The Famine Is Severe In The Land

"Now the famine was severe in the land.....and it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food."....For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.....and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went." (Genesis 43: 1-15)


Praise God for the famine in our life, that drives us in utter helplessness back to Him! Praise Him that what we have gets eaten up, and we must turn to Him for more! But how like unto the faltering, fearful family of Israel we act! We could find absolute relief, sufficiency, satisfaction in Jesus Christ; yet we delay, debate, wonder, waste time, and stay hungry.

When finally in desperation we are driven to Him we think we must do some great thing to meet His terms, and we try to carry "double money" in all sorts of ways, to make sure of what He is yearningly waiting to give us. He does ask us for one thing, and one only: and that is the dearest possession of our lives. With Israel's family the dearest possession was Benjamin. When we lay down our dearest possession, then the treasures of the kingdom are flung open to us and lavished into our life.

A drying well will often lead the spirit to the river that flows from the throne of God.

- Messages for the Morning Watch taken from "Springs in the Valley".

If the famine in your heart is as severe as mine, you are left with only one option and that option is throwing yourself into the arms of God, confessing your lack, inviting Him to replenish every part of you so that, once again, "your cup will overflow" with living waters. Only believe that there is one true fulfillment of your plans, your purpose, your dreams, your passion. His name is Jesus and He is the lover of our souls.

Lord Jesus, Revive some dry hearts and mouths today for Your glory.

Divine Support?

One thing we've learned in the few months since trusting God to lead this vision is that everyone in the Non-profit world is looking for "support", including us. There are heaps of resources that provide insight towards properly raising this "support". As much as Come&Live! is currently being funded fully through the generosity of individuals like you (meaning we trust God daily to use people like yourself to provide for our basic needs such as placing food on our tables, covering the costs of printing promotional materials, album recordings, spending time loving and caring for artists, etc.), we should be clear in reminding you, and mostly ourselves, that none of our efforts can even begin to compare to the "support" that God provides - even when there is no sign of financial "provision" on the horizon.

We live in a time and place where financial resources are at a premium. No cash = No opportunity, No opportunity = No Hope. How shallow we are to think that God needs the material currency of our world in order to provide for us. Of course He loves to provide for our every need, and He is always concerned and more than willing/able to care for us. If we are to "love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength" then is it only logical that God's "support" would be to each of those areas? Do you have a need? Be it material, financial, spiritual, relational, emotional - or anything else - Divine Support comes from God's unlimited and unrestrained treasury. The catch is that it only comes on HIS terms. He is the Lender and you and I are just the borrowers. God provides the minute He knows we can receive it and that we will handle it with total responsibility and proper stewardship. If we had the very best of intentions and were to walk into a bank asking for an unsecured loan in the amount of 3 Million dollars to build an empire with, the bank would never give it to us without first being 100% sure that we would repay, with proper interest. The same is true of God's lending. He demands an interest on His provision in the form of fruit bearing. Do we bear fruit under our current circumstances or are we looking ahead to a payday that will give us what we "need" in order to truly bear fruit? We are called to bear fruit wherever we are and whatever our outward circumstances might look like. Divine support is freely given to the borrowers of grace in order to pass it along so as to see much fruit growing all around us. I don't know about you, but we here at C&L! want to be in the fruit business. We want our interest on God's loan to be such pleasing fruit that He continually trust us with more.

A wonderful reminder comes through this puritan prayer from the 1800's, let's make it our prayer for Divine Support:

"Thou art the blessed God, happy in thyself, source of happiness in thy creatures, my maker, benefactor, proprietor, upholder.

Thou hast produced and sustained me, supported and indulged me, saved and kept me; Thou art in every situation able to meet my needs and miseries.

May I live by thee, live for thee, never be satisfied with my Christian progress but as I resemble Christ; And may conformity to His principles, temper, and conduct grow hourly in my life.

Let Thy unexampled love constrain me into holy obedience, and render my duty my delight. If others deem my faith folly, my meekness infirmity, my zeal madness, my hope delusion, my actions hypocrisy, may I rejoice to suffer for Thy name.

Keep me walking steadfastly towards the country of everlasting delights, that paradise-land which is my true inheritance.

Support me by the strength of heaven that I may never turn back, or desire false pleasures that wilt and disappear into nothing.

As I pursue my heavenly journey by thy grace let me be known as a man with no aim but that of a burning desire for thee, and the good and salvation of my fellow men."

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Would radical generosity be the new currency of our generation! It starts with you and I.