I Was A Stranger And You Took Me In

Last weekend Brad and I had the privilege of attending Faith Christian Fellowship's family conference in Ajax Ontario. There we were blessed by the ministry of Jeremy and Sarah Pearsons and also attended our ordination service. It feels rather strange to see Rev. Stephanie Israelson on my certificate of ordination, but I know that God has prepared me for such a time as this. Last week was such a beautiful journey for me in God, He revealed to me His intricate weavings in my life, threads of colours representing people, places, words, dreams and a calling of God that I could never have imagined such a delicate tapestry to be mine in the making all these wonderful years. I am overwhelmed by His amazing grace.

Yet in my world of bliss and thankfulness, our hearts were gripped with the reality and sadness of unfolding events of terror that took place in the heart of France during our trip. We got to our hotel Friday night and turned on the news to be shocked as I'm sure the rest of the world was as we watched with horror. We live in a fallen world that so desperately needs Jesus. In the wake of such devastating terror I've noticed the constant bombardment and divided opinions on social media concerning the status of the refugee crisis. I have to be honest, with our newly elected Prime Minister Trudeau bent on keeping his campaign promises of allowing 25,000 refugees into our country by January 2016 seems farfetched and unrealistic, but also something inside gnaws at us wondering if allowing such numbers into our country so quickly would lower the screening process and allow for possible terrorists to infiltrate with the refugees. 

Its an interesting position that we find ourselves in as North Americans. Just because we live on the other side of the world of such suffering does not mean that such suffering does not exist. My heart cries out to the living God, come Lord Jesus come, you are the only one that can make sense of such a mess and set the world on a path to peace and righteousness. For when they shall say; peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. 1Thess 5:3 I think we all feel it in the air that our cushy comfortableness could easily be ripped out from under our noses in a moment of time if the world continues on the path that it is currently racing towards. 

Yesterday on our way home with a 12 hr drive ahead of us we had lots of time for conversation amongst the passengers that were with us. The Paris attacks were brought up several times and the refugee crisis. As I was considering and reasoning all these things within myself, I heard the Lord say, "I was a stranger and you took me in". I immediately got out my phone and looked up Matthew 25 on my Olive Tree app and read the discourse of Jesus talking about the last day when He will sit in glory on His throne to judge the nations and He likens the nations to goats and sheep revealing how He will bring separation to them. I find it very interesting how the nations are faced with a refugee crisis in what many, including myself believe to be the last of the last days. This migration and displacement of peoples will likely only grow more serious and astronomical as we come into the hours that lay in wait to unfold. Could it be possible in part that Jesus would consider governments and their treatment of refugees in His just judgements of separating the sheep from the goats and fulfill the prophetic gesturing of this text below in Matthew 25. It has been my prayer that Canada will enter into the millennium a sheep nation. Will you also consider the words of Jesus to be relevant in your own life as you develop your opinion of the coming world crisis of displaced peoples and people in need. I know that many argue, we have our own homeless to deal with in our own nation, and what about the terrorists that could infiltrate with refugees and on and on the arguments go, I'm not looking to address all of these opinions, but I do ask you, will you develop your opinion on all of this in light and reflection of the words of Jesus and the heartbeat of His divine ministry of love, healing, giving, grace, mercy etc. In these critical hours I implore you to pray for our new young Prime Minister. He seems to have his heart set on bringing refugees into our nation by the thousands. Instead of arguing over whether these things should be done we must get on our knees and pray and ask God to cover this process with divine intervention and that families that are truly in need will reach our borders and that God will stay the hand of terrorists outside of our borders and cause their plans to be unsuccessful concerning our nation. 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

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