Seasons

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. –Ecclesiastes 3:1

As I move through this thing called life, I realize that God blesses me with new things that build upon one another. I have developed new passions that drive me to understand in a more profound way why it is that God made me the way that He has chosen. I do know that the reason for my life is to give Him all honor and glory. How I do that though is what gives me hope in seeing His glory.

I have been reminded of how I have grown and changed through the years. Recently, I have been reminded of a season of my life from my youth. Although I did not follow God during that season, I am able to look back at that time and realize that God was indeed using me during that time for a reason and a purpose. Some of my experiences from that season of my life are what motivate me today to be a true difference maker for the body of Christ. I realize that even though I had turned my back upon my Savior during that season, He still loved me and only desired that I turn to Him.

God has put different people in my life at different seasons for a reason. Those relationships are important to me and more important to God. I must strive to be a catalyst in any and all relationships to point someone towards our creator as He desires that all come to know Him.

As I look at where I stand today in this season, there is no way that I would have chosen the life that I now live several season back but I know that is alright. What is important is that I use my lessons from my various seasons to grow and learn and to be that man that I have been called to become.

Patiently

I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. –Psalm 40:1

I find myself seeking His answers for my life. I seek to understand why I exist in this place and in this time. What is my purpose? Why is it that I struggle to find that sweet spot in my life? I know that place exists and I know that He desires that I fully place myself within that spot.

As I struggle to obtain answers, I also find myself with a trapped feeling that I will never come to the full realization of what I am to do in His name until it is too late. I know that this is the time when I must take action and take a risk for my faith in my Savior.

I am very attracted at this point in my life to those writers who have a deep insight into their personal sweet spot. I find a deep sense of satisfaction that they have found their way and are executing their plan for their life while journeying the direction of the path that has been laid before them. They have taken that risk and are being rewarded. I know that the idea of taking a risk also has the connotation of possibly failing but it is far better to have risked something and failed then to have never taken a risk and be enslaved by the mediocrity of what this world deems as safety and security. I have been in that place of safety and security for too long and I know that it sucks the very marrow out of your existence.

I know that my step of faith will be rewarded. I know that all is required is to take that first step and do so in His name. As I embark upon that journey, I must do so boldly and not in fear. I must be prepared for any eventuality that will result. My journey is my faith and by not taking that step, I am declaring a weakness in my faith in what He desires for my life. LORD, please just help me to figure this out.

Light

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise the Father in heaven. –Matthew 5:16

I have a place that I enjoy spending time at which is in a heavily wooded area. I refer to this place as my God Spot as when I am there, I spend my time simply reflecting upon His being and my part within His kingdom. This time of year, a canopy has been created by the many trees from the new growth. As I sat there this day, there was a portion of light that was shining through the trees. As I gazed into this light, I was able to see things in that beam of sunlight that I was not able to see when they were not in the light. A gentle breeze was blowing that was moving stuff from other plants through the aire. This stuff became visible to my eye as it passed through the light.

Christ calls us to be the light of the world. When we open our hearts to His being, the light of Christ will radiate from us for all to see. Light has many great properties that have a positive effect. Light will shine the way in darkness and reveals the way we are to go in order to get out of a dark area. Light creates warmth. Without light, nothing would be able to grow. When we expose our bodies to light, it helps our skin to produce vitamin D which helps our body maintain an emotional balance.

I spent a year in a very northern part of the world. During the summer months, daylight extended past 11 pm. I enjoyed that time of the year as the opportunity to be in the light for extended time was quite enjoyable. However, during the winter months it was dark by 4 pm. I noticed a difference in my overall attitude and emotions. I have read that during that time of the year in these parts of the world, there is a problem with depression due to the limited time of light.

When we are the light of Christ, we allow others to see Christ through us. When we are radiating His light, we are allowing ourselves to be used for His glory to make a true difference in the lives that we touch.

Heart

I will not enter my house or go to my bed. I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob. –Psalm 132:3-5

The dwelling place I have found for the LORD is my heart. I have come to understand that in order to give Him the space that He deserves, I must make certain that He has the space. I must clean out from my heart those things that interfere. I must make my heart an open vessel for His presence.

God is very clear. He does not desire a portion of my heart, He desires all my heart. He is jealous of those things that I have allowed to come before Him. Through Christ, we are told that we are to take up our cross and follow Him. In our western way of thinking, do we really understand the meaning of this? I think that the church in America in many ways believes that we are only to take up our cross with those things that don’t have a direct impact upon the way that we want to live our life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The cross signifies death and to take our cross and follow Christ means death to self.

