There are some scriptures that I've come across in the past couple months that have really made an impact on me and my decision to go to Uganda, and I wanted to share them!
The biggest is Hebrews 11:24-26:
"It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to share in the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward."
This really speaks to my heart. Moses had everything, as he was living in the palace as a son of Pharaoh. He was rich! Even richer than me! :) And yet when he grew and matured, he realized the suffering of God's people, the Israelites. And he found it more worthy to suffer oppression with them in order to help them than to keep living in comfort in the palace.
In modern times, maybe this could be a person living with everything they needed here in America, who decides that it is more worthy to go to the poorest country in the world and live with less in order to help others? :)
Another scripture that helped me decide was Proverbs 24:12:
"Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."
Pretty self explanatory. Once we have felt guidance, we can't pretend that we don't know what to do. There was simply no way I could just turn away from this idea and pretend I had never been led to it.
The other two that have impacted me lately are a little harsh, but all too true for many people in the world. In trying to surround myself with positive influences, I haven't personally met very many "bad eggs," but when you think about all the horrible problems of the world, like human trafficking, terrorism, sex slavery, theft, murder, etc., etc....it's easy to forget, but the existence of those things are dependent on individual human beings to actually do them. People who live and breathe and think and walk this earth choose to do those things, and so they exist. Anyway, these scriptures are harsh but they remind me that life with Christ is meant to be completely different than life without Him. While this obviously doesn't mean that I've only recently decided not to murder or steal, it does mean that I've decided to put Him first, and especially to spend more time learning about Him and less time absorbed in things of this world.
Ephesians 4:17-24:
"With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasures and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn't what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy."
Isaiah 8:11-15:
"The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does [instructed me that I should not walk in the ways of these people]. He said, 'Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heavens Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah [those that reject Him], He will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem, He will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured."
Two more very simple ones:
Matthew 10:8:
"Freely you have received, freely give!"
Ephesians 4:1:
"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God."
And some from my little diary I was keeping while I tried to figure out what to do:
Hebrews 12:1-2:
"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus."
My diary says: Let us cast aside the self-pleasing junk of this world! How many hours can we spend watching TV, playing games, saving up for the latest gadget that we'll only enjoy for a few months? No more! Keep our eyes on Jesus!
Isaiah 3:15:
" 'How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?' demands the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies."
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