Have you ever been stuck in the mud or snow? No matter how much gas you give the car, it just spins its wheels and goes nowhere. Not until someone comes along with the proper materials to aid in the effort to get unstuck will you move. Whatever it took to get you to the moment when that rescuer shouted "Now!", perhaps a little cinder, a little salt, maybe a board plank or two, without the proper preparation, you would have never moved. No matter how much gas you gave the car before, it wouldn't budge, but now with the right things in place - off you go! I wonder, is that how the people of Israel felt when they were waiting on God to give them the signal in the desert to move on?
Numbers 9:22-23 Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. So they camped or traveled at the LORD's command, and they did whatever the LORD told them through Moses. Can you begin to imagine what it must have been like to move millions of people at a moment's notice? That is exactly what happened to the Hebrews. They waited on the Lord's command and then as soon as it was received, they broke camp and moved! However, just as they moved when told, they did not move until they were told. It is impossible to enter the mind of God and understand why sometimes they had to move the very next day and other times they stayed put for a year. Yet that is exactly what happened. Take a journey through chapters 9 and 10 of Numbers and study the intricacy of God's plan for their movement. The sound of the trumpets (shofars) signaled all activity regarding their movement. Imagine waiting every day, wondering, will it blow today? Do we stay on our daily schedule of activities or do we begin to pack up yet one more time?
How willing are we to pack up on a moment's notice and move on to the next stage of our walk with Him? How willing are we to be still in this same place for what seems like an eternity when we cannot see anything identifiable happening in our lives? We acknowledge by our words that God is in control, but our actions sometimes give a different message. We start inching out on our own believing that God must want us to do something! After all He gave me these gifts, and He knows I love Him and want to serve Him. Surely He wants me doing something right now. So we begin to try things and move out of the place where He last put us believing that we know what is good for us. Or do we?
The Old Testament is filled with examples of the people of Israel complaining because things aren't going the way they think they should be. They tested God's patience and His anger many times and the results were not usually favorable for them. Check out Numbers 11:10 Moses heard all the families standing in front of their tents weeping, and the LORD became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. This was when the people were complaining about having only manna to eat. The full chapter bears reading because it will remind us of the importance of what Paul advises us in Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. God has us in a place for a season for a reason. If we attempt to move out of that place before it is His will, we do so at great risk.
Think back to your car stuck in the snow. When I lived in snow country, I witnessed many times people who got stuck and then instead of utilizing patience and common sense to get out, put themselves in worse situations because of their impatience. Sometimes they ended up buried in a deeper ditch having gone in the opposite direction they planned. Sometimes they spun out of control just when they thought they had the problem licked and ended up hitting a telephone pole. When we move impetuously, we usually suffer ill fated consequences. However, if we will wait on the Lord to tell us when to move because He has properly prepared the way, the results are usually beyond what we imagined could occur.
According to my concordance, the word wait or its variations appears 160 times in the Word of God. Compare that to the word move or its variations which appears less than 100. It would seem that God has more trouble getting us to understand the concept of waiting than moving. :-) Our human nature struggles with being still. It also struggles with someone else being in control. Yet both of these are important acts of obedience if we wish to be where God wants us to be at all times. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Personally I want to know the voice of God so intimately in my life that when He blows the shofar for me to move, I don't want to confuse it with noise of this world. I want to know that He is God in such a powerful way, that when He speaks to me, I hear loudly and clearly that awesome direction from Him, "Move - NOW!" What about you?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Am I Ready?
When someone you know suddenly and totally unexpectedly dies, it is reason to pause and ask the questions, "What if that were me? Am I ready to face the Lord?" This happened this weekend as someone vivacious, full of the Lord and life suddenly passed at the early age of 45. The tragedy for the family and friends of this precious woman of God is beyond description for no one saw this coming. Yet how often do any of us see it coming? How many times do we hear of a car accident, a motorcycle accident, a house fire, whatever, that claims a life - young or old? Several thoughts came to my mind as I pondered these questions this weekend. Perhaps they will help you in your own introspection.
