by Joyce Meyer
We have a team of people from our ministry who try to help people living in the tunnels under the downtown bridge. They have found that each of these people had a life prior to the tunnels and they all have story. Something tragic happened to them that resulted in them being in their present circumstance. They appreciate the sandwiches and the rides to church where they can shower and get clean clothes, but mostly they appreciate someone caring enough to actually talk with them long enough to find who they are and what has happened to them.
Let me encourage you to do everything you can to help others. If they simply need you to be there, then take time to do so. Ask God what He wants you do to—and He will answer your prayer so you can do it.
Practice Aggressive Goodness
Do you believe the world is filled with injustice? Do you think something should be done about starving children? Should somebody help the 1.1 million people who have no safe drinking water? Should people live on streets and under bridges? Should a family you have gone to church with for years experience a tragedy and not even get a phone call from anyone to find out why they have not been in church for three months? If a church of another denomination in your city burns down, is it proper to just pray and do nothing practical to help? Do you believe somebody should do something about injustice? I somehow think you have answered all of these questions correctly, so I have one final question. What are you going to do? Will you be the “somebody” who does what needs to be done?
When I ask what you are going to do, do you perhaps feel fear because you wonder what “doing something” will require? I understand that kind of panicky feeling. After all, if I really decide to forget myself and start aggressively trying to help, what will happen to me? Who will take care of me if I don’t take care of myself? God said He would, so I think we should find out if He really meant what He said. Why not retire from “self care,” and see if God can do a better job than you have done. If we take care of His business, which is helping hurting people, I believe He will take care of ours.
Just Keep Moving
As I close this chapter, let me say that I realize things happen in life that cause us to want to retreat from the world for a while. I realize that major life changes occur and require a period of readjustment, and I realize that loss or trauma can make people not want to interact with or reach out to others. I am sympathetic to these things, and if you have experienced a loss of some kind and it has left you numb and not feeling like doing anything, I understand how you feel, but I want to encourage you to force yourself to keep moving. Satan wants to isolate you because you may not have the strength to defeat his lies by yourself. I know that it may sound almost ridiculous to tell you to go help somebody else, but I believe with all my heart that doing so is a protection for you as well as the answer to the world’s problems.
Let me say it again: I firmly believe we need a Love Revolution. We’ve all tried selfishness and depression, discouragement, and self-pity—and we have seen the fruit of that. The world is filled with the results of these things. Let’s join together in agreement that we will live life God’s way. Be mindful to be a blessing to others (see Gal. 6:10). Put on love (see Col. 3:14). That means to be active on purpose in reaching out to others. Watch and pray for opportunities; be a spy for God! Jesus got up daily and went about doing good (see Acts 10:38). It seems so simple. I wonder how we have missed it all this time.
CHAPTER 4
Interrupted by God
Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year.
W.E.B. DuBois
I frequently stay in hotels during my ministry travels, and when I am in my room I always put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door so nobody will bother me. Putting such a sign on my hotel room door is acceptable, but having one on my life is not.
Have you ever noticed that God does not always do things on your timetable or in ways that are convenient? Paul told Timothy that as a servant of God and a minister of the gospel, he had to fulfill his duties whether it was convenient or inconvenient (see 2 Tim. 4:2). I doubt Timothy was nearly as addicted to convenience as we are today, yet Paul thought it was important to remind him to be prepared to be inconvenienced or interrupted by God. If Timothy needed to hear that, I am sure we also need to hear it frequently, because we are probably more attached to convenience than Timothy was. All I have to do to recognize how much I value convenience is listen to myself complain when even the smallest device I have doesn’t work properly—the dishwasher, air conditioner, hair dryer, clothes dryer, washing machine, microwave, or countless other things.
I watch people in our conferences in America complain because they have to park a few blocks away from the conference venue, yet in India people walk three days to get to a Bible conference. I watch people in America disturb those around them to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water or take a phone call, but in India people sit in the dirt for literally most of the day without ever considering getting up. In my country, they complain if it is too cold or too hot, yet when I go to India the only people I hear complaining about the heat are the ones I brought with me, including myself.
I do believe we have an addiction to convenience. I’m not suggesting that we unplug our modern conveniences, and I certainly understand that we desire what we are accustomed to, but we do need to have the proper mind-set about convenience. If we can have it, thank God (literally). But not being able to have it should never stop us from doing anything God asks us to do.
