Sunday, November 9, 2008

I have been crucified with Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal 2:20 ESV

I have been thinking a lot on this verse the last few days. Jesus has done all the work here. He died and through accepting Christ, I have died. I have been raised with Christ a new person no longer bound by the desires of the flesh. Now I am to live this new life in Christ by faith. It has to be lived by faith because my five senses no nothing of the death and resurrection that has happened in me. My eyes still see this same body but it is not me that is living in it, it is Christ. I have to take this by faith and when I do I realize that Jesus doesn't struggle with any of the issues my flesh did and He wants to give me a new life. I have been set free from my flesh but not just set free to do as I please but to do what pleases the Father. As Jesus would say(and I need to remember He lives in me.) in John 5:19 Jesus said that he can do nothing accept that which He sees the Father do. I cannot see what the Father is doing if I am using these two eyes in the front of my head. I must live this new life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. As the Lord reveal things like this to me I realize how little I know. Sure I have heard this explained before and I have had some head knowledge of it but Jesus desire is that it would go to my heart and that I would apply it to my life. I hope that you have already understood this and that it won't take you 14 years to get a bit of an understanding of this as it has for me.

I want to thank you for your prayers I know that I am being carried by you and I am enjoying the Lord in ways that I haven't before.

I have almost been here for a week already. We have mainly been working on a Hamburger stand the last week. Yes you heard me right a Hamburger stand. The Lord has placed a burden on James' heart to provided employment for some of the Christian brothers here. Some of them have in the past left their families for months on end and gone to the states to work and it has not been good for their families or spiritually for them. There are a couple brothers here in Santiago who the Lord has saved from lives of drugs and alcohol. One of them was working at an alcohol distribution planet after he accepted the Lord and was really struggling to have victory in his life because he was around alcohol all day every day. James made the first burger stand about two years ago and help this brother learn how to run it and now he and another brother are running it by themselves. Last time I was here James had another one made and it is being run by a family in Tepic about 45 minutes from here. Recently God has saved another man here in Santiago and James has the same desire to create employment for him as well. That is why we have been working on making a burger stand and Lord willing it will be up and running next week. Missions comes in many different shapes and sizes. Lets keep our eyes on Father and join Him in the work He is doing around us.

Here James is priming the metals sides of the trailer for the burger stand.

Here it is with one coat of the final color.


This is Natalia, James and Nelly's youngest child, she is about 8 and a half months.

Their three boys Levi 4, Simon 3 and Andrew 2.
This coming week it looks like I will be working in Tepic on a church building. They have recently but on an addition and they are having a conference next Monday and I sounds like they have a lot of work to be finished up by then. They have asked if I could come up for the week. James and I will both go up tomorrow. James has other responsibilities so he won't be able to be there all week.

I want to wish my brother Rob a happy birthday today. He turns 28, I think. I am sorry Rob I tried to call you several times but the line was always busy.

3 comments:

The Woodfords said...

Hi Andrew, Thanks for those thoughts in Galatians! I really appreciate that.

Glad to hear you aren't sitting idle in Santiago!! =) Hmmm... getting ready a new hall as quickly as possible - sounds familiar - is it something about Mexico, or you?!?!?!

Doesn't sound like we'll be down for the conf, as we need to be in Tucson to pick up a friend from the airport. We'll have to see if we can catch up another time!

Thanks too for the pic's. Hard to believe it was 8.5 months ago that you were there when Natalia was born!

Talk to you soon!
Love, S&T

Anonymous said...

Rob is actually 29... Thanks for the great thoughts of who we really are in Christ... good reminder. love you

Anonymous said...

Really cute kids...