Obedience Brings Joy!

Yesterday
In our travels from Shiyan to Beijing we were blessed to share the Word with about 12 people. We gave 10 Bibles marked with Genesis, Proverbs, and Matthew 5-7. Then we talked with them about who we are, what it means, and they asked some questions as well. Ding, a man of about 60 that is fluent in 5 languages, was happy to translate for us. One man finished reading Genesis before getting off the train. A woman wouldn't stop staring at us as Jaime and I were reading "I Married You, Not Your Family". She didn't understand, but had the typical foreigner curiosity look, but she had heard all that we were saying to the others. We gave her a Bible marked with Matthew 22 and 1 Corinthians 13, explaining the meaning of each as best we could. She read them and a little of some other things, then went back to staring at us.

A believing woman had prayed she would meet other Christians on the train. She has only been believing for a year, is not highly educated, and was very nervous. She wanted us to explain the deeper meanings of the Old Testament and the entire Bible in a few simple words. We mentioned the overall meaning - the OT is saying that Jesus will come, the NT is saying that Jesus has come; God is showing us how to be more loving, faithful, and forgiving throughout the Bible; and this all wasn't good enough. So I went on to describe the major themes of the sections in the Bible. She nearly ran away at this. My new translator friend said she was nervous, so I went to where she was and calmed her... telling her my story and giving her my email, phone number, and such. She was happy, thankful, and said she will get in touch with us later.

On the taxi ride home we talked with the driver, he said he might have free time on Sundays (sometimes he drives, sometimes he doesn't). So we invited him to our meeting. He seemed to be very interested and kept repeating the time of our meeting.

When we finally got home... we unpacked, showered, went online, and got some pizza.

Acts 12-24
I want to finish reading Acts before the New Year, so I read a lot on the train (even though it is so difficult to focus). These passages again talk about how quickly the people of this world turn from idol worship to worshipping men to wanting to kill them. People are easily set off, especially when there are large numbers. Group think can be very dangerous, it is more Mob Mentality. Paul was such a determined man, faithful even in the face of death. He was able to go from being stoned and beaten to quieting the crowd and commanding their attention... only to set them off again as they were disturbed by the message of Truth. I pray I can speak as boldly, as faithfully, and encourage others to do the same. (I do not pray for the same level of persecution for me or anyone!)

Power of a Praying Husband - Obedience
There is awesome joy in doing good! Obeying God provides blessings of confidence, increasing maturity, joy, greater meaning and purpose in life, great satisfaction, increasing understanding of the Spirit, and on and on the list could go.

Being obedient in actions, words, and thoughts is a daily challenge, a daily exercise of the will, mind, and emotions. It reminds me of the song "Be Careful Little Eyes" - the song could add a verse "be careful little heart what you feel," and another "be careful little mind what you think."

Prayer
God grant us the desire to be obedient in every way. God gives us the joy and many other blessings that go along with obeying your will for our lives. Guard our hearts and minds, discipline us to be faithful to you in our thinking, emotions, words, and actions.

Thank you Lord for being able to share your Word with so many on the train to Shiyan and returning to Beijing. God we pray that you will water those seeds, help them to grow, and bring them to a great harvest!