Preparing To Serve

 

        I am excited!  These pasts months has shown me how very much God is involved in my life.  It’s remarkable really, as I shared ‘news’ about all that had happened over the last year since my friend and I talked last.  As I shared my story, I kept sayin, “It was a God thing. There is no way this or this could have happened for any other reason.”  It didn’t make sense, it was illogical, yet the events happened in such a way as to cause me to simply confirm, “It was a God thing!”

My friend concurred with my deduction and like, me, could only see the circumstances in some ways, nothing less than a miracle.  And add to this, in each case, I remember praying and asking guidance for the various situations, not at all sure how it was going to work out, yet it did and, in an unlikely manner.

As I write these words, I repeat, “I am excited.”  I’m not entirely certain about what, but I know without a doubt something is going to happen that is going to blow me away!  It may not happen in an instant, but it will happen, I can feel it.  The Holy Spirit has me energized in a way I haven’t felt in some time.  I’ve been praying about a ministry and while I continue pray for His guidance, He’s preparing me to serve.

I heard the story of a young Pastor who felt he was being called to contact a Chaplain at a prison near him.  The Chaplain told him he could come visit, but added a negative comment on the end of the conversation, “I will give you training….. but you probably won’t come back.”

This of course, caused the Pastor pause, but he did attend and met two men, one of which had been on death row, but ended up becoming Saved and knew the Bible well! The young Pastor who had now been trained to work with prisoners, found himself in an odd situation.  He’d grown up in a Christian home, even had a church of his own, yet, it was the prisoner who had found ‘his mission field in the Pastor’ rather than the other way around.  

The young Pastor had done all the right things —he bowed his head and prayed, even read God’s Word, had a degree and more, yet found himself on the ‘learning end’ of what it meant to ‘being prepared to serve!’  God does that sometimes.  When we think we have it ‘all together’ God puts us in a place we hadn’t expected, yet with just the right people or resources to do exactly what we are called to do.

The young Pastor needed to be that prisoners mission field.  They both benefited.  The Pastor finally came to face to face with what it really meant to give your all to God.  He truly was now in a better place to serve!  The prisoner found his faith had served him and His God well, and will be rewarded one day in Heaven.

I don’t know what the future holds.  I do know, however, God has a plan.  Not just for me but for each of us.  We all can choose to grow.  It truly is a choice.  We can close our eyes to what God has for us and snub our nose thinking ‘we’ve got this’ and miss a blessing.  Or we can accept the ‘mission field’ right where it is, [even if it is us on the receiving end] and grow and be blessed, as God continues to prepare us to serve and further His Kingdom.

God's Orchestrated Unexpected Directions

       

      The family was certain they wanted to move out West.  They’d waited, planned and finally the move was made.  Then health problems turned the idea inside out and they were left wondering how they would ever figure out how to make it all work.  As God would have it, he provided a single stranger in a parking lot for a general conversation that led to a possible buyer for their home on which they hadn’t even put on the market yet.

Time passed and God stepped in again.  The woman from the parking lot contacted the family with an offer that astounded them.  She absolutely wanted to buy their home; and add to that God even provided help in the most unlikely way for loading the heavy furniture and things in the house.  This was again, a ‘God thing!’

There’s a song that says, “But God.”  The first time I heard it, I was moved to tears.  God has a way of arriving at just the right moments, in ways we couldn’t have imagined, and way beyond our expectations.  God places people in our lives at just the right time.  The woman in the parking lot was beyond odd.  Was she supposed to be there?  Apparently yes!  God wanted the conversation between the two women to happen.  He sent her there to meet a need.

It’s interesting; we read God’s Word and know God worked miracles for the Israelites as they journeyed for forty years in the desert; we read how Jesus healed the lame, gave sight to the blind mind, healed people from leprosy and even brought Lazarus back to life.  Yet do we believe in miracles in our own modern day lives?

Some believe God doesn’t perform miracles anymore.  That was only done during Bible times.  I totally and completely disagree.  When I see the birth of a new baby, the miracle of love that grows into a strong marriage, waking to the sun shining in the morning—- (or any weather!), for the gift of sight and hearing and even thinking, I see God’s miracles.  But to see God work through healing and his provisions, I also see miracles; sometimes very substantial ones, others a little more subtle, but no less God!

The greatest miracle was Jesus rising from the dead after taking on the sins of the world, providing the way for salvation!  This is the greatest gift of all.  God orchestrated the birth of Baby Jesus and took his life, and therefore ours, in directions we often don’t expect.  Let’s face it, when we accept Christ and give our lives totally to him, we often change directions from where we were headed when we follow his will.  This too, is another miracle.  A changed life. God is the best orchestrator ever and I am eternally grateful!

