Putting Up with Raisins
I just finished reading Amy Carmichael's little book God's Missionary. What an incredibly powerful reminder of our calling as Christians to be different from the world we live in! She writes to fellow missionaries, but the truth is she writes to all of us who name Jesus as our leader.
As I mentioned, the book is quite short — not quite 60 pages — but it is packed with great challenges. She cuts right to the heart of our tendencies as human beings to make room for other things in our life when God has called us to singularity. How many times do we rationalize taking part in activities or behaviors because "what's the harm?" When in actuality the harm is that the still quiet voice has called us to come apart and be separate.
She uses the Nazarite as an example. The Nazarite in the Old Testament was set apart for worship from an early age and was to never eat any part of the grapevine. We can understand why God might not want one who has taken Nazarite vows not to drink wine - that might result in accidental dissipation. But what about raisins? There is nothing harmful about those! And practically speaking, there is nothing harmful about raisins, except that the are forbidden for the Nazarite.
What has God forbidden to you? It may be different from what He has forbidden from someone else. I remember reading that Jack Hayford believes that God has asked him not to eat chocolate. This is not because anything is wrong with chocolate, but rather just because God has called him to give it up. It is a demonstration of Hayford's commitment to be set apart for Him. It is not, however, a demonstration that Hayford chose! It is well and good when we decide to give something up unilaterally for God, it is something else entirely when God asks us to give something up for Him!
What has God asked you to give up that you haven't been willing to?
When have you ignored your conscience because you used the rationalization "what's the harm?"
As I mentioned, the book is quite short — not quite 60 pages — but it is packed with great challenges. She cuts right to the heart of our tendencies as human beings to make room for other things in our life when God has called us to singularity. How many times do we rationalize taking part in activities or behaviors because "what's the harm?" When in actuality the harm is that the still quiet voice has called us to come apart and be separate.
She uses the Nazarite as an example. The Nazarite in the Old Testament was set apart for worship from an early age and was to never eat any part of the grapevine. We can understand why God might not want one who has taken Nazarite vows not to drink wine - that might result in accidental dissipation. But what about raisins? There is nothing harmful about those! And practically speaking, there is nothing harmful about raisins, except that the are forbidden for the Nazarite.
What has God forbidden to you? It may be different from what He has forbidden from someone else. I remember reading that Jack Hayford believes that God has asked him not to eat chocolate. This is not because anything is wrong with chocolate, but rather just because God has called him to give it up. It is a demonstration of Hayford's commitment to be set apart for Him. It is not, however, a demonstration that Hayford chose! It is well and good when we decide to give something up unilaterally for God, it is something else entirely when God asks us to give something up for Him!
What has God asked you to give up that you haven't been willing to?
When have you ignored your conscience because you used the rationalization "what's the harm?"
posted by Andrew Cromwell at
7:06 AM
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