. The circumstance I was in made it difficult to face the people that I disappointed, for fear of what they would say or how they would react. After much prayer, I knew that the way I was handling it was good; I felt a peace over the whole thing knowing God was in control. There was a friends wedding, that I was honestly afraid to attend, for fear of seeing the people that I disappointed. But then it occurred to me, am I trying to please men, or please God? God can take this circumstance and use it for His good, much like He did with David; but I needed to praise Him in everything.
Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” This verse hit home with me. As I said in my last post, I want to face this like a man of God. So to the wedding I went, and once I saw everyone, the compassion that was shown to me was incredible. A simple handshake, and saying that its not personal, were words that I was not expecting to hear. To see the grace and forgiveness shown to me has been very encouraging, and shows that Gods love never fails.
Jumping back to David in the Old Testament, He was considered a man after Gods own heart, and wrote most of the Psalms. Some of the Psalms relate directly to a circumstance he was facing at the time, and he called out to God. Some verses even use the words cried. David cried out to God. Do we ever cry out to God? When we cry out to God, is it only during the trials, or do we cry out in praise during the good times? Praise God in everything, knowing that He is in control. When you mess up; Praise God. When people speak ill of you; Praise God. When you got a raise at work; Praise God. When the world crashes in; Praise God. Its something that I learn everyday, and each day it gets easier. Whats the common denominator that I want us all to practice? Praise God in everything.