I have been blessed with many things and one of those blessings is my life. I truly believe that I have been placed in this time for a reason. I know that God indeed has a plan for my life and it is purpose to pursue that plan with all my heart and all of my strength. He will reveal His plan for my life in His time, not mine.

I rejoice in His being. I am overjoyed when His still voice guides me along the path that He has laid before me.

The End?

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” –Matthew 24:36

I have watched with a certain level of amusement a group that is proclaiming that the end is to occur this Saturday. I firs began to notice bumper stickers and t-shirts proclaiming May 21, 2011 to be the day that Jesus Christ will return to claim His people and God’s final judgment of earth will commence several months ago. These past few weeks, I have heard radio commercials that proclaim that May 21st is indeed that day. At the end of the commercial, you are directed to this group’s website and amazingly when you log on, a pop up window appears asking for donations.

I guess the obvious question that I have to ask this group that if indeed May 21st is the day, what would be your need for my money. My understanding of the rapture is the belief that all God’s people will be taken up and removed from the world in order that they will be saved from the great tumult and destruction that will occur during God’s final judgment of earth. So, if this coming Saturday is the day, what would be ones need for material gain?

I will admit that I am somewhat alarmed at the pace with which things appear to be accelerating. Jesus Christ tells His apostles that “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name claiming ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars, and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” –Mark 13:5-8

Is May 21st the end of the world? I have no idea and I have no intention of making plans that it is the end. This I do know for certain, we are one day closer to the end then we were yesterday. Have you made certain that you are right with God? Are you about doing His business for since we do not know the day or time of His return, the best thing that we can do is to make certain that we are doing His work in preparation for that day.

The Ambassador

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. -2 Corinthians 5:20

Those who seek to truly follow the ways of Christ are described as His ambassadors. An ambassador is one who goes to a foreign land to represent the leaders of their nation who have sent them. They understand how their presence speaks to those who they are in contact with daily as they represent those who have sent them. Their mission is to represent the concerns of the leaders of the nation that has sent them out. They are also in their position to lend an ear to the land with which they temporarily reside. There needs to exist a certain level of trust in this relationship between the ambassador, the nations leaders that he represents on their behalf and the country that he is reaching out to as his nations representative. An effective ambassador understands these dynamic relationships while being sensitive to their concerns. An ambassador also needs to make certain that the embassy they manage is an inviting and open place for those who come to seek safety.

Christ tells us that we are not to be of this world although we live in this world. As those who have made the choice to follow Christ, they too have been placed in a foreign land. We are to present ourselves in such a way to represent the true concerns of those who have sent us. The concerns of Christ are that all would come into a personal relationship with Him and to live their life to follow that which Christ has asked us to do in His name.

I fail to understand why we make following Christ so hard. Christ tells us that His yoke is easy to carry. There are only three things that Christ asks us to do in His name. He asks us to “Love the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-38. His final command is to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

As ambassadors for Christ, we need to understand the reason that we have been placed in this time. We need to make certain that we too understand the dynamic relationship that exists between us, Christ and those who we have been sent to reach out to in His name. We always need to make certain that we are ready to lend that ear and truly listen to those in our midst and share the concerns of He who has sent us.

His Final Fate

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. –Revelation 21:4

Like many, I awoke Monday morning to the news that Usama Bin Laden had met his final fate. I found it surreal as I watched intently of the reports of the operation that was launched to seal his fate. I was amazed at the efficiency displayed by men who trained years for such a mission as this.

As I digested the news, I also found myself conflicted on how I should react. As an American, I was happy to see that public enemy number 1 had finally been brought to the only justice that he and his kind could understand. He was a man filled with hate and rage for those who thought differently then what he believed. I found great irony in the reports that his final moments were that of a coward as he placed between himself and the warrior there to execute justice a woman. There are also reports that he had the look of fear in his final seconds.

I also found myself sad that another soul had been lost who had not acknowledged Jesus Christ as their savior. Satan was able to win one more battle in the souls of the living. Jesus Christ was very clear when He proclaimed “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6. I have to wonder if the fear on the face of Bin Laden as he knew his final fate was near was the fear of he knew what waited for him on the other side of his earthly life.

What was I thinking?

Many people have asked me “What were my thoughts of Haiti?”

