Walk in the Righteous Path July 21, 2007

“The Way of good Men”
” Egzanp Moun Debyen”
Prov. 2:20-21
” So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land and men of integrity will remain in it.”
Creole: ” Se poutet sa, swiv egzanp moun debyen. Mache pye pou pye deye moun ki pa fe chemen kwochi. Paske se moun k’ap mache dwat yo ki pral rete nan peyi a. Se moun serye yo ki pral la.”

The Creole version of these verses brings out new light. The first verse directly re-translated to English states “…Follow the example of good men. Follow foot by foot behind those who walk straight.”
These are the instructions to those who are so passionate about Christ that they actually LIVE it. They not only follow the way of good (righteous) men, but first of all, follow Jesus’ example and way of living. We need not only to “walk in the way of good men”, but also be people of integrity. A person of integrity is trustworthy.
Following in the path of the righteous isn’t always easy.
I was baptized in Zabo, which is a village on a mountaintop 45 minutes away from Living Word base in Mayette. The pastors told me we were going to a river for the service, but it turned out the “river” was a small flowing pool in a crevice at the base of the mountain. It was a long walk down, and an even harder climb back to the top. I was 11 years old and clumsy.
Soon I realized that the best, safest way of travel was to follow my dad. I watched where he put his feet and strove to match him step by step. I knew if I did that, the way would be solid and I wouldn’t fall. Sometimes he pointed out the right way, but most of the time I needed to watch his steps. Follow the steps of the Lord, step by step.
That’s what following a trustworthy example is all about. We follow, foot by foot, (step by step) in the rough and the smooth, trusting the path of the righeous. Following righteousness is walking in wisdom.
Satan tries to blur our vision so that the path of the righteous seems obscure, but we can still find good ways of godly people. We need to develop a life of discipline in our daily walk. Just as I had mentioned in the introduction that we need to walk so close to Jesus that the dust of His feet hits our face, then we will also be in the path of the righteous, the way of good men. This is a process of perfection, causing us to strive for excellence in everything we do.
Why is it so important? Why follow the way of the righteous? Check out verse 21: ” For the upright will inhabit the land, and men of integrity will remain in it.”
We HAVE to follow the example of good men because only the upright will live in the land of wisdom. The other verses in Proverbs 2 talk very plainly about what is required of a person searching wisdom. The benefit is given: we will inhabit the land. Inhabit means to live or lodge, but another definition is “To rest”.
Live the difference. Follow righteousness. That lets us “rest in” wisdom. It gives us peaceful hearts knowing our ways are straight and allows others see the lighted path.
One last thought: Our constant pull towards passivity will be our downfall. Consider the lives of Bible heroes, and today’s heroes. They succeed and are fulfilled because they are passionate. Lukewarm doesn’t fit into their lifestyles or vocabulary. We MUST act. Jesus caused changes to happen as He lived out a life style of obedience to the Father, and so we must be, if we follow Him. We must be. Be IN the moment, in every moment, to become all we were destined to be.
May God hold you strongly in his favor!
Until next time,
Rachel

“People without Hope” July 3, 2007

“People without Hope”
“Moun Ki San Esperyans”

Proverbs 1:32-33:
” For the simple are killed by their turning away and the complacence of fools destroy them. But He who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of evil.”
Creole: ” Moun ki san esperyans yo mouri paske yo refize aprann. Bann moun fou yo menm, yo pa pran anyen pou anyen, se sa k’ap pedi yo tou. Men, moun ki koute sa m’ di yo jwenn lasirans, y’a viv ak kè poze, yo p’ap bezwen pè anyen.”
The Creole version of these verses speaks to me. The direct translation of “the simple” is ” people without hope”. So if we use that phrase with the English version, verse 32 says ” People without hope are killed by their turning away…”
How many times in life are we all hopeless? How many times do we actually expect bad things to happen, or KNOW the situation will be less then what we want? Often words become true, and through our own turning away, our negativity produces a negative result.
My car died the other day. Unexpectedly, I lost power steering and it died beside a gas station. I have a recall on my motor, so the first thing I did was “freak out”. I was thinking the worst immediately. I had to get to work, I had errands to run, how was I going to manager or afford getting a new car? I moaned over and over, and had the car towed to the nearest shop for estimates on repairs. Turns out the only thing really wrong with my car was that the gas light had went out, and I was too overwhelmed to look at my gas gauge, which (of course) rested on E. The mechanic said the only thing wrong with my car was the driver. I had to agree.
I panicked. I was a person without hope, and I turned away without listening to wisdom. It happens to all of us, in different situations. Yet the second of these two verses gives us hope.
The Creole version directly translates, ” But, those who listen to what I say will find assurance, and they will live with peaceful hearts, and they won’t need to fear anything” (v 33). How we all need peaceful hearts! We need peaceful hearts when we deal with our children, our spouses, our work, and our time. We need peaceful hearts when pondering the past, dwelling in the present and dreaming about the future. The key is to listen. Listen to wisdom and to God.
Really I think the message of Proverbs needs to begin here. I’m going through the whole book, chapter by chapter, and I invite you to discover wisdom along with me, not only in the select verses I mention, but in every verse. I will do my best to listen to wisdom and to cultivate a peaceful heart.
This is the key to ministry in places like Haiti, and ministry in general. Many people think in hopeless mentalities and that is why they live hopeless lives. As “Dusty” people, people who follow Christ as their Rabbi so closely that the dust from His sandals covers our face, we NEED to be different. Our outlook determines our lives. The way to change our outlook is to listen to wisdom. Hear what it says and in doing so, we are defying hopeless living. I challenge myself and I challenge you this month to be at peace, learning to listen to our Lord.
I pray for you on your personal journey.. May God rain blessings upon you and grant you new opportunities to live in peace.
Until next time,
Rachel

Introduction to Rachel July 3, 2007

The Introduction

My name is Rachel, and I am Patrick and Barb’s daughter. I was raised at my parent’s side in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I’m sure I’ve met some of you in churches or on teams throughout the years. I’ve been living away from home for over four years now. I’ve been through Bible School and gone through periods of traveling. I have to confess, I wandered away from Godly values in the recent past, but I stand forgiven in His grace.
I will be writing a bi-monthly devotional for the Living Word website, and my schedule allows me to partake in this blog. I’m excited to be giving back to my parent’s ministry, and to have a little taste of home.
On a more personal note, I’ve been working in Indiana as a nurse’s aid in a secured dementia ward for the past year. The residents have taught me to believe in God again, and have reminded me what unconditional love is all about. In the next few months, with my parent’s blessing, I will be trading in my Lataillade name for that of my future husband, Patrick Jean. He is Haitian born, and currently serves in active duty in the US Army. Where God takes him, I will join as much as possible.
I’ve chosen Proverbs to begin this devotional, since it is, ” That man may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice and equity” (Pro. 1:2-3). I think we all need more reminding in these areas- I know I do! I’m going to select a few verses per chapter, using the English RSV and NIV versions, and include the Creole version as well (so those who want to brush up on Creole will have a chance!).
Feel free to leave comments, and I will respond as swiftly as possible.
My word for the ultimate Christ seeker comes from Pastor Dave of Fellowship Missionary Church in Ft Wayne, IN. He says that “we need to follow Christ so closely that the dust of His sandals covers our faces”. So when I talk about “being dusty”, that’s what I mean…
Stay Dusty!!! In Him,
Rachel