I was raised in a Nazarene environment. We attended the Church of the Nazarene, listened to Nazarene preaching, went to Nazarene camp meetings, played and sang Nazarene songs, and studied Nazarene material. (As a side note, I sometimes wished we were Baptist. Everyone knew what a Baptist was but most thought that Nazarenes were some sort of cult. I'm not sure we have progressed much from those times.) I remember a little devotional book that provided us with materials to consider. It was called the "Come Ye Apart".
I sort of laugh at it today because we talk about having a "come apart" meaning that we fly off the rocker or go sort of crazy...but back then "come ye apart" meant to come apart and rest awhile. I'm chasing rabbits again.
There are other devotional books around. "The Upper Room" and "Beside Still Waters" are just two. You can get a lot of help and encouragement from these books.
There are many books that I treasure which I read, sometime over and over again. I don't want to diminish the importance of those Godly books that help us in our Christian experience.
But if we want to protect ourselves and our Christian lives from Satan we need to build a wall of Bible study. Not studying good books, or devotionals but the Word of God.
A pastor friend referred to it as "the living" Word of God. It is alive and brings new light and insight to us every time we read it. I have a habit of writing in my copy of the Word. If God speaks to me in a certain passage I make a little note out to the side. Sometimes I put a date beside it. Then, perhaps years later, I find in re-reading that same passage it says something entirely different to me. It addresses another issue in another way. The Word is alive.
You can read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn or Shakespeare or whatever book you want to read and when you go back and read it....it says the same thing. But the Bible is alive and speaks to the situations we face in a new and exciting way each time we read it.
And before I go let me say we need to do more than just read through the Bible. We need to study the Bible. There are plenty of books to help you understand the Bible. Dictionaries, concordance, topical Bibles, reference books, various interpretations all lend aid to your understanding of God's
Word.
Read it, study it, memorize it, carry it with you, don't leave home without it. Surround your self and your home with the Word of God. It is a wall that will prevent your enemy from entering your city.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Wall of Prayer
The topic of prayer is one that could probably be discussed and studied from now until eternity and never be exhausted. There have been hundreds if not thousands of books, sermons, lessons, etc that have been presented on the topic. I just want to add my two cents worth here.
First of all I believe that prayer should be prayed at a specific time. I know you will say to me, "but I can pray any time", and your are right. You can and do and so do I. But I also have a specific time when I go to God and meet with Him. It is our time. It is a time when I do not allow other things to interfere. It is a time set aside for just me and God. And oh, how special it is.
My special time of prayer is early in the morning. I don't want to start my day without talking to God. Most mornings I start before I get out of bed. I just lie there and listen to the birds and feel the cool morning breeze blow in from the fields and just say good morning to Him and listen to Him tell me how much He loves me. Later on in the morning I will move into a more structured time of prayer. When I bring my concerns of the day, my praise and my thanksgiving to Him. But that is our time, our specific time for prayer.
Secondly, I believe we should have a specific place for prayer. Again you will say, "but I can pray anywhere" and again you are right. I pray in my truck driving down the road, on the tractor in the field, at work in the office, at church or any place else when I feel the need to pray. But I believe it is important to set aside a certain, specific place where you and God can meet and talk. I call it my "home field advantage".
When playing sports most teams want to play on their own field, their home field. There they are comfortable with the surroundings and can play their best game. If I am going to fight the devil and go into battle with him about the issues of my life, I want to fight on my ground. I want the home field advantage.
An old pastor had a unique way of establishing this home field advantage. He had a small hill behind his house and when it came time for his prayer with God, when he had a certain burden to take to God, he carried a rock to the top of the hill and placed it in a pile there. It became his altar to God. I am told that before his death there was a massive pile of rocks there on top of that old hill.
Not only do I believe we should have a specific time and a specific place for prayer, I also believe we should pray specifically.
If my prayer for you is "God bless _____ today". God may bless you but if I am not specific in my prayer how will I know that God has answered? For instance if I pray "God help my friend today" and do not address your specific need, God may help you but I will not know and can not thank Him for it and tell others about His wonderful intervention in your life.
It is much more beneficial if I pray, "God my friend needs $50 today to pay the bills" or "My friend needs to be relieved of the pain in his knee" or "God help my friend have peace about this event in his life". Then when God breaks in and does His work, my friend will know, I will know and we can tell the wonderful things that God has done, specifically.
