Lessons from a Lost dog: Missions

Continuing a series on Lessons i learned from a Lost dog [Puppy post #1]

So we arrived at the airport with our dog in tow. We were pretty worried about her and so quickly went to the baggage claim and asked about our dog.

We came to the desk and they were like “uh… oh, it’s your dog… well she got out of her cage and when we opened the door she ran out”

 

I offered to go out and call her, but they brushed me aside and told us not to worry and assured us they would get her back quickly.

After 15 minutes or so, one person came back and wrapped a yellow vest around me and walked me over to the door.

They told me to wait a moment and a few minutes later they walked me back to where we came from – and then told me again I could not go out to look for the dog.

They reasoned with us.

It is too dangerous out there. There are many vehicles and machines and it is too dangerous.

Plus it is too dark out right now. Which makes it more dangerous. It is too dark to look for her and find her. It is too dark for other people or vehicles to see you.

It is too difficult. We won’t find her. And the place is too big, she could be anywhere.

In other word they said the task was

1.     Too Dangerous

2.     Too Dark

3.     Too Difficult

4.     Too Daunting

Isn’t this what is said about finding the lost in missions. Aren’t these the same excuses?

It’s too dangerous to go overseas. What if your children get sick? What if you face persecution? What if you go to jail?

It’s too Dark.

The people there are so entrenched in their religion. They are so caught up in their ways

It’s Too Difficult

You have to learn the language- and the culture. You have to fight years of oppression and custom. It will be difficult to explain. You have to give up so much – food, friends, fun, conveniences, comforts… too difficult

It’s too Daunting.

There’s just so many people, what difference can we actually make?

When they told me I couldn’t go out to look for my puppy, I didn’t care about their reasons.

I didn’t care at all. Not one bit.

The only thing that mattered was finding my puppty

I didn’t care how dark it was, I was up for the challenge and energy it would require.

I didn’t care how daunting it looked, I would take however long it needed.

I didn’t care how difficult it would be, I just wanted my puppy

And danger? Well, I wanted to be careful but I was willing to risk potential problems for the joy of finding our puppy.

And if I would go that extent for a puppy, how much more can we for the lost souls around us.

God’s love for the lost is so much greater than my love for my puppy- as hard as that may seem.

And the thing is…

Too Dark? No problem, Jesus is the Light of the world.

Too Dangerous?  Jesus is with us always  (and God is a strongtower we can run to and be safe, he will take care of us)

Too Difficult? Jesus has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us

Too Daunting? Jesus overcame even death. Nothing is impossible with God.

Lessons from a Lost dog: God's heart for the lost

It was about a year ago this time that Soo & i were heading back to America to have our baby. Soo was entering her 7th month of pregnancy. We would be back in the states for about 8 months.
So, we planned to take our dog as well. It took a lot of money and a lot of time figuring out which flights we could take her on as well as what documents we needed to get her overseas. But we worked it all out.

That is, until we actually started flying.
Our initial flight was delayed 2 hours and so we arrived at our connecting city a little late. We came an extra day early because there was some more paperwork that needed to be done for the dog. We had a plan.

So we arrived at the airport with our dog in tow. We were pretty worried about her and so quickly went to the baggage claim and asked about our dog.

We came to the desk and they were like “uh… oh, it’s your dog… well she got out of her cage and when we opened the door she ran out”

My first thought: “This only happens to me” And I imagined the episode of Seinfled when Kramer is running next to the plane.

I offered to go out and call her, but they brushed me aside and told us not to worry and assured us they would get her back quickly.

I was laughing at first, but soon the laughter turned to worry, before it eventually turned to tears.

This ordeal was an extremely hard thing, but God used it in our lives. We believe He is sovereign in all things, and even with the things we see & learned, i am sure there is so much more.

i will post a number of things God taught me thru this lost dog. The first thing is God's heart for the lost.

i cry out that i would have such deep concern for the souls of men, those who are lost- as my heart was distressed for this lost puppy.

When i posted on facebook about our lost puppy- i don't think i ever got as many comments before. People were concerned for us. And we even more so than them.
We cried, our hearts ached. We begged, we pleaded, we prayed earnestly. We spent time and energy. Our hearts were spent.

i immediately realized (before all of that), that this is how God wants me to feel about the lost. And it is how i want to feel about the lost.

God's heart breaks for the lost. He loves the lost. He wants to help them and rescue them. He cares about them and wants to save them, reconcile them. Each person means so much to Him

Yet i can be so complacent. And i can care more about my dog than i do about the eternal destiny of people around me. My head knows the need, but my heart does not ache.