The very foremost thought that comes to mind is whether I have any unforgiveness in my heart. The Lord is very clear on this in the Word. Matthew 6:14 - 15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Forgiveness is a major stumbling block to our entrance into the kingdom. Unforgiveness creates a root that grows and entangles us in many negative behaviors - bitterness and judgement being two of them. I have to search my heart daily to insure that there has not been a small wedge of unforgiveness that worked its way into my soul. It is easily done. Someone offends us and we begin to ponder on that offense. We justify our negative feelings about that person and begin to view them through a filter that is not of God. Everything becomes darkly colored quickly, as long as unforgiveness is still in our hearts. That same unforgiveness blots us and soils our wedding garments so that we are not ready to meet our bridegroom.
Another aspect of our readiness is our endurance. Mark 13:13 & Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Revelation 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Our salvation is more than a one time statement that we have accepted Christ as our savior. Our salvation is walked out daily in our lives. Proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of our lives requires us to live with Jesus as the Lord of our lives. How many of us are guilty of allowing something or someone else to push to the forefront of our lives and allow Jesus to be pushed to the background? It is so insidiously easy for us to be distracted by things of this world that play on our emotions and flesh. Consider something as innocent as family. Our family members are not at the same place we are with the Lord. So we are pressured to forego worship times or ministry opportunities because they are not important to them. Yet we know that this is something that God has called us to do. How about something even more basic - food. Do we crave food and overindulge in it to the detriment of our temple? What about work? Do we sacrifice time with the Lord because making more money or having more prestige is more important to us than our relationship with Him? These are just a few examples of how we can easily fail to endure. Enduring until the end requires consistency in our walk with Him. Daily I reevaluate what has become a priority in my life and ask Him, is this how you want me to spend my time here on earth? Am I making a difference in eternity by my life today?
Submission to the Lord is the third thought that comes to mind. James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. Sumitting ourselves fully to the will of God requires us to let go of our own agendas and grab hold of that which the Lord has designed for our lives. Many times we cannot begin to understand why He is taking us in the direction we see laid out before us. Seldom will our lives make perfect sense. However, if we are indeed submitting everything in our lives to Him, in essence releasing everything into His care, then we can be assured that He will lift us up. We must recognize that our own sinful ways will cause much grief to ourselves and to our loving Father who wants only the best for us. As long as we are clinging to our stuff, He cannot bless us with His stuff.
Finally, have I forsaken all else for the sake of the gospel? Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Is the Lord the very most important focus of my life? Have I given it all up for Him? Can I truly say that I am picking up my cross and carrying it willingly for Him? I know that unlike the apostles I have not left everything behind and traveled into the unknown carrying the gospel, yet in some ways, it has felt that way at times. I am grateful when I listened to Him tell me to leave my previous state including leaving family and friends behind and start over for Him here in Georgia. As hard as that was, I could have never imagined the blessings He had in store for me or the work that He wanted me to do. Obedience always pays off, if not now then certainly in eternity.
So my sisters and brothers, food for thought today. Are you ready? Only you and the Lord know what is happening in your lives. We are wonderful disguisers of the truth about ourselves. Frequently we do not have a clue about what is really happening in the life of the person sitting next to us. We have become so adept at putting on the happy face and proclaiming everything is just fine when our world is coming down around us. Be sensitive to Holy Spirit for both yourself and for the person sitting next to you. It may be that they desperately need a hand up out of a pit and God put you there to extend it. One closing scripture: Revelation 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know what time I will come to you.
