A Simple Question

       Today I heard news about the bad snow storm which hit the east coast of North America this weekend past- unusual for this time of the year.  Reports are anywhere from a few inches to over a couple of feet.  Power is out for over one million people, schools are closed, there are damages and injuries, but the hardest news to hear was the death of over 20 people- God created fellow human beings.

       The first question in my head was ‘how many of them were born again or saved?’  Hundreds of people work, live, walk and drive by me everyday.  How many know the Lord intimately?  Those who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord are doomed to an eternal life of torment without Him.  I don’t even want to think about that.  Still, the reality world wide is thousands of people are dying daily, many never even hearing about the Lord.  In a country like ours with so many freedoms and privileges, that is a shame.

       While I can’t go around the world to spread the good news and help the hurting, I can financially or prayerfully support ministries abroad.  While I can’t travel across the country preaching on the street corners and reaching my entire country, I can certainly pray for Christians all over to rise up and reach out, and then I can reach out to the many people around me that I have contact with.

       Lord, give us all a boldness to proclaim Your good news to everyone so that they may all experience genuine love.  Forgive us for not seeing the unsaved people headed for destruction, for selfishness that keeps us from giving of our time and energy, and for being afraid to say anything about You to them.   Help us, change us, don’t give up on us, purify our hearts and minds to love and serve You all of our days.  Please give us a heart to love the lost and do something about it.

Here is a simple question to ask yourself right now:

What one thing can you do today to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?

Now, go do it…

They have kept thy word.

       John chapter 17 has always been one of my favorites (of course I have many! J ).  Today I was reading verse six and it was Jesus speaking about his disciples: I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word.  What?  What did He mean they kept His word?  Right up until the end of His human life, the disciples still didn’t understand what was going on and still doubted who He was.  So, I had to look up what ‘kept’ meant: to guard by keeping the eye upon. (Strong’s)

       Jesus said the disciples heard the word, received the word, and believed (For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 17:8) but when you read, you realize they still had doubts, questions, and misunderstandings until after Jesus reappeared after His resurrection.  With all these flaws- and more- how could Jesus say they kept His word?

       Well, they were the first ones to hear the good news from the mouth of the Savior in His human form.  And though lots of people heard the same good news, many had hardened hearts and couldn’t receive it.  The disciples heard and received it even though they didn’t comprehend it all then.  Three years with Jesus and they had not achieved true understanding. Still, they were the ‘guardians’ of the words Jesus spoke, and they kept listening and receiving all He had to say.

       They also went out and did all He told them to.  From following a man to secure a room for Passover to going out in teams of two preaching the good news and ministering to folks, the disciples did what Jesus asked of them- at least most of the time we read about.  I guess that’s something to say.  I’d like to believe I could do what the Lord asks of me 100% of the time, but like the disciples, I’m flawed, and I occasionally doubt, question and misunderstand.  Still, I choose to follow Him knowing that He can use me as I am with all my flaws for His glory.

       Now we are the ones to guard His Word here on the earth.  We are living epistles of the Lord walking on the earth (2Cor. 3:2) to show forth who He is, how much He loves them and that He wants to be with them right now.  Jesus wants to use each and every one of us.  We, in our flawed state, with our doubts, fears, questions, mistakes, misunderstandings and stumbles, are to keep His Word and express the love of Jesus Christ to the world.

Are we succeeding yet?

I Love Sundays

       Every Sunday possible, I walk into my local church (or one we’re visiting) and I see the wondrously differing variety of people that our God has created.  There are an assortment of heights from tall to vertically challenged people with red/ blond/ brunette/ gray/ black hair and a mixture of colours in between.  Some are happy, some sad, some worried, some content and some walking around that don’t even know which way is up anymore.  Each person wonderfully unique and needed on this journey called life.

       Church is not a building, but the people in the building.  We could surely survive without ever stepping foot inside another church building, but we could never endure without the people who are the church.  They make me smile, they make me cry, they make me laugh, they make me groan, they help knock chips off my shoulder, and remind me I am unique and special- just like everyone else.  I need each one of my brothers and sisters to help me along in this journey, and (horror of horrors! J ) they need me!

       Each one of us is a piece of the puzzle, incomplete without the others.  We are differing shapes and colours, but it takes each of us to complete it.  One piece missing ruins the whole thing and the picture would remain unfinished.  But together, we are a complete picture of the church of Christ, glorious and beautiful without fault (spot or wrinkle Eph. 5:27): complete.

       To all those who know, love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, I am very glad you are a part of my family.  I am grateful for the assortment of people in our family.  It would be pretty boring if we all looked or acted the same.  Instead, God has given us diverse personalities, thought processes, gifts, and emotional dispositions just to keep things interesting.  And just think… if you haven’t worked out a way to get along with one of your fellow brothers or sisters, you’ve got all eternity with them to figure it out!

God is so good!!!