I recall a time several years ago when a blind couple wanted to come to our Wednesday night teaching sessions, which were held at a banquet center in St. Louis. They normally took the bus, but their usual route was canceled, so the only way they could continue coming would be for someone to pick them up and take them home. What an opportunity! I thought people would be standing in line to help, but nobody was willing to do it because they lived in an area considered “out of the way.”
In other words, providing transportation for this couple would have been inconvenient. I remember having to get one of our employees to do it, which meant we had to pay that person. It is amazing how much more willing we are to “help” if we are going to get money for it. We must remember that the love of money is the root of all evil. We cannot allow money to be our main motivator in life. We all need money, but we also need to do things for other people, and the fact that these acts of kindness are inconvenient sometimes is actually good for us. Often, such opportunities are “testing times,” times when God checks to see whether or not we are committed. If you are willing to do something kind for someone else with no pay and perhaps no credit, it is a positive sign that your spiritual heart is in good condition.
When God wanted to see if the Israelites would obey His commands, He led them the long, hard way in the wilderness (see Deut. 8:1–2). Sometimes He does the same with us. We are very willing to “obey” God when it is easy and we are being quickly rewarded for our efforts. But what about when it is inconvenient, when it is not according to our plan, and when there seems to be nothing in it for us? How obedient are we then? These are questions we all need to ask ourselves because it’s very important to be honest about our commitment. It is easy to stand in church and sing “I Surrender All,” but what do we do when the surrender is more than a song and is actually a requirement?
God, This Is Just Not a Good Time
The Bible tells a story about a man who did not follow God because doing so would have been inconvenient. This man, named Felix, asked Paul to come and preach the gospel to him. But when Paul started talking to him about right living, purity of life, and control of the passions, Felix became alarmed and frightened. He told Paul to go away and that he would call him at a more convenient time (see Acts 24:25). I find this extremely amusing, not because it is really funny, but because it clearly depicts the way we are. We don’t mind hearing about how much God loves us and about the g
ood plans He has for our lives, but when He begins to chastise us or correct us in any way, we try to tell Him that “now” is just not a good time. I doubt He ever chooses a time we would consider, “a good time,” and I think He does that on purpose!
When the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, they were led by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud moved, they had to move and when it hovered, they stayed where they were. The interesting thing is that there was no pattern or plan they knew of concerning when the cloud might move. They simply had to move when the cloud did (see Num. 9:15–23). The Bible says that sometimes it moved during the day and sometimes it moved at night. Sometimes it rested for a few days and sometimes it rested for one day. I seriously doubt that at night they all hung “Do Not Disturb” signs on the openings of their tents to let God know they did not want to be inconvenienced. When He decided it was time to make progress they packed up and followed Him, and when He decides it is time for us to move to the next level of our journey in Him, we should never say, “This is just not a good time!”
Wouldn’t it have been nice if God had provided a monthly calendar showing all the moving days so they could have been mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared? I wonder why He didn’t do that. Was it simply because He interrupts us on purpose just to see how we will respond?
God knows best and His timing is always exactly right. The fact that I don’t feel ready to deal with something in my life doesn’t mean that I’m not ready. God is the head of the “ways and means” committee. His ways are not our ways, but they are higher and better than our ways (see Isa. 55:9).
Why Isn’t It Easier?
If God wants us to help people, why doesn’t He make it easy and cost effective? Let me answer that question with another question. Did Jesus sacrifice anything to purchase our freedom from sin and bondage? I wonder why God didn’t make the plan of salvation easier. After all, He could have devised any plan He wanted to and simply said, “This is going to work.” It seems that in God’s economy nothing cheap is worth having. King David said he would not give God that which cost him nothing (see 2 Sam. 24:24). I have learned that true giving is not giving until I can feel it. Giving away all my clothes and household items that are old and I am finished with may be a nice gesture, but it does not equate to real giving. Real giving occurs when I give somebody something that I want to keep. I am sure you have had those testing times when God asks you to give away something that you like. He gave us His only Son because He loves us, so what will love cause us to do? Can we at least be inconvenienced or uncomfortable occasionally in order to help someone in need?
I recently saw a story on television about a young couple who were very much in love and were soon to be married. Tragically, she was in a car accident that left her in a coma for months. The man she was to marry sat by her side day after day and finally she woke up, but she had brain damage and would forever be crippled and unable to do many things for herself. The young man did not even consider not going ahead with the wedding. She went down the aisle in a wheelchair, not being able to speak clearly due to her injuries but obviously extremely joyful. For the remainder of his life the young man cared for her and they enjoyed life together. With his help and encouragement she even became part of the Special Olympics and was able to accomplish amazing things.