The very foremost thought that comes to mind is whether I have any unforgiveness in my heart. The Lord is very clear on this in the Word. Matthew 6:14 - 15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Forgiveness is a major stumbling block to our entrance into the kingdom. Unforgiveness creates a root that grows and entangles us in many negative behaviors - bitterness and judgement being two of them. I have to search my heart daily to insure that there has not been a small wedge of unforgiveness that worked its way into my soul. It is easily done. Someone offends us and we begin to ponder on that offense. We justify our negative feelings about that person and begin to view them through a filter that is not of God. Everything becomes darkly colored quickly, as long as unforgiveness is still in our hearts. That same unforgiveness blots us and soils our wedding garments so that we are not ready to meet our bridegroom.
Another aspect of our readiness is our endurance. Mark 13:13 & Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Revelation 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Our salvation is more than a one time statement that we have accepted Christ as our savior. Our salvation is walked out daily in our lives. Proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of our lives requires us to live with Jesus as the Lord of our lives. How many of us are guilty of allowing something or someone else to push to the forefront of our lives and allow Jesus to be pushed to the background? It is so insidiously easy for us to be distracted by things of this world that play on our emotions and flesh. Consider something as innocent as family. Our family members are not at the same place we are with the Lord. So we are pressured to forego worship times or ministry opportunities because they are not important to them. Yet we know that this is something that God has called us to do. How about something even more basic - food. Do we crave food and overindulge in it to the detriment of our temple? What about work? Do we sacrifice time with the Lord because making more money or having more prestige is more important to us than our relationship with Him? These are just a few examples of how we can easily fail to endure. Enduring until the end requires consistency in our walk with Him. Daily I reevaluate what has become a priority in my life and ask Him, is this how you want me to spend my time here on earth? Am I making a difference in eternity by my life today?
Submission to the Lord is the third thought that comes to mind. James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. Sumitting ourselves fully to the will of God requires us to let go of our own agendas and grab hold of that which the Lord has designed for our lives. Many times we cannot begin to understand why He is taking us in the direction we see laid out before us. Seldom will our lives make perfect sense. However, if we are indeed submitting everything in our lives to Him, in essence releasing everything into His care, then we can be assured that He will lift us up. We must recognize that our own sinful ways will cause much grief to ourselves and to our loving Father who wants only the best for us. As long as we are clinging to our stuff, He cannot bless us with His stuff.
Finally, have I forsaken all else for the sake of the gospel? Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Is the Lord the very most important focus of my life? Have I given it all up for Him? Can I truly say that I am picking up my cross and carrying it willingly for Him? I know that unlike the apostles I have not left everything behind and traveled into the unknown carrying the gospel, yet in some ways, it has felt that way at times. I am grateful when I listened to Him tell me to leave my previous state including leaving family and friends behind and start over for Him here in Georgia. As hard as that was, I could have never imagined the blessings He had in store for me or the work that He wanted me to do. Obedience always pays off, if not now then certainly in eternity.
So my sisters and brothers, food for thought today. Are you ready? Only you and the Lord know what is happening in your lives. We are wonderful disguisers of the truth about ourselves. Frequently we do not have a clue about what is really happening in the life of the person sitting next to us. We have become so adept at putting on the happy face and proclaiming everything is just fine when our world is coming down around us. Be sensitive to Holy Spirit for both yourself and for the person sitting next to you. It may be that they desperately need a hand up out of a pit and God put you there to extend it. One closing scripture: Revelation 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know what time I will come to you.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Act Not React
I can remember as a child getting caught off guard when something bad happened to someone around me - like a finger getting smashed in a door. For some inexplicable reason, I would have to stifle a nervous giggle. Now I knew that would be so wrong to laugh when someone got hurt, but there was this sudden reaction that came from somewhere inside of me. Has that ever happened to you? Even as an adult we sometimes have instant emotional reactions to situations that as we look back on them, we shake our heads and say, "Oh no, I sure wish I had not done or said that!"
