I just got back from a missions trip to Guaimaca, Honduras and I miss it so much already! First off the weather was amazing and the mountains were beautiful! I love being surrounded by the beauty of God's hand.
At Guaimaca they speak spanish and I can pick up a few words and say only a couple of phrases. Before I go on I just want to thank the Lord for the Honduran translators that assisted us! They were essential in sharing with the communities the love God has for them!
Now, "Para Tu" is a phrase I used alot, it means "For you". Whether it was giving Bibles, beans and rice, toys, tracts, or money, Para Tu was my favorite phrase. Why? Because while handing them the item and saying Para Tu ,their face would light up. Whether it was a face of a cowboy, a wife or a child, excitement and joy rushed to the fore front! I love giving gifts and it is something about giving a needed gift at the right time that does my spirit good!
The Bible says in Proverbs 15:23 "A man has joy in giving an appropriate answer, And how good and delightful is a word spoken at the right moment--how good it is! How true is this! A good word or seed in a right season bears much fruit!
On my trip I was surrounded by mountains and mountains reminds me of one of the names of God, Jehovah Jireh. In Genesis, Abraham was told to sacrifice his son and Abraham walked up the mountain to obey. AND at the top of that mountain, as Abraham had set his mind to obey and God provided a ram in a bush. Here Abraham named the place Jehovah Jireh which means " the Lord will provide" and people still use the proverb "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided"; Genesis 22:13-14. If you don't know this story, I want to encourage you to go take a read (Genesis 22). But the Lord is true to His name! He will provide!
Every day of the trip the Lord provided, whether that was having enough beans and rice, opening doors for conversations or just giving us the opportunity to walk out the joy of the Lord. But take notice this provision takes place after our hearts were set to obey. God doesn't ask us to have every answer or solution or every tool needed for the next season, He asks us to obey first. This obedience then leads to the "para tu" moment of provision.
Today, back home, there was a Para Tu moment for me from God. During the trip I was able to wake up and just start my day with the Lord. It was a time of filling in preparation for the outpouring of the day. The first morning before going out into the villages the Lord pointed out the verse that says "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ"-Ephesians 1:3 And in church this morning our pastor began with this verse! In that moment I knew the Lord was saying to me "this is FOR YOU!" and the joy that I felt was just overwhelming! It was kind of like the Lord gave me all of these Para Tu moments for those in Honduras and turned around and gave me the same thing back home! Oh how good the Father is!
So I want to encourage believers take the step of obedience because the Lord wants to give gifts and promises that are Para Tu!
For those who don't know Jesus a the living God who died and was raised again so that you can live in freedom I want to challenge you to ask God a question. Ask him, If you are alive and want a relationship with me, show me. I believe He will! In Ephesians 1 it says that before God made the world before any living being roamed the earth He loved you and chose you to be adopted into His family AND this gave God great pleasure! Ephesisans 2 tells us that Salvation (being rescued from the chains of sin and brought into a relationship with the living God) is not a reward for the good things we have done but is a gift given through grace when you believe.
For those who know Jesus as Savior, follow him as Lord and have become a part of his inheretance I want to remind you of the promises that are FOR YOU...PARA TU!
~Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they WILL be filled- Matthew 5:6
~We are created new to that we can do the good things God has planned long ago!- Ephesisans 2:10
~We can come boldly and confidently into Gods presence -Ephesians 3:12
~God will finish the good work he started in you until it is fully complete!-Philippians 1:6
I want to end with a prayer from Paul for Spiritual Growth:
" When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father , the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower yo with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, HOW WIDE< HOW LONG< HOW HIGH AND HOW DEEP HIS LOVE IS. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to undGod. Now all glory to God who is able, though his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! AMEN." ~ Ephesisans 3:14-21