What Now?
It has been a week since we gathered at the Embassy Suites in Greenville, SC. We heard some really great teaching on how we belong at the table with Jesus. The music was wonderful, the venue was nice, the food was delicious. We hugged, we cried, we laughed, we rejoiced.
So now what? It is so easy to come home from a mountaintop experience and forget. Did you have one takeaway? What will you do with it? How did God speak to you? What was that one nugget? Will it change your life?
If you were unable to attend, here is a synopsis of what we heard. The theme was “We BELONG, There is Still Room….”
--Despite our identity (Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, crippled in both feet-- 2 Samuel 9, the identity put on him by others). Sometimes our identity is false, especially given by others. How we perceive ourselves can keep us ineffective. We can even hide from God and can keep us from living the life God has for us. What GOD says about us is far more important than what others say or even we think.
--Despite what we lack (Naomi, widow who also lost both sons, Ruth 1:1-13, 19-21). She had lost so much and was so bitter that she even told her friends to change her name to reflect that. Through the love of her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she saw God provide for her and she became the ancestor of the Savior.
--Despite our circumstances (Esther, Jewish woman who was a beauty queen in a foreign land, Esther 4:1-17). The Jews were scheduled to be annihilated by the Persian leader and her uncle told her she was in her position to do something about it. She ended up appealing to the king and saved them.
--Despite our shortcomings (Sarah, barren wife of Abraham, who was promised he’d be the father of a great nation, Gen. 16:1-6, 21:1-7), which often make us feel inadequate for anything. The one thing she felt she needed to do, she could not. She struggled with control, treated Hagar with contempt, and didn’t take responsibility for what she’d done (she blamed Abraham). Even though she took matters into her own hands rather than wait for God, she eventually became the miracle mother. God still used her!
--Despite our past (Samaritan woman with her bad reputation, John 4:4-30, 39-42). No matter what she’d done, which Jesus knew, He gently told her that He was her Savior. She was so overwhelmed that she ran back and told the whole town. She was an evangelist! And the people listened to her because she had a message of truth.
These are probably very familiar stories and when they are all put together, they tell another story. All of these people are examples of a life God redeemed and used for His glory. There is still room!
Tatum shared a number of her personal struggles and those of others she ministers to. Her transparency about her own life drew us all in and kept us enthralled. God spoke through her in such powerful ways—so many commented about the impact of her messages!
So what now? The last thing Tatum shared was that just as the Samaritan woman, “we are not outcasts, we are bringers of faith. WE ARE EVANGELISTS.” Just as that woman brought all the town to Jesus, we can have an impact on others around us for the Savior. There are so many things to take away from the weekend, but that is undeniable. We are Alliance Women, just by being part of an Alliance church. We are Christians. We are saved, many are not. We are bringers of faith.
Maybe one or two…or all of the “despites” fits you. Be encouraged to look at those scriptures and see that those people struggled and felt like they didn’t measure up, BUT GOD. He looks for a broken and contrite spirit, a heart yielded to Him, a life yielded to serve. He then uses that person in powerful ways to accomplish HIS purpose.
What will your story be?