Set aside a specific time, sanctify a specific place and pray specifically. I believe you will see that this wall will help protect you from the wiles of the devil.
First of all I believe that prayer should be prayed at a specific time. I know you will say to me, "but I can pray any time", and your are right. You can and do and so do I. But I also have a specific time when I go to God and meet with Him. It is our time. It is a time when I do not allow other things to interfere. It is a time set aside for just me and God. And oh, how special it is.
My special time of prayer is early in the morning. I don't want to start my day without talking to God. Most mornings I start before I get out of bed. I just lie there and listen to the birds and feel the cool morning breeze blow in from the fields and just say good morning to Him and listen to Him tell me how much He loves me. Later on in the morning I will move into a more structured time of prayer. When I bring my concerns of the day, my praise and my thanksgiving to Him. But that is our time, our specific time for prayer.
Secondly, I believe we should have a specific place for prayer. Again you will say, "but I can pray anywhere" and again you are right. I pray in my truck driving down the road, on the tractor in the field, at work in the office, at church or any place else when I feel the need to pray. But I believe it is important to set aside a certain, specific place where you and God can meet and talk. I call it my "home field advantage".
When playing sports most teams want to play on their own field, their home field. There they are comfortable with the surroundings and can play their best game. If I am going to fight the devil and go into battle with him about the issues of my life, I want to fight on my ground. I want the home field advantage.
An old pastor had a unique way of establishing this home field advantage. He had a small hill behind his house and when it came time for his prayer with God, when he had a certain burden to take to God, he carried a rock to the top of the hill and placed it in a pile there. It became his altar to God. I am told that before his death there was a massive pile of rocks there on top of that old hill.
Not only do I believe we should have a specific time and a specific place for prayer, I also believe we should pray specifically.
If my prayer for you is "God bless _____ today". God may bless you but if I am not specific in my prayer how will I know that God has answered? For instance if I pray "God help my friend today" and do not address your specific need, God may help you but I will not know and can not thank Him for it and tell others about His wonderful intervention in your life.
It is much more beneficial if I pray, "God my friend needs $50 today to pay the bills" or "My friend needs to be relieved of the pain in his knee" or "God help my friend have peace about this event in his life". Then when God breaks in and does His work, my friend will know, I will know and we can tell the wonderful things that God has done, specifically.
Set aside a specific time, sanctify a specific place and pray specifically. I believe you will see that this wall will help protect you from the wiles of the devil.
Building Walls
In continuing my thoughts on Ezra and Nehemiah let's now talk about the walls that Nehemiah built. It was Nehemiah's contention that even if the temple were built or re-built to it's previous glory, there were still enemies out there whose desire it was to prevent these people from serving their God.
Can I just stop and tell you that there are people in our world, in our nation, in our state in our towns and yes probably in our own families who want to prevent us from serving God as we should?
Nehemiah felt that even if the temple were built, without strong walls, the enemy would come in and destroy the temple again. And as important as the temple was to the people, if they didn't build strong walls, the temple would be destroyed and their freedom to serve God would be hindered.
If you are a Christian you have established your temple. You have accepted Christ as your Savior and are living for Him. But I'd just bet my tractor against your broken down mule that your enemy is trying his best to destroy your Christian life.
Troubles, trials, temptations pound you each day. Someone said recently that there are three types of people, "those who are having problems, those who are coming out of problems, or those who are about to get into problems". Not very encouraging but it's pretty much true.
Satan would like nothing better than to smash your temple, extinguish your witness, break up your home and terminate your Christian life. I Peter 5:8 tells us that he is as "a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour". So we as Christians need to build strong walls around the things that are valuable to us to prevent his onslaught.
Yes it is our choice to accept Jesus as our Savior and ask Him to come into our lives and make us His children. But without building and maintaining walls of protection around our lives the enemy will come in and defeat us.
I know if you are a history buff or a Bible scholar you will know that the city of Jerusalem had more than four walls. It wasn't built in a square. But for my illustration, my city is going to have four walls. You can take this and expound on it all you'd like. You can build as many walls as you can maintain. But let me run with this and just show you four walls that I believe need to be established if we are to protect our temple from the devil.