Imagine how the servant girl, Rhoda, felt when Peter came to the door after miraculously escaping from prison. Acts 12:13-14 He knocked on the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!" Our first response is "What was she thinking?? Leaving Peter standing outside when his very life could have been in danger!" That however was just the problem; Rhoda was not thinking. She was reacting emotionally to a sudden and shocking turn of events. No one expected to see Peter at their door. After all he was in prison ..... wasn't he?
Acting without thinking is a classic human characteristic. It takes great discipline to learn to think before we act. An old saying that I heard many times growing up was "Put your brain in gear before your mouth!" I must admit that I am still guilty of reacting sometimes instead of acting. As a young parent, I was so grateful for the advice of Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family which simply stated was, "Never spank your child in anger. Always always wait until your own anger with them or their behavior has dissipated before you hand over the discipline." I can remember a few trips to the grocery store with three little boys under the age of 4 that ended in mommy quietly taking them out of the store, buckling them into their car seats (yes, three car seats!) and saying very calmly, "You will be getting a spanking when we get home for your behavior in the store." Then taking them out of the car at home, and individually, privately doling out said spanking to whomever was deserving. They knew I was disappointed in them, and upset with their behavior, but they also knew that I loved them. Hugs always came after the spanking with a discussion of how to avoid this in the future.
How wonderful it would be if we learned to respond to God in our lives with this same thoughtful deliberation. When God shows up in our lives, it often catches us off guard and like a sudden flash flood, we get swept away with a wave of emotions. If it is a hard situation, the emotions can be dark and overwhelming. If it is a positive yet totally unexpected happening, we can get caught up in the worldly ramifications of the event. For example, let's say that you have been looking for work - pretty common occurrence right now. All of a sudden out of the blue, a job offer comes. We are so ecstatic about the opportunity to work that we accept the position without thoroughly researching the company, the job or ~ hello there! ~ asking God if this is something He wants us to pursue. Instead, we say something like, "Well, this must be God! After all, I need a job and here it is!" I have learned that not every "blessing" comes from the Lord. The enemy loves to put carrots in front of us that look like, smell like blessings, but in reality they are a distraction from the direction God wants us to go.
How then do we respond to a move in our lives? First remember that you are rooted in the Word of God. Not every wind that blows in your life even if hurricane force will or should uproot you. Consider how you are nurturing the tree of your spiritual life. Are your roots constantly seeking to go deeper or are you being watered by that shallow insufficient rain that keeps your roots on the surface? What is causing you to flourish and what kind of fruit are you bearing as a result? These are critical questions that we need to be considering before the winds of change blow through our lives.
Once the wind of a movement begins to blow, be still and stand strong. Ephesians 6:10-11 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. If God wants you to move forward - or in any direction - He will instruct you. He does not want the enemy guiding us on our journey. He wants us to follow His plan for our lives, not the adversary's. Will He allow us to make a misstep? Of course. Remember we have free will. If we choose not to listen to Him and follow our soul and flesh, then He will step back like a gentleman and allow us to do just that. But He will continue to fight for us against the adversary. He will not give up but will instead wait until our ears are open to hear, our eyes are open to see.
Acting instead of reacting takes practice. It takes resolve. It takes commitment. It takes faith and trust in Him. We must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that His plans for us are so incredible we cannot fathom how awesome they are. Stand fast on Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." These are the promises of a God who loves us, a God who sacrificed His only son so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. That is worth standing still and watching for the red or green light, don't you think?
Imagine how the servant girl, Rhoda, felt when Peter came to the door after miraculously escaping from prison. Acts 12:13-14 He knocked on the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!" Our first response is "What was she thinking?? Leaving Peter standing outside when his very life could have been in danger!" That however was just the problem; Rhoda was not thinking. She was reacting emotionally to a sudden and shocking turn of events. No one expected to see Peter at their door. After all he was in prison ..... wasn't he?