What could I possibly think of a country that has such a severe level of poverty that it is unimaginable to the vast majority of people in our country? What could I possibly think of Haiti when I saw children with distended bellies due to the result of malnutrition? What could I possibly think of Haiti where the average yearly income for a Haitian family is less than the average weekly income of an American family? What could I possibly think of Haiti when everywhere I would look I would see garbage and debris? What could I possibly think of Haiti when well over 95% of Haitian homes lack running water and electricity? What could I possibly think of Haiti when just obtaining basic medical care for most Haitians is non-existent? What could I possibly think of Haiti when I saw many Haitians who get up each day to simply scratch out an existence not unlike the countless chickens that roamed everywhere that were doing the same thing? Maybe that is the way that the world would think of Haiti but I found myself thinking of Haiti with a different mind not rooted in the world.

The thoughts that grabbed me the most were those that were on a much different level as I found myself thinking of Haiti the way of Christ. What would Christ be thinking as He was sitting amongst the Haitian prayer group that meets each morning at 4 am as they pray for their fellow Haitians to come to know the one true savior? What would Christ be thinking as He witnessed the smiles of the many children? What would Christ be thinking as He watched the family that was overwhelmed with joy as they received their new 2 room home that lacked running water and electricity but they understood that it was because others loved Christ more than anything else that with through a labor of love this home was built? What would Christ think as He watched young school children receive a nutritious meal and an education that would give them hope and joy in their life? What would Christ be thinking as He spent time in an orphanage that gave some children a chance to make a life for themselves off of the streets of Port au’ Prince by learning about their savior? What would Christ be thinking as He watched families that resided in the surrounding tent cities with young children receive from the hands of others a nutritious meal? What would Christ think as He watched young Haitian mothers who were given essential items for their young infant child so that their child could start their life in a positive direction as they joined with those who chose to go in prayer? What would Christ be thinking as He was amongst the Haitian Church in Grand Goave as they celebrated His life as both young and old sang, danced, raised their hands and prayed aloud for an entire 3 hour service?

I think that Christ is pleased when He sees that all of these things that were done to make Haiti a better place as they were being done in His name. I think that Christ is thinking, “Well done my good and faithful servant!” Although I know that I personally will never be able to change Haiti, I do know that by my being there it did indeed change just one small part of Haiti with those lives that were touched by my following His command to GO. My being there allowed one more block to be added to His church as He rebuilds His glorious temple here on earth. What I think of Haiti is that it has changed me in a way that I have come to understand that which Christ would ask me to do in His name. I find myself asking in a more deep and profound way, Lord what would you have me to do now and I patiently wait for His answer.

What now?

I have returned from my time spent in Haiti. Haiti is a place that changes ones outlook on that which they thought they knew. Haiti is a place that provides the perfect opportunity for God to speak deeply into ones heart. I certainly received His wisdom and guidance for my life but I find myself asking deeply and continually, ‘God, what would you have me to do now?’

He has certainly laid deep passions upon my heart these past few years and those passions are no longer an ember but are now a full fledged raging fire. Visions and dreams are what are now consuming my thought life and my mind is racing. I know that God is the maker of visions and the fulfiller of dreams when all my faith is placed in His direction for my life. I know in my heart He has something even deeper for me to experience the more that I trust in Him. “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

I know that wherever I am to go for God, I know that is the place where I will find His glory burning brightly.

The Quake

O’ God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O’ restore us. You have made the land quake, You have split it open; Heal its breaches, for it totters. You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger. You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and answer us! –Psalm 60:1-5

I find myself more in tune with the events of the world as I move deeper in my journey. I cannot help but wonder that if the events that I am witnessing now are indeed a precursor to His promised return. I know that deep in my heart that God is not punishing His people but is rather allowing the events of the world to play out in such a way that His glory will be revealed. As horrific as the images are from Japan I know that all this is happening in this day and time for a reason. As I watch the unrest from the Middle East, in Europe and in this country I know that this too is happening in this day and time for a reason.

I know that the banner of truth that I am to carry in the message of Jesus Christ. I know that to follow Jesus Christ means that hardship will follow. I am in the process of preparing my heart and mind for a journey that I am about to go upon in the name of Jesus Christ. I am about the return to a land that grabbed my heart during my last visit. This land too was shaken by a quake and split open. When the land of Haiti was split open, those there to stand in the gap created were standing firm with the banner of Jesus Christ. The banner of Jesus Christ brought hope to those whom were reached. This banner created a rock which helped create a rock for those to take their stand upon.

The word hope was very popular in 2008. However, the problem with the hope that was proclaimed in 2008 was asking people to place their hope in a man. I now see many disillusioned by that misplaced hope and any hope placed in man is doomed to failure. The true place where our hope needs to be placed upon is the rock of Jesus Christ. He never disappoints. He never leaves me hungering for truth. He is the truth and to follow Him wherever He chooses to lead me is my greatest testament to His being.