Dec 03 2007
Where You Lead, I Will Follow
It is Thanksgiving and your favorite aunt brings her customary unusual casserole. Of course the family smiles each year telling her how delicious the dish is, regardless of the fact that most of the family has no clue what ingredients are actually used to make the delicacy.
Most of us can relate to having a relative like that and many of us know what it is like to eat some strange or unidentifiable food items. Unless you have traveled overseas, I dare say you have never experienced the importance of saying grace before you eat. Many Christians may say a brief prayer before consuming their store bought food.
On a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I learned to broaden my horizons and to look at things differently. I spent some time with the Dekese Tribe, located near the Sankuru River. Staple food items in this part of the world include termites, crickets and the simbriki, or cane rat, which is a forest animal that is hunted and trapped for food. For a real treat, try frying up some palm grubs with salt and hot peppers, called “pili-pili.”
There will be times in our Christian life where the Holy Spirit will lead us in the direction of strange and foreign “territories.” These may include tackling a new ministry for which you have no experience or packing your belongings and leaving friends and family behind to witness to non-believers in a different part of the world. Oftentimes, He will remove us from our comfort zones as a measure of our spiritual growth.
In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel replied to Saul:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Today, Christian, set aside those habitual offerings to God and instead, follow Him wherever He may lead you.
For more information on the ministry of Rivers of The World, visit www.row.org.