Acting without thinking is a classic human characteristic. It takes great discipline to learn to think before we act. An old saying that I heard many times growing up was "Put your brain in gear before your mouth!" I must admit that I am still guilty of reacting sometimes instead of acting. As a young parent, I was so grateful for the advice of Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family which simply stated was, "Never spank your child in anger. Always always wait until your own anger with them or their behavior has dissipated before you hand over the discipline." I can remember a few trips to the grocery store with three little boys under the age of 4 that ended in mommy quietly taking them out of the store, buckling them into their car seats (yes, three car seats!) and saying very calmly, "You will be getting a spanking when we get home for your behavior in the store." Then taking them out of the car at home, and individually, privately doling out said spanking to whomever was deserving. They knew I was disappointed in them, and upset with their behavior, but they also knew that I loved them. Hugs always came after the spanking with a discussion of how to avoid this in the future.
How wonderful it would be if we learned to respond to God in our lives with this same thoughtful deliberation. When God shows up in our lives, it often catches us off guard and like a sudden flash flood, we get swept away with a wave of emotions. If it is a hard situation, the emotions can be dark and overwhelming. If it is a positive yet totally unexpected happening, we can get caught up in the worldly ramifications of the event. For example, let's say that you have been looking for work - pretty common occurrence right now. All of a sudden out of the blue, a job offer comes. We are so ecstatic about the opportunity to work that we accept the position without thoroughly researching the company, the job or ~ hello there! ~ asking God if this is something He wants us to pursue. Instead, we say something like, "Well, this must be God! After all, I need a job and here it is!" I have learned that not every "blessing" comes from the Lord. The enemy loves to put carrots in front of us that look like, smell like blessings, but in reality they are a distraction from the direction God wants us to go.
How then do we respond to a move in our lives? First remember that you are rooted in the Word of God. Not every wind that blows in your life even if hurricane force will or should uproot you. Consider how you are nurturing the tree of your spiritual life. Are your roots constantly seeking to go deeper or are you being watered by that shallow insufficient rain that keeps your roots on the surface? What is causing you to flourish and what kind of fruit are you bearing as a result? These are critical questions that we need to be considering before the winds of change blow through our lives.
Once the wind of a movement begins to blow, be still and stand strong. Ephesians 6:10-11 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. If God wants you to move forward - or in any direction - He will instruct you. He does not want the enemy guiding us on our journey. He wants us to follow His plan for our lives, not the adversary's. Will He allow us to make a misstep? Of course. Remember we have free will. If we choose not to listen to Him and follow our soul and flesh, then He will step back like a gentleman and allow us to do just that. But He will continue to fight for us against the adversary. He will not give up but will instead wait until our ears are open to hear, our eyes are open to see.
Acting instead of reacting takes practice. It takes resolve. It takes commitment. It takes faith and trust in Him. We must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that His plans for us are so incredible we cannot fathom how awesome they are. Stand fast on Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." These are the promises of a God who loves us, a God who sacrificed His only son so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. That is worth standing still and watching for the red or green light, don't you think?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Not Why but What
We have become such an independent people. We question everything believing that in order to act we must understand all aspects of a situation. We have taught our children to expect a rational explanation of why we are telling them to do something. We expect our employers to justify why things are happening the way they are in our work place. We expect a full understanding of the events that are occurring around us. In fact the media has made a fortune with analysis shows feeding our need. The process has been gradual over decades but it seems prevalent today. We as a people are full of why's. I know I am as guilty as the person standing next to me. However I am rapidly recognizing that the impact of that mindset on my walk with the Lord can be very dangerous. Why is the wrong question when we are following Him. The more appropriate question is What.
When Jesus was actively teaching His disciples and the masses in general He was very clear and very specific about what was required to follow Him. Mark 8:34 Then He called the crowd to Him along with his disciples and said,"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Translation: if it becomes about me instead of about Jesus and preaching the gospel, then we have not forsaken our own lives. In fact when it becomes about me, I have taken my eyes off Him and put them back on myself. How is this going to affect me? What is going to happen to me in this process, God? Why are you doing this to me, God? Any of those questions sound familiar to you? I have heard them many times in my conversations with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Why, God, why me, why now, why this?