I believe we must build and maintain the walls of Prayer, Bible study, Praise and Giving and in the next few writings I want to point out to you some thoughts on why I believe these walls are important.
Can I just stop and tell you that there are people in our world, in our nation, in our state in our towns and yes probably in our own families who want to prevent us from serving God as we should?
Nehemiah felt that even if the temple were built, without strong walls, the enemy would come in and destroy the temple again. And as important as the temple was to the people, if they didn't build strong walls, the temple would be destroyed and their freedom to serve God would be hindered.
If you are a Christian you have established your temple. You have accepted Christ as your Savior and are living for Him. But I'd just bet my tractor against your broken down mule that your enemy is trying his best to destroy your Christian life.
Troubles, trials, temptations pound you each day. Someone said recently that there are three types of people, "those who are having problems, those who are coming out of problems, or those who are about to get into problems". Not very encouraging but it's pretty much true.
Satan would like nothing better than to smash your temple, extinguish your witness, break up your home and terminate your Christian life. I Peter 5:8 tells us that he is as "a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour". So we as Christians need to build strong walls around the things that are valuable to us to prevent his onslaught.
Yes it is our choice to accept Jesus as our Savior and ask Him to come into our lives and make us His children. But without building and maintaining walls of protection around our lives the enemy will come in and defeat us.
I know if you are a history buff or a Bible scholar you will know that the city of Jerusalem had more than four walls. It wasn't built in a square. But for my illustration, my city is going to have four walls. You can take this and expound on it all you'd like. You can build as many walls as you can maintain. But let me run with this and just show you four walls that I believe need to be established if we are to protect our temple from the devil.
I believe we must build and maintain the walls of Prayer, Bible study, Praise and Giving and in the next few writings I want to point out to you some thoughts on why I believe these walls are important.
Projects
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at a "Homecoming" service. I'm not sure what good the message did for others but it helped me. I'll not try to cram the whole message into one short devotion but will slice it up so you won't have to eat the whole elephant at one time but you can eat it one bite at a time.
The first point I want to make to you is from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. According to which Bible scholar you read, the events in these books took place at about the same time. God placed a burden on the heart of Ezra to return to Jerusalem and re-build the temple that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar about 100 years before.
At about the same time He also put in the heart of Nehemiah the burden to return and re-build the walls surrounding the city. Both of these men had a definite calling from God. Both felt the passion to get the job done for God's glory. Both went about their task with great resolve. The interesting thing is that nowhere in the scripture do you find Ezra saying, "I just wish Nehemiah would get with the program. All he wants to do is play with that wall. He needs to understand the importance of the temple".
And nowhere do you hear Nehemiah saying, "Ezra should come and help us. Everyone else is working hard on these walls. I don't understand why he is so obsessed with the temple".
Instead they worked on the project that God gave them and they gave their all to see that it was accomplished according to God's plan.
I don't see that in our churches today, do you? What I see and hear are people who say, "The youth are the church of tomorrow. We need to get involved with our youth". Others will say, "The senior adults are the people who have the knowledge and wisdom to help us build the church. That is where we need to focus our efforts". Others stress the music, the missionaries, VBS or some other project and if you don't get on board with their efforts then surely their sincerity and commitment to God is questioned.
Let me say that if God has given you a passion for music or youth or VBS or visitation or whatever it might be, get to it! Go at it with all your heart and soul but don't brow-beat your fellow Christian because he or she does not get as excited as you do about it. They may have another passion another project that God has shown them.
Establish your temple, build your walls under God's leadership and tutelage.
The first point I want to make to you is from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. According to which Bible scholar you read, the events in these books took place at about the same time. God placed a burden on the heart of Ezra to return to Jerusalem and re-build the temple that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar about 100 years before.
At about the same time He also put in the heart of Nehemiah the burden to return and re-build the walls surrounding the city. Both of these men had a definite calling from God. Both felt the passion to get the job done for God's glory. Both went about their task with great resolve. The interesting thing is that nowhere in the scripture do you find Ezra saying, "I just wish Nehemiah would get with the program. All he wants to do is play with that wall. He needs to understand the importance of the temple".
And nowhere do you hear Nehemiah saying, "Ezra should come and help us. Everyone else is working hard on these walls. I don't understand why he is so obsessed with the temple".
