Father, may I come? Yes, you may go.

Years ago I was uncertain about the Father's love for me . I kind of had Him pictured as putting up with me. Did He really want me following Him? I didn't think so. But I was trying to follow Him anyway and He was just putting up with me.

To express my feelings I wrote an imaginary story about Oprah. The one that is in the story of Ruth and Naomi. I felt as though there could of been another part of the story , one of Oprah's who hadn't really been given permission to come so she just followed along out of sight .

Through the years I've come to realize that following God is an open invitation to all. All who would respond as Ruth did to Naomi. Willing to leave her gods, her people, her way of living that she was accustomed to.

This does not mean that I think everyone who chooses to follow Jesus will have the same happy ending to their story , (here on earth anyway) as Ruth did. After all the disciples said to Jesus, "We've left all to follow you. "

What I wanted to share with you this morning is a testimony about the power of God enabling me to leave my gods, my people, my way of life.

I did not wake up one day and have Naomi say , " I am leaving today, good bye." There was a day that I woke up, yes. A day that I realised there were gods in my life that I was wanting to hang on to. A day that I realised that what God wanted was to be my only God and what was keeping me feeling like I needed to hang around on the outskirts of the camp was that I knew, He was not my only God.

So I started saying , "I want to want to, let go of this ___________ and I want to want to live this way ____________ and I want to want Your people to be my people. "

This evidently is what He has always wanted to hear , because He has been helping me to want to let go of idolatry . He has been helping me want to make life choices , such as forgiving others when they trespass against me. He has been helping me love His people.

It is a process that is still on going .

Today when I was asking Him to direct me to the field that I should go to today. (I'll be more specific later on.) I realised that I was asking with confidence that He surely would lead me to the right field. I would go where He wanted me to go. He is my God and I am His person.

He's helping me to be the person who does not hold on to stuff and try to enter the kingdom of God. Even though I am still in the process of letting go of everything , He is willing to treat me as though I already have.

So I will be job hunting today , and I believe He will lead me to the right job. I will be looking for a new meeting room for the parenting support group that I facilitate. I believe He will lead me to the right place for that too.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

This "go" is for all who will follow Him. Everywhere I go may I find fields ripe unto harvest.