God convicted me right away, within a few minutes, but he was not done with me yet..

Mook on Confessing sin (or how God is not like a puppy)

You may have heard it said there is nothing God uses more in your sanctification than marriage, and I agree.

It’s not that marriage brings out the worst in you – it just reveals it!

I see all my sin and self-centeredness and selfishness and pride…  and filth and yuck!

And last week? Well, I saw a lot of it!

Soo forgave me and she accepts me, but it was still hard.

I could still see the grief and pain on her face. I still felt distant. I still felt bad, I still felt awful.

Then I was talking to Halle… and I thought, maybe this is why we like babies and puppies so much.

See, a baby may cry for a few minutes in the middle of the night, or may not particulary like how you hold them, but… they don’t really reject you.

And a dog, well they may whine for some food while you’re eating or may dislike a spanking, but they always like you.

Even if you upset a baby or a puppy- they seem to have short memories.

They like cuddling with you. They give little smiles.

And they don’t talk back.

They don’t say “but…” or give you looks to let you know how disappointed they are.

And I began thinking, maybe this is why I like God so much.

I tell Him all my sin, and He forgives me. He embraces me. He doesn’t hold my sin over me. I don’t feel guilt or shame at all.

And while some of those things are true, I think I discovered I may need to take a new look at confessing sin…

1.     God hates sin. He abhors it.

It’s not a mistake, that He just looks over. It’s not something He can just say “What? Don’t worry about it”

I think that is how I usually picture the whole process in my head.

Like the sin doesn’t bother him that much.

2.     Sin grieves God

This goes with the above. Just because I can’t see the grief & disappoinment and sadness, doesn’t mean God isn’t grieved. Eph 4:30 exhorts us: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Our sin causes God pain.

3.     God really is gentle with us, gracious with us. He forgives us & accepts us.

And this is not something to take lightly. He knows all our faults and all our sins (Psal 139). And He loves us anyway. He accepts us. He holds no record of wrongs (I Cor 13) and all fear is cast out (I John 4). He doesn’t deal harshly with us.

In the book Prodigal God, Tim Keller makes some observations on the story of the prodigal son. When the Father comes toward the son, he doesn’t say “Ew, you stink. Go wash up and I will give you a big hug.” Nor does he give him a big hug and then say wash up now and take my coat it stinks now too. He embraces him. He wants him to clean up, but not because he is disgusted by him

4.     He really does want repentance

Throughout the Old Testament, God rebukes His people. They offer sacrifices- but they are vain. Jesus rebukes the religious leaders likewise. They worship, but the hearts are far away. Words, even words of confession, are in vain if our hearts and actions aren’t impacted.

We are called to repent
When the women caught adultery is not stoned, Jesus says "Neither do i condemn you" but He also adds "Go, and sin no more."
Jesus lived among the sinners, but He never condoned what they did and certainly did not enable them to sin

5.     God longs to show mercy

Even in all His anger in the Old Testament in Jeremiah and elsewhere, He is looking for opportunities to show mercy and grace and love

6.     All of this is possible because of Jesus.

Though God hates sin, He punishes our sin on Jesus. Though sin grieves Him, He looks at the righteousness of Jesus. And Jesus stands us an advocate for us.
Thru the death of Christ, we are free from all condemnation- all guilt, all shame. Jesus took all our shame, all our guilt upon Him on the Cross! We are accepted, loved.

Jesus is now living in us and sent His Spirit so we can repent and turn to God. Jesus provides the example for us how to live and the Holy spirit is making us more like Christ

And we are shown just how much God longs to show mercy, when the Father sent His Son, and the Son freely gave His life for us

So, while God is gracious, kind- and all I need to do is confess, I am already forgiven. I shouldn’t take my sin so lightly.

I am not just talking to a wall. I am not talking to the air. I am certainly not talking to a puppy. And while Ricky Bobby may pray to baby Jesus- He is not a little baby, He is King of Kings, God Almighty. He is meek & mild, ferocious & wild. He is a gentle thunder. He is the lion & the lamb – a lion-like lamb and a lamb-like lion (as John Piper would say).

We don’t just confess to get things off our chest, and not to feel better about ourselves.

We confess to renew our relationship with God and allow the holy spirit to work in our lives and make us more like Christ and to relish in the mercy & grace & kindness & goodness & love of our Lord.

Lord, be glorified!