Instead they worked on the project that God gave them and they gave their all to see that it was accomplished according to God's plan.
I don't see that in our churches today, do you? What I see and hear are people who say, "The youth are the church of tomorrow. We need to get involved with our youth". Others will say, "The senior adults are the people who have the knowledge and wisdom to help us build the church. That is where we need to focus our efforts". Others stress the music, the missionaries, VBS or some other project and if you don't get on board with their efforts then surely their sincerity and commitment to God is questioned.
Let me say that if God has given you a passion for music or youth or VBS or visitation or whatever it might be, get to it! Go at it with all your heart and soul but don't brow-beat your fellow Christian because he or she does not get as excited as you do about it. They may have another passion another project that God has shown them.
Establish your temple, build your walls under God's leadership and tutelage.
LIVING ON PURPOSE
My nephew, Hunter just recently graduated from high school. I was very proud of him. It seems that he "has it all together". Even while he was in school he seemed to know what he wanted to do. He knew the classes he wanted to take because they would help him achieve his goals.
Now that he has graduated he will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall and it seems he is on track to accomplish his plan.
My problem is I don't think I ever had a plan. It seems to me that my life has been a series of accidents, at least on my part. It seems that I have just stumbled into whatever situation I find myself.
When I was in high school I didn't plan on anything. Others wanted to graduate and go to this college or that school. I just wanted to graduate. I had no plans after that. And I did graduate. You couldn't tell it from my spelling and writing skills but I did.
When I graduated from high school there was this little thing called the Viet Nam war going on. (I know that's ancient history to some of you.) I looked at the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines and was not really excited about either of them. Then one night a friend asked "Have you ever considered the U.S. Coast Guard"?
A few "trips" and a few stumbles and I was in the Guard. When I came out of boot camp they asked me what my interest were. I had none. No plans. So after a battery of test they sat down and told me what I was qualified to do. "Which of these do you want to do?" they asked. "Whichever one takes me closer to the South" I said. I was in California at the time and it was no secret that I wasn't happy there. So I tumbled headlong into diesel mechanic school in Yorktown, Virgina.
Graduating from that school I was tripped again and splashed into a search and rescue unit out of Galveston, Texas. Three years later I did a face plant into a volunteer fire department in Calera. EMT school, a job at the ambulance service, a job with the county, a job with EMA it just went on and on. My life has been a long line of accidents on my part. I did nothing on purpose, it just happened.
But now I am old and I manage a department for the county. My management tool is a legal pad and a clip board. I get up each morning and write down a list of things that I need to do that day. As they are accomplished I mark them off the list. As other things come up, I put them on the list. I plan my day around this list and thus manage my day "on purpose".
Now let me show you what God showed me this week. My prayer has been for a long time, "Lord, put someone in my path today so I can help them and encourage them and show them Your love". That's a pretty noble prayer don't you think? But that's not "living on purpose". That's living my Christian life just like my life has always been lived. If I happen to trip over you today I might say some kind word or do some kind deed. But far be it from me to plan to be helpful.
So I have determined that I will plan to do good. Each day I pick out someone and send them a note, text, email or phone call to encourage them. I listen to the prayer request at church and if I don't know anyone that I think needs encouragement, I'll start with those who have needs.
Just a word of encouragement. Just a note to let them know someone is thinking about them and praying for them. Not accidentally, but on purpose. It's working for me. You might try it. Do something today "on purpose". I think you will see that it increases your productivity.
Now that he has graduated he will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall and it seems he is on track to accomplish his plan.
My problem is I don't think I ever had a plan. It seems to me that my life has been a series of accidents, at least on my part. It seems that I have just stumbled into whatever situation I find myself.
When I was in high school I didn't plan on anything. Others wanted to graduate and go to this college or that school. I just wanted to graduate. I had no plans after that. And I did graduate. You couldn't tell it from my spelling and writing skills but I did.
When I graduated from high school there was this little thing called the Viet Nam war going on. (I know that's ancient history to some of you.) I looked at the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines and was not really excited about either of them. Then one night a friend asked "Have you ever considered the U.S. Coast Guard"?