This is a rocky road to take in our relationship with the Lord. He requires total commitment, not convenient commitment. The question that He wants to hear from us is "What do you want me to do in this situation, Lord, that will profit the kingdom?" What am I to learn here? What am I to emulate as the living breathing portrayal of Jesus on earth? Instead we allow the characteristics of our flesh and soul to overwhelm our spirit. When we are in an uncomfortable place, we begin to question God. If this were you, God, since you are a loving, benevolent God, surely this would feel better. Surely you have a better place for me to be than here right now. Have you ever made a statement similar to that? Consider the disciple in Matthew 8:21-22. Another disciple said to Him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury the dead." Imagine the emotions (soul) of that disciple. Why can't I at least pay honor to my dead father, Jesus??? What is everyone going to think of me for abandoning my duty to my father and my family? How will I live with myself? This is just too much, Jesus!
How about the rich man in Matthew 19:20-22 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow Me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Lord, surely you want me to be happy and prosperous. Haven't I heard that message spouted from the multitude of the TV preachers? You don't really expect me to give up everything I have worked so hard for, do you? Life is hard enough, Lord, and now You are asking me to do what??? Jesus knew exactly where the rich man's vulnerability was - his wealth and his possessions. For others of us it may not have anything to do with wealth and material things. Instead it may be our success in the secular world or our image in the eyes of our friends and family. Perhaps it is our status in the church in which we are members. We each have our own weakness that will keep us from denying ourselves and following Jesus. That is what He is going to ask us to give up so that we can pick up our cross and follow Him.
I have been consistently hearing the same word from the Lord. We are in a season in which He wants obedient, committed laborers in the field. He will not be leaving the passionate saints in any one position too long for service. The dangers of staying in one ministry without movement is that it becomes a place of familiarity and comfort for us. We know what to expect and we begin to expect the routine. We stop looking for the miraculous and instead begin predicting what will happen next. We are not open to the sudden move of God in our lives and the lives of those around us. I am witnessing God moving people from what they thought they were supposed to be doing to a totally new scenario in which they have limited experience. If we become too rooted in a specific activity, it is difficult for God to uproot us and allow us to grow in new gifts and new fruits.
Have you ever purchased an older home whose previous owners had let the shrubbery grow up around the house unchecked? I have and trying to remove those old bushes to allow new growth that did not obscure the home was a very difficult, laborious effort. Yet once done, the new greenery enhanced the house, allowed light through the windows into the house and changed the overall atmosphere of our home. So it is with our life with Christ. He does not want us to become so entrenched, so deeply rooted that we overwhelm the reason we are here - to enhance and further the work of the kingdom. We must be supple, fresh and full of the love of God. Rooting in what we want versus what God wants is detrimental to our purpose here on earth as members of the body of Christ.
As we embrace this season of transition, I encourage you as I am myself to heighten my awareness of the moves of God in my life. I am observing that frequently God will not press us if we do not access an open door He has placed in front of us. He will instead move on to the next willing person. Time is short and He has an agenda. Trust me, frequently God's agenda is very different than the one we have fashioned for ourselves in the kingdom. Let us all become sensitive to what and where He wants us. When He shifts us, let the questions we ask be "What do you want me to do here? What can I do for the kingdom through these circumstances? What can I learn from You? What can move me in deeper with you, Lord? If we will focus on these questions versus the Why questions, we will feel His incredible grace overflow and empower us to accomplish precisely what He has designed for us. Let go of your own stuff and embrace His instead. It will be an awesome journey of that I am confident!
