Monday 18 November 2013

Read Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Would you and could you honestly say that your life is an adventurous life of faith? For most of us that means, ‘Yes I believe in Jesus and I’ll just get on with my daily business.’ Our faith is largely reduced to a mere mental acknowledgement of Jesus’ Lordship and deity because we don’t need God to work in any real tangible way.

This was not true for Hudson Taylor. In the years while preparing for his mission work in China he resolved to ask no one for funds but rather resolved to ask God to provide at every turn. This reliance on God continued throughout his decades of mission work. He saw God work in many powerful ways. The Inland China Mission Society that he formed with colleagues continued this thought and would guarantee none of its future missionaries a regular income. They had to be willing to trust in God for every single cent. 

This week’s passage calls us to make a firm decision to live life by faith. That faith, which boils down to a life of adventure, is pictured in vs 1-6. The man of faith casts his bread liberally upon the waters and gives generously even though he doesn’t know what disaster may hit the land (vs 1-2). He sows diligently even though he doesn’t know if rain will come or not (vs 3-4). He continues to sow and to reap and to work diligently even though he doesn’t know what God is doing or what He might do in the near future (vs 5). And despite the lack of certainty he keeps toiling and working hard.

This is the kind faith that Hudson Taylor displayed. He never knew from one moment to the next where the next meal would come from or how the rent would be paid. Yet he trusted God and kept serving. He was able to be generous on every occasion, giving to all who asked of him and to all he met who were in need. He kept sowing Kingdom seeds for years not knowing when the first convert would be had.

I ask myself and I ask you the hard questions, ‘Is my life an adventurous life of faith?’ ‘Do I really need God to provide?’ We have stable jobs in a stable country where persecution amounts to being laughed at for our faith. We have high incomes and supermarkets that cater to our every need and desire. We have  hospitals and doctors to cure our sicknesses and insurance for life’s unforeseen events. In all honesty, we really don’t need God. Most of us could continue with our present life totally unchanged for the next 2, 3 or 4 decades even if God completely left us.

If you want to see God powerfully at work in and through your life, here are some suggestions that will challenge you and possibly even rock your world.

· Make a conscious decision to increase your weekly giving so that each week you are relying on God to provide and not just expecting to have that regular income. This may mean giving up some of your precious luxuries and likes.

· Seek to evangelize and convert one person per week. You’ll quickly realize that unless God works this is doomed to fail. You’ll realize that you desperately need God.

· Plan to go on a two week mission with your local church, covering all expenses yourself. Again you’ll be desperate for God to provide.

· Seek to serve through your local church in an area that puts you out of your comfort zone. Again you'll turn to God in desperation.

The point is simple. Life is an adventure of faith. That faith pushes us beyond our comfort zones and draws us into impossible situations. As we willingly walk the mile with Jesus we will see Him powerfully at work. If we refuse and wish to continue to reside in our comfy lounge chairs in our comfy homes then we probably won’t see God powerfully at work and life won’t be an adventure.

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

ª Ask the Lord to show you which of the challenges in today's notes He’d have you take up. Ask for the courage and the resilience to take up these challenges and that through them you would see God powerfully at work.

ª Pray that God would work powerfully through you and your church to bring many people to faith in Christ.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. A fellow believer starts bagging the current government. What do you do?

2. A fellow believer starts telling you about his tax evasion scheme because he doesn't agree with government spending. What do you do?