A few "trips" and a few stumbles and I was in the Guard. When I came out of boot camp they asked me what my interest were. I had none. No plans. So after a battery of test they sat down and told me what I was qualified to do. "Which of these do you want to do?" they asked. "Whichever one takes me closer to the South" I said. I was in California at the time and it was no secret that I wasn't happy there. So I tumbled headlong into diesel mechanic school in Yorktown, Virgina.
Graduating from that school I was tripped again and splashed into a search and rescue unit out of Galveston, Texas. Three years later I did a face plant into a volunteer fire department in Calera. EMT school, a job at the ambulance service, a job with the county, a job with EMA it just went on and on. My life has been a long line of accidents on my part. I did nothing on purpose, it just happened.
But now I am old and I manage a department for the county. My management tool is a legal pad and a clip board. I get up each morning and write down a list of things that I need to do that day. As they are accomplished I mark them off the list. As other things come up, I put them on the list. I plan my day around this list and thus manage my day "on purpose".
Now let me show you what God showed me this week. My prayer has been for a long time, "Lord, put someone in my path today so I can help them and encourage them and show them Your love". That's a pretty noble prayer don't you think? But that's not "living on purpose". That's living my Christian life just like my life has always been lived. If I happen to trip over you today I might say some kind word or do some kind deed. But far be it from me to plan to be helpful.
So I have determined that I will plan to do good. Each day I pick out someone and send them a note, text, email or phone call to encourage them. I listen to the prayer request at church and if I don't know anyone that I think needs encouragement, I'll start with those who have needs.
Just a word of encouragement. Just a note to let them know someone is thinking about them and praying for them. Not accidentally, but on purpose. It's working for me. You might try it. Do something today "on purpose". I think you will see that it increases your productivity.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
SCARS
I had passed this spot a hundred times or more I'm sure. I was up this morning about 5:30 and was walking in the woods with my little dog, Gracie. I passed this old tree and just happened to look up at it. I don't know why because from the average view point it just looked like any other tree in the woods. As I looked up, I noticed that this tree had a large jagged hole that stretched about 6 or 8 feet right down through the center of the trunk.
Apparently, at some point over the years this tree had been hit by lightening. Through no fault of it's own a hot searing bolt of lightening tore the very heart out of this tree. It should have died. But it didn't.
Somehow the nutrients from a strong root system found their way through the tiny little passages that were not damaged by the lightening and new life begin above and around the damage. Now a strong 50 or 60 foot tree stands in the middle of the woods. Oh, sure there is a large gaping space down the middle of the trunk, a scar, if you will, testifying to the fact of a time when things were bad. But it stands tall and strong among the other trees another testimony "trumping" the bad times with good.
I imagine that there might be someone, someday who will read this little note and can relate. Perhaps through no fault of your own, (or it might have been totally your fault), you felt the hot searing lightening bolt of hard-ship, trouble or disaster in your life.
It may have been a sickness, accident, death of a loved one, divorce, prodigal child, loss of a job or any number of other "lightening strikes" that tore your heart out. At the time you thought that you would die. But because of a deep root system and the grace of God you didn't. Instead, that heavenly nourishment begin to flow through whatever passages you had left and now you can look back and see that your life is a testimony to the attributes of a loving God.
Moral of the story? Not sure there is one, but if there is it's this;
1. Develop a deep, strong root system. Without something to hold you up you will blow
over. And without a pathway for God's grace and knowledge to get to you, you will shrivel up.
2. Don't worry about the scars. They are simply testimonies to the storms that God has brought
you through.
3. Keep growing. After we have been through a storm we sometimes have a tendency to want
to just sit down and not go further. Grow, live, get strong.
I don't feel sorry for that tree at all. Yep, it had a bad day. Yep, it took a while to get over it. But now it's very existence is a testimony to the grace of God.
Apparently, at some point over the years this tree had been hit by lightening. Through no fault of it's own a hot searing bolt of lightening tore the very heart out of this tree. It should have died. But it didn't.
Somehow the nutrients from a strong root system found their way through the tiny little passages that were not damaged by the lightening and new life begin above and around the damage. Now a strong 50 or 60 foot tree stands in the middle of the woods. Oh, sure there is a large gaping space down the middle of the trunk, a scar, if you will, testifying to the fact of a time when things were bad. But it stands tall and strong among the other trees another testimony "trumping" the bad times with good.
I imagine that there might be someone, someday who will read this little note and can relate. Perhaps through no fault of your own, (or it might have been totally your fault), you felt the hot searing lightening bolt of hard-ship, trouble or disaster in your life.
