Nicaragua continues to surprise me.
In preparation for my trip, mentally I assumed that stepping off the plane into a 3rd world environment would be much like it was the last time I had done it several years before. My assumptions for this trip were turned upside down.
I have learned a more intense meaning of the last part of Colossians 3 where we are told to work as for the Lord and not for man, not seeking an earthly reward. And if we were to seek our earthly reward, we would receive it in full. Meaning, the short-lived gratification of working for men rather than God would come and go quickly with no lasting satisfaction. A thank you comes and goes in seconds, but wholeness in the Lord is what we were created for.
It becomes natural in our minds, for example, to dig a trench for a water line or mix cement for the foundation of a house and expect and seek gratitude from those directly receiving our efforts. We find that happens very rarely here. We are quickly brought to moments of examination after long days of work in the hot sun, laboring for those in need, with sometimes no thanks or pats on the back. Was I working hard and diligently in the Nicaraguan sun all day for the Lord that he would be pleased with my efforts to love those in need by meeting their basic needs, or, was I seeking special thanks from the soon to be residents of the house we were building? The Lord does provide relationships and conversations from those who are truly grateful for your time and efforts. What I have found for me is that He does it just enough for me to continually be in a place where I have to seek Him for what really will fill my cup. Ha… Just as He designed it. Regardless of how our efforts are received by those in need, we are called to love and serve and give to them either way. This is why Paul told the Colossians not to put their efforts and work directed towards peers, but directed towards heaven. Paul knew very well what service and giving of himself with no thanks or immediate reward was like. He also knew that if we worked to please and be lifted high for our efforts, we would be working for earthly rewards and nothing eternal. We would be left empty. Working for the Lord is what satisfies us. His design always brings us back to Him, back to His feet, seeking Him as our reward.
He is our reward for righteousness. We need not to be looking for blessings in the form of money, security, health, and prosperity. Rather, Him blessing us with Himself. It is, Him satisfying our hearts in Him. This friends is what we were created for. This is what fills our hearts to the brim and overflows to those around us. Him. His very presence in our lives is the only blessing we should be seeking. The rest of what we need will be taken care of.
Seek the Lord because you love Him, not because you expect or need something.
We are not there, so we pray for Him to bring us there.
Pray Colossians 3:23-25 for us. He is teaching us to depend on Him. We need to be reminded daily who we are working for, and as verse 24 says, who we are really serving. Him.
More to come
Joey
Location:Chinandega
