The Goodness and Severity

 Good evening sister saints!!!

Oh let us praise God for all things!  Today we were heading down the road doing jobs and planning on reaching our nightly destination (who knows if we will finish the plans we have, amen?)  and along the way we were pleasantly surprised!  Let me back up and say that last night before bed I thought I was done lining up jobs and one popped up that I wasn't expecting.  Well today when we were pulling off the exit to go there, we saw a car show going on that fulfilled the 3 P's of street preaching. (People, Public, Parking, you can see brother Jim's article on that HERE.)

So after we finished what we had to do, we set up and went out on the street for some preaching before we had to head down the road and finish our day.  Praise God for that impromptu offering of sharing the gospel to people there and I was able to hand out several gospel cards. Some events are bigger than others but each soul (whether many or few) are just as important. You can see a couple videos HERE.

Brother Jim and I have talked how sometimes people will pass by him and not take a gospel card but more often will take one from me.  I used to just hold it out and smile but since the Lord has been calling me to do more witnessing, talking and engaging, I've been saying a lot more which seems to be opening many more doors.  Today I asked brother Jim to help me what I should say other than 'would you like a gospel card'.  (You only get a few seconds as someone walks by so you have to be quick on it.)  He said to say something about loving our neighbor and finding eternal life, so that's just what I did.  It seemed to open more doors to hand them out as people were less hesitant to take them when I expressed our neighborly love to entreat them to find eternal life.

So then we were talking about the goodness and severity of God and how we, in our ministry have 'goodness' and 'severity' on the streets.  Brother Jim is preaching the goodness of God sending Christ, the hope of eternal life if people repent and are born again, then come out of the world and walk in holiness and then endure in that until the end.  What awesome goodness it is...the GOSPEL!  Then he also preaches about the wrath of God coming upon those who are disobedient to the gospel. He uses many verses but this one is a well used one...

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 

I too, have the similarity of goodness and severity because I will preach the gospel, in love, to a woman and then also warn her about the wrath of God coming on us if there is no repentance.  And sometimes, just like brother Jim has to do....I defend the word of God in severity to those women who are teaching false doctrine or pushing back on the truth. 

Then, as we stand on the street and people look at the both of us, we look like the goodness and severity also.  Brother Jim is severe and strong as a man and I look like a kind and gentle woman in comparison.  While brother Jim is preaching what is to be hard and cutting to the world, I am smiling and offering neighborly love:

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:39 

What's the best way to love your neighbor?  Tell them the gospel, the truth of God's wrath coming and offer them help in it all.  

We, as a team, show many concepts of God and are thankful to be workers of the truth.

You too sisters, have (or will have) the goodness and severity when it comes to sharing the life giving gospel and then defending it when someone tries to twist or distort it.  We see the contrast in life:

* Light and Dark*

* Good and Evil*

* Jesus and Satan*

* Heaven and Hell*

* Life and Death*

* Love and Hate*

* Peace and Turmoil*

The list could go on and on.  But anyway, this is just a thought about how we should be well balanced and learn that we need to discern when to be either one.  Contrary to the world who thinks God is all love and loves sinners. No, God showed His love in Christ and the only way to get the love of God is if you are in Christ.  That means if you are not, then God does not love you.  

In Christ = goodness of God

Outside Christ= wrath of God

Goodness and severity.  

Doesn't even nature teach us that?  (I love that, nature has so many lessons if we only look!)

So, just sharing some thoughts here and hopefully something will stand out to someone and it will help encourage you on.

Thank you sister for the following scripture pictures.

Amen, I was talking about trust yesterday in my post.  How we had to trust in the Lord when we first started this van life of traveling for ministry, preaching the gospel.  He has proven to direct our paths and I'm sure you all can attest to that in your life as well.

Oh don't you just love that verse.  Prepare ye the way of the Lord!  I think about John the baptist preparing the way of the Lord and guess what sisters?  We saints are preparing the way of the Lord because He's coming back to gather His own = goodness, and destroy those who obey not the gospel = severity, and we are to warn our neighbor because we love them. 

Now that's a soft and comforting verse = goodness.  I see charity among sisters who have drawn close. Sisters who show the love of God by making time (even in busy days) to edify the saints and press them on.  Glory to God!!!

After we were done street preaching and sharing the precious word of God, we moved on down the road, and some areas were through long, vast, open stretches of nothing but sage bushes and rolling hills with a brilliant blue sky. (Praise God virtually no smoke!)  Brother Jim stops at all the rest stops and we put out gospel cards and wash clothes when we find water.  

I hang them up as we drive and they flap all over in the wind, being dry by our destination!  I forgot to mention this the other day on our travel videos.  This man on a motorcycle rode by us and hung alongside us in order to give a thumbs up for a while, then sped off up the long hill.

Today there was a couple pulling a boat that hung by us long enough to wave, then punched the gas and took off.  We have no clue where they are spiritually but the signs on our van point the way, while we travel across the country....

It was pretty warm during the trip so we enjoyed a homemade iced coffee. 

By the way, all the travel videos are put in order.  See the diversity in the land from one extreme to the other, an amazing creation from our Father.  

Tonight the clouds were pretty pink opposite of the sunset:

How blessed we are to partake of our Fathers sunrises and sunsets!

Titus 2

Dinner was super simple....chips and hummus:-)

I was happy about that because I'd been looking forward to having some dip at some point when I found it on sale and was thankful for being able to get both the chips and the dip for a super price!  It pays (literally) to not indulge our flesh with impulse buys and instead wait to see what you can find on sale.  I was also happy because it was a long day with lots of things to get done this evening and so a no fuss meal is always welcome.  I'm sure my Titus 2 sisters know all about that.  A young sister was just sharing about how she's working in her garden and organizing her recipes and it reminded me how I always had an assortment of 'fall back' meals.  Meals that when I was short on time, I could 'fall back' on them for quick, fulfilling nourishment.  Canned goods, dehydrated meals already mixed and you just add water etc or the good stand by of corn chips and bean dip lol. There are so many different things you can have in your pantry to whip up quick and are satisfying.

Another sister shared a video of their flourishing garden and yet another sister said they put their garden up front by the house  so they can see it better (and it works better for aged people, I get that:-)

Praise God for providing such good foods for us all = goodness.

And there are plenty of other campers in the lot with us. Who knows if any witnessing will come of it tomorrow morning.

Just this morning as we were getting ready to leave, a man pulled up in a truck to talk about vans and how he has one etc, liked ours and of course he got the gospel:-)  Praise the Lord! And brother Jim got to witness to some bikers that he talks about...he's got a lot on his update you might be interested in such as the states we just traveled through and other things, check that out HERE.

I saw these two trees by each other this morning and they fit in the theme of the post.

A flourishing tree, just like a saint flourishing in obedience, will receive the goodness of God.

A dead tree stripped of life, like a sinner unwilling to repent, will receive the severity of God.

Praise God we have the truth and can strive in the goodness of the Lord and warn those outside Christ of His severity.  That's loving our neighbor!

I leave you with this awesome flower, Glory To God!!!  (I have no clue what flowers are called but maybe some of you know:-)  

Love to all my sisters in Christ, spread all over the world.  Let me know how I can help you in the faith.

Sister Deb