It may have been a sickness, accident, death of a loved one, divorce, prodigal child, loss of a job or any number of other "lightening strikes" that tore your heart out. At the time you thought that you would die. But because of a deep root system and the grace of God you didn't. Instead, that heavenly nourishment begin to flow through whatever passages you had left and now you can look back and see that your life is a testimony to the attributes of a loving God.
Moral of the story? Not sure there is one, but if there is it's this;
1. Develop a deep, strong root system. Without something to hold you up you will blow
over. And without a pathway for God's grace and knowledge to get to you, you will shrivel up.
2. Don't worry about the scars. They are simply testimonies to the storms that God has brought
you through.
3. Keep growing. After we have been through a storm we sometimes have a tendency to want
to just sit down and not go further. Grow, live, get strong.
I don't feel sorry for that tree at all. Yep, it had a bad day. Yep, it took a while to get over it. But now it's very existence is a testimony to the grace of God.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
FOLLOW ME
Matthew 9:9
Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, was also called Levi. He was from the region of Capernaum and was a Publican or Tax Collector. He was probably the most educated of the twelve apostles. In the eyes of the world at that time, Matthew was a man with a promising future. Although we don't know for a fact that Matthew was like other tax collectors, most men with this job were unliked by the common man because tax collectors were known for abusing their position and swindling money from anyone they could.
Matthew could have gone on and made a good living. He could have made connections with those who were high up in the political circles. He could have, except for one simple (or perhaps, not so simple) encounter with a man from Galilee.
In Matthew 9:9 it simply states that Jesus passed by where Matthew was working and said "Follow me". A simple statement that carried such profound, life-changing responsibility and blessings.
Matthew's response seemed simple as well, "He arose and followed Him". But it actually wasn't that simple. History tells us that for 15 years after that encounter he followed Jesus' leading by preaching the gospel to the Jewish people of that region. Then following Jesus command to preach the gospel to the "uttermost parts of the world" went on the preach in Macedonia, Persia, Parthia and Ethiopia. It was there, according to one writer that he was burned to death by the regional ruler Fulvian.
I doubt that he really understood that day when Jesus called him from the tax receipt table what would be required of him. But he was willing and faithful.
You and I can't see what will be required of us down the road either. Will all our hopes and dreams be fulfilled? Will we fall flat on our face? Will we suffer from sickness, tragedy? We just don't know. I know this however, we shouldn't expect a "cake walk". Jesus Himself said "In this world you will have tribulations".
We are not responsible for the outcome but we are responsible for doing what Matthew did. When He calls we must arise and follow where ever He leads.
Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, was also called Levi. He was from the region of Capernaum and was a Publican or Tax Collector. He was probably the most educated of the twelve apostles. In the eyes of the world at that time, Matthew was a man with a promising future. Although we don't know for a fact that Matthew was like other tax collectors, most men with this job were unliked by the common man because tax collectors were known for abusing their position and swindling money from anyone they could.
Matthew could have gone on and made a good living. He could have made connections with those who were high up in the political circles. He could have, except for one simple (or perhaps, not so simple) encounter with a man from Galilee.
In Matthew 9:9 it simply states that Jesus passed by where Matthew was working and said "Follow me". A simple statement that carried such profound, life-changing responsibility and blessings.
Matthew's response seemed simple as well, "He arose and followed Him". But it actually wasn't that simple. History tells us that for 15 years after that encounter he followed Jesus' leading by preaching the gospel to the Jewish people of that region. Then following Jesus command to preach the gospel to the "uttermost parts of the world" went on the preach in Macedonia, Persia, Parthia and Ethiopia. It was there, according to one writer that he was burned to death by the regional ruler Fulvian.
I doubt that he really understood that day when Jesus called him from the tax receipt table what would be required of him. But he was willing and faithful.
You and I can't see what will be required of us down the road either. Will all our hopes and dreams be fulfilled? Will we fall flat on our face? Will we suffer from sickness, tragedy? We just don't know. I know this however, we shouldn't expect a "cake walk". Jesus Himself said "In this world you will have tribulations".
We are not responsible for the outcome but we are responsible for doing what Matthew did. When He calls we must arise and follow where ever He leads.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)