When Jesus was actively teaching His disciples and the masses in general He was very clear and very specific about what was required to follow Him. Mark 8:34 Then He called the crowd to Him along with his disciples and said,"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Translation: if it becomes about me instead of about Jesus and preaching the gospel, then we have not forsaken our own lives. In fact when it becomes about me, I have taken my eyes off Him and put them back on myself. How is this going to affect me? What is going to happen to me in this process, God? Why are you doing this to me, God? Any of those questions sound familiar to you? I have heard them many times in my conversations with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Why, God, why me, why now, why this?
This is a rocky road to take in our relationship with the Lord. He requires total commitment, not convenient commitment. The question that He wants to hear from us is "What do you want me to do in this situation, Lord, that will profit the kingdom?" What am I to learn here? What am I to emulate as the living breathing portrayal of Jesus on earth? Instead we allow the characteristics of our flesh and soul to overwhelm our spirit. When we are in an uncomfortable place, we begin to question God. If this were you, God, since you are a loving, benevolent God, surely this would feel better. Surely you have a better place for me to be than here right now. Have you ever made a statement similar to that? Consider the disciple in Matthew 8:21-22. Another disciple said to Him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury the dead." Imagine the emotions (soul) of that disciple. Why can't I at least pay honor to my dead father, Jesus??? What is everyone going to think of me for abandoning my duty to my father and my family? How will I live with myself? This is just too much, Jesus!
How about the rich man in Matthew 19:20-22 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow Me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Lord, surely you want me to be happy and prosperous. Haven't I heard that message spouted from the multitude of the TV preachers? You don't really expect me to give up everything I have worked so hard for, do you? Life is hard enough, Lord, and now You are asking me to do what??? Jesus knew exactly where the rich man's vulnerability was - his wealth and his possessions. For others of us it may not have anything to do with wealth and material things. Instead it may be our success in the secular world or our image in the eyes of our friends and family. Perhaps it is our status in the church in which we are members. We each have our own weakness that will keep us from denying ourselves and following Jesus. That is what He is going to ask us to give up so that we can pick up our cross and follow Him.
I have been consistently hearing the same word from the Lord. We are in a season in which He wants obedient, committed laborers in the field. He will not be leaving the passionate saints in any one position too long for service. The dangers of staying in one ministry without movement is that it becomes a place of familiarity and comfort for us. We know what to expect and we begin to expect the routine. We stop looking for the miraculous and instead begin predicting what will happen next. We are not open to the sudden move of God in our lives and the lives of those around us. I am witnessing God moving people from what they thought they were supposed to be doing to a totally new scenario in which they have limited experience. If we become too rooted in a specific activity, it is difficult for God to uproot us and allow us to grow in new gifts and new fruits.
Have you ever purchased an older home whose previous owners had let the shrubbery grow up around the house unchecked? I have and trying to remove those old bushes to allow new growth that did not obscure the home was a very difficult, laborious effort. Yet once done, the new greenery enhanced the house, allowed light through the windows into the house and changed the overall atmosphere of our home. So it is with our life with Christ. He does not want us to become so entrenched, so deeply rooted that we overwhelm the reason we are here - to enhance and further the work of the kingdom. We must be supple, fresh and full of the love of God. Rooting in what we want versus what God wants is detrimental to our purpose here on earth as members of the body of Christ.
As we embrace this season of transition, I encourage you as I am myself to heighten my awareness of the moves of God in my life. I am observing that frequently God will not press us if we do not access an open door He has placed in front of us. He will instead move on to the next willing person. Time is short and He has an agenda. Trust me, frequently God's agenda is very different than the one we have fashioned for ourselves in the kingdom. Let us all become sensitive to what and where He wants us. When He shifts us, let the questions we ask be "What do you want me to do here? What can I do for the kingdom through these circumstances? What can I learn from You? What can move me in deeper with you, Lord? If we will focus on these questions versus the Why questions, we will feel His incredible grace overflow and empower us to accomplish precisely what He has designed for us. Let go of your own stuff and embrace His instead. It will be an awesome journey of that I am confident!
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