6:33 Is the Directive

This morning, I suddenly awoke before the alarm to see the clock scream 6:33 am. Tired and unambitious about getting up, I rolled over. But the Lord struck my heart for the next hour with Matthew 6:33 repeating over and over again in my mind.

"Matthew 6:33," I thought. "Lord, what is that verse?" I know that verse, but what is it? When I finally dragged myself to the coffee pot an hour later, and then stumbled into my chair, I opened my Bible to find Matt 6:33,

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Ahh. Yes, the whole passage has been on my radar screen over the past few weeks and been brought into a understanding by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It is in the section of Jesus admonishing to not worry, especially about what we will eat or drink or wear -- to trust God to provide! To have faith! Jesus clearly directs us to seek His kingdom -- a question my husband and our small group have been discussing for months. What is God's kingdom on earth? How do we seek it? While we didn't walk away with conclusive answers, we all felt that seeking the Kingdom means loving the way Jesus does those that we have contact with and sharing the Gospel with others.

Extravagant Grace has been a wonderful place for me to do that over the past year. It is something I want to continue doing, but the Lord is clearly showing me that the Kingdom work He has in store for this season is in the flesh and not through the internet. It makes sense, in a way. I was mostly homebound for the past three years with the twins, but as they have grown, we have been getting out more and doing more with friends. Now is the season to re-emerged with my community and church, and invest in the people that need to hear the Gospel right before my eyes -- first and foremost, my children, their friends, our extended family, our school community, our local community, and those at my church.

While the whole picture is not painted together in my understanding, I am choosing to trust God and walk in obedience. The lump in my throat for months over this is just confirmation of my mounting rebellion toward the Lord, and I don't want to continue in that regard. Plus, the counsel I've sought, all supporters of EG, also feel it is wise to obey God and sense this direction as well.

I am still struggling, however, with the investment of time I've already made at EG. I wonder, too what will happen to Designs by Elisa (as in, does God want me to lay that down, too?), and most of all, what about 8 in 2008? I don't want to just let that go, but I have to trust God to provide in this matter. My heart's desire to pass the hosting on to one of the participants. If you are interested, please email me (extragrace at gmail dot com) or leave a comment. I would be honored and blessed to give this to a woman that has been touched by the endeavor and excited about offering it to others for the remainder of the year.

I can not believe I am writing this post. It was never in my wildest dreams that EG would be put on permanent hiatus, but that is the case. I hope and pray that one day, the Lord would, by His grace, allow me to return. I trust Him for the outcome no matter what. Please join me in giving Him the glory and praise.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement over the year. It has been a privilege to know you and be inspired by how the Lord has worked in each one of your lives as revealed through your blogs. Be blessed, extravagantly, and seek the kingdom of God first in all that you do.

Love, in Christ alone,