I wonder, when was the last time you paused and reflected on the miracles in your life?  Can you see his ‘thumbprint’ on your career, ministry, marriage or in the lives of your children?  Has he made provisions when there seemed to be no possible way for things to work out?  Aren’t each of these uniquely miracles?  God has a way of orchestrating unexpected directions in our very modern lives.  It’s up to us to pause long enough to recognize them and...... thank him!

A Time To Rest

 

       We live in a ‘how to get more done’ kind of world.  There are all kinds of books, online tools, podcasts and articles on how to use time management more effectively at work, which in theory, is supposed to give you more time to do the things you love once you leave your place of business.  Still, there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in any given day to accomplish all we want to, even after taking courses, creating lists, and ‘plans’ which are designed to aid us! This is just one example:  (And I'm not suggesting there is anything wrong with this site!)  https://www.thewerklife.com/managing-everything/     (This goes with the attached photo)

Our needs are great on so many levels; including physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.  We have families to care for— our spouse, children who are involved in numerous activities and even homeschooling for some, given the current COVID situation; older parents who made need aid, and extended family, and jobs or careers which can be demanding.  

Add to this our spiritual needs, we attend church, perhaps Sunday School—maybe even teach a class, and become involved in other activities, which in and of themselves are all worthwhile, but can be overwhelming when we’ve added too many.  And still there is the element of relational which requires spending time with our spouse and our children if we are going to be successful.  This may include ‘alone’ time with each, or even a family vacation or other activities not already on the list!

And these lists don’t even include the yard work or other ‘domestic’ duties required to keep the home maintained, or the cooking so everyone can eat, or car maintenance and the list goes on and on!  Where does it stop?  Does it stop?  When do we have rest time or ‘self-care’ time?  Often we don’t.  There are ramifications for this, like health problems from sheer exhausting, and emotional and physical burnout!

It’s interesting to read in God’s Word about how Jesus and the disciples took the time to rest.  The disciples were busy learning as they followed Jesus, and Jesus seemed to be always ‘doing.’  He healed, and seemed often doing other miracles, and taught— a lot—not only the disciples but all the other people who followed along!  They did so much, yet Jesus was cognizant of the need to rest.

During the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus said to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:30-34)  He recognized that as humans, we reach a point where we are no good to ourselves or anyone else when we are exhausted.  He also knew that time alone with the Father is critical to growing in the Faith, and in our relationship with Him, as well as renewing our physical energy.  This is a perfect example of how we should render our days.

People followed Jesus and the disciples that day, even though the idea was to steal away.  It demonstrates that life is going to continue, probably busily, but we still must designate a time for renewal.  In this way we will be able to allow God to ‘restore’ our soul and our  minds, so functionality in all areas is clearer.

Aligned With Christ

 

        My friend tells the story of how as a young person, his father took him with him, as he was brick laying, which was his profession.  His dad used the opportunity to explain the instruments he used, including a plumb and a level.  The plumb is a kind of pendulum used to measure vertically and a level is a device used to ensure the line horizontally.  Squares and even string are also essential tools to check and confirm the structure is in total alignment, which would enable it to endure weather and age.  

If ignored, the structure is certain to encounter temperature changes, strong wind and rain which it could not withstand.  The neglecting of these tools and the confidence they give of proper construction, would demand at some later date, repairs be made and sometimes the repairs can be extremely costly!

Our relationship with Christ is much like that of the builders.  We have the tools to ensure we stay aligned with Christ, but often we neglect to use them, except on rare occasions or in an emergency—after we have encountered problems.

We just enjoyed Easter.  We celebrated Jesus who gave his life that we could be saved.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are given the tools to live a Godly life;  one that demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  

By reading His Word, communing with him every day, worshiping with other Believers and sharing the Gospel, we can stay aligned with the God of the Universe.  Even while we are working on keeping our spiritual life aligned however, we make mistakes.  

We are human and sometimes forget that we even know God.  We forget his kindness and promises and don’t wait for his counsel.  We adopt the ways of the world and even sometime inadvertently create idols, like making money, TV, or even sports (and this is only the tip of the iceberg!) Yet we still do all the right things.  We go to church, listen to Gospel music on the radio, we may even work in a ministry within the sanctuary, but we are so lost in our own circumstances we forget that God is a God of miracles.

He led His people out of Egypt, opening the Red Sea and then allowing the waters to cover their adversaries.  He produced water from a rock in the desert, provided manna and quail for forty years.  He sent his son Jesus to come in the form of a human baby, who demonstrated his miracles on the Earth.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, turned water to wine, resurrected the dead, and more, including the Resurrection on the third day after being nailed to a cross and dying.

His gift to us on Easter, when we proclaim “He lives,”  can come because first, we believe; and then we are given and expected to use the tools he’s provided to nurture a relationship with him.  This is what we are born for.  That is why we are here and that is how we can stay aligned with the Savior.