“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD?" (part 1)

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Yesterday I was peaceful after I talked to my dear hubby.
He said we can go to Joplin to help.
My dear hubby who is a careful, detail-oriented, logical man.
He who think about simple stuff 1000000x said "YES"
to go and drop stuff that people so urgently needed…

I know someone there so we are not going in blindly.
So we had a plan...
Then few people talked to me about more “effective” way of helping.
Perhaps just use the online donation link!

Click the “easy button”
Click submit.

No hard long drive with a cranky 8 years old!
Yes, we were going to take him.
We think he needs it...

What if that "easier way" is not what God wants us to do?
How arrogant are we to think that the sole purpose for the trip would be “TO HELP!”
What if WE NEED HELP! Perhaps God wants to open our eyes to something.

Yes, we can send money with a click of a button…
Yes that would mean more people would be helped

BUT WHAT IF

We miss HIS lesson by trying to be efficient?
We miss the opportunity of sharing the gospel directly to someone because we can buy more toilet paper with the gas money…

Sometimes what God tells us to do does not make sense.
I had never felt this strong about going into a disaster EVER in my life
Never went to any disaster area for that matter...
Those that know me know that it is not my cup of tea.(I prefer coffee anyway)!

This morning reading that chapter in 1 Samuel 15 convicted me.
God told Saul to kill and destroy everything that belong to the Amalekites
But Saul saved all the “good ones” ….

I can understand this…Can't you?  Especially us "mommies on the budget"
It makes sense doesn’t it?
Why waste the good ones when we can use them?…
In fact we can even give them to GOD (through sacrifice)…
What a noble purpose that would be...

But God wasn’t happy…
He wasn’t thinking of mere “efficiencies” and “recycling” for that matter…
He just wants us to OBEY! Even if what HE asked us to do doesn’t seem to make sense at the time…

As I was driving this morning.
The Lord brought to my mind an event that happened 10 years ago.
When God told me to do something that did not make sense.
I obey and has been blessed by it...

That would be part (2)....