It would have been so easy and even understandable to most of us if the young man had simply walked away. After all, staying with her meant that he would be inconvenienced and need to sacrifice daily. However, he did not walk away as so many do when faced with situations that will be uncomfortable for them. He stayed and in all probability experienced more joy in life than most of us do.
If you are like me, you really enjoy reading about people who sacrificed so much for the benefit of others, but I suspect that God wants you and me to do more than read their stories. Perhaps He wants you to have a story of your own.
Inconvenienced for Someone Else’s Convenience
God will interrupt one person and ask him or her to do something inconvenient in order to make life more convenient for another person. We must understand God’s ways or we will resist what we should embrace. The simple truth is this: We must give in order to be happy, and giving is not true giving if we don’t feel the sacrifice of it.
Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other disciples were greatly honored. They were chosen to be the twelve disciples, the men who would learn from Jesus and then carry the gospel to the world. They were all busy when Jesus called them. They had lives, families, and businesses to take care of. With no warning at all, Jesus showed up and said, “Follow Me.” The Bible says Peter and Andrew were casting their nets into the sea when Jesus called them, and they left their nets and followed Him (see Matt. 4:18–21). Talk about an interruption! He did not tell them they could pray about it, or consider it, or go home and talk to their wives and children. He merely said, “Follow Me.”
They didn’t ask how long they would be gone or what the salary package would be. They didn’t ask about benefits, compensation time for travel, or what kind of hotel they would be staying in. They didn’t even ask Him what their job description would be. They simply left all and followed Him. Even when I read about this now, I must admit it seems a bit severe, but perhaps the greater the opportunity is, the greater the sacrifice must be.
I remember a time when I was complaining about some of the things God seemed to be requiring of me, because I felt others didn’t have the same requirements placed on them. He simply said, “Joyce, you have asked Me for a lot. Do you want it or not?” I had asked to be able to help people all over the world, and I was learning that the privilege of doing so would frequently be inconvenient and uncomfortable.
It is impossible to have a harvest without sowing seed. King Solomon said that if we wait for all conditions to be favorable before we sow, we will never reap (see Eccles. 11:4). In other words, we must give and obey God when it is not convenient and when it is costly. Perhaps these twelve men were the ones chosen because they were willing to do what others were not willing to do. Although the Bible does not say Jesus called any who refused Him, perhaps He did. Perhaps He had to speak to thousands to get the twelve. At least I think that’s the way it is today. People who are willing to sacrifice, to be inconvenienced, and to have their plans interrupted are few. Many sing of their love for Jesus and that is nice, but we must also remember that although singing is fun, it does not require sacrifice. Real love requires sacrifice.
I believe that there is not much real love displayed in the world because it takes effort and always costs something. We need to remember this reality if we are seriously going to participate in a Love Revolution. It is always wise to count the cost before making any kind of commitment, otherwise we probably won’t finish what we start.
Interrupted by God
The more I study the men and women in the Bible who we consider to be “great,” the more I see that they all made huge sacrifices and there was nothing convenient about what God asked them to do.
Abraham had to leave his country, his relatives, and his home and go to a place God would not even tell him about until he went there. Perhaps he thought he might end up in a palace as a king or something, but instead he wandered from place to place, living in temporary tents. He ended up in Egypt—a land that was “oppressive (intense and grievous)”—in the midst of a famine (Gen. 12:10). Although the sacrifice was great, Abraham was given the privilege of being the man with whom God made a covenant agreement, and through him all families of the earth have the opportunity to be blessed by God (see Gen. 22:18). Wow!
Joseph saved a nation from starvation, but not before God violently removed him from his comfortable home where he was Daddy’s favorite and put him in an inconvenient place for many years. God did that in order to position Joseph to be in the right place at the right time. But Joseph could only know that after the fact. We often don’t understand why we are where we are, and say, �
�God, what am I doing here?” I know I have said that to God many times, and although He didn’t bother to answer me at the time, I can look back now and realize that each place where I was became part of where I am today.
Esther saved the Jews from destruction, but God certainly interrupted her plan in order for her to do so. She was a young maiden who without doubt had plans for her future when suddenly, without warning, she was asked to enter the king’s harem and gain favor with him so she could reveal the plan of wicked Haman, who intended to slaughter the Jews.
She was asked to do things that left her frightened for her life, but her uncle wisely said: “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?” (Esther 4:14).