Unsearchable things

Have you ever had life all planned out and it doesn't happen the way you thought?  If you are a follower of Christ and you are living for God, He probably protected you from something unforeseen.  There are a lot of verses in the Bible that are misquoted or taken out of context.  Especially verses in the Old Testament.  Many of the verses Christians quote were meant for Israel.  However, we can claim some of these promises for us too. In Jeremiah 33:3 God told the Hebrews to call on him and He would tell them unsearchable things that they didn't know.  That is my prayer for my life.  I have things planned out but they never turn out the way I want.  But I want to hear what God wants.

Ever wondered?

I don't know anyone who had their life go exactly as they planned.  I've never used my B.S. Degree.  I did use my first Masters and now use it again.  I definitely use my M.Div and plan to use my D.Min.  But it is always interesting to look back on how things happened to see God at work.  I've wondered why God has had me in some of my recent positions.  Things have changed drastically in the last year.  God doesn't do anything by accident.  I'm still not sure what my next steps are.  God has used me and given me a vision for the future.  Sometimes I wonder if my visions are from God or just something I ate.  I guess we will see.

Things are what they appear

The days of the internet and social media make things appear better than what they are in person.  Sunday I saw a car at local car dealership online.  This is well known New and Used Car Dealer.  They have what they call their economy lot.  The car looked amazing online and I wondered why it was priced so low.  It was detailed and everything looked great.  It has leather seats and the rear seats looked like they had never been sat in.  The floorboards looked clean.  But I realize that there were no pictures of the front seats.  I arrived yesterday and there it was.  It didn't look as clean in person as it did online.  In fact, I wondered if it was the same car.  When I opened the door, I realized why it was price was what it was.  The front seats were almost gone.  All I could see was the foam.  Things can look good from the outside but they aren't always what they seem.

Availability & Follow-through

Yesterday was an interesting one.   I was asked to visit an employee's cousin of one of the companies we serve in another town.  I got there and he was friendly and we talked for a while.  He is not a believer but has been open to God in the past.  He told me something tragic though.  He visited a church with his then-girlfriend and checked a box on the response card to have a staff member contact him.  They never did.  He took that as his sign that God wasn't interested him.  I am so grieved by that and hope I always follow-through.  I invited him to our church and when he gets out he is supposed to come with me.

Then, last night my wife and I went to a restaurant at the Summit on Hwy 280 in Birmingham.  We were enjoying our bread before the meal when our waiter comes over to refill the water in our glasses and the people next to us.  After he fills the water glasses of the people next to us he turns to us and starts telling us that this was his first night back at work.  He begins telling us that he was in a motorcycle accident two weeks earlier and that he was in a sling until yesterday.  He said, that God was watching over him.  Then he said, "I don't know why I felt led to tell you this."  Now, he didn't tell the other couple about this.  He told us.  My wife was smiling and I know what she was thinking.  When our waiter left, Cass looked about me and laughed.  I asked her, what just happened?   I didn't initiate the conversation like I often do.  It was very loud and not the time to try to witness to anyone.  Cass said you have an Aura around you.  I laughed and said it is the Holy Spirit.  When Shawn, our waiter came back, I asked more about his accident and it turned out he was in the Marines and had been stationed at Camp Lejeune for a short time.  I was the youth minister at a church in Jacksonville for 3 years.  I asked Shawn if he went to church anywhere and he said no.  I told him about our church, Church of the Highlands.  I gave him my number and invited him to come with us.  Then I pointed to one of our Highlands College students who was also a waiter.  I then told the student about Shawn and how I invited him to church.

Why did God drop this opportunity into our laps?  I don't know.  But I think it is because I pray every day for God to give me opportunities to share my faith.  I can't take any credit for what happened because I wasn't even thinking about sharing with Shawn.  But could it be that the Holy Spirit has anointed me for times like these?  I have no idea. 

Two things I learned from yesterday.  One, follow-through.  Two, be available.

God has my "6"

I was never in the military but I served on staff at a church in a Marine town for 3 years.  I also love to watch military movies and tv shows.  One of the terms they use in the military is when a fellow military person has their back they call it having their "6."  This means they have their back.   As I was studying Isaiah 58:7-8 it hit me that if we take care of those less fortunate and meet their needs that God will be our "rear guard.''  In today's military terms, God has our "6."  Then in vs 9, it says if call on God He will answer us.  That is cool that God has our back.

God's Word accomplishes what He wants

There are some Christians and unfortunately preachers who butcher the Bible.  They take verses and make the Bible like a Magic Gennie.  But the reality is that the Bible is here for us to be used for God's purposes.  He wants us to know Him and we get to know God by studying His Word.  I was reading in Isaiah 55 this morning and in vs 11 it talks about how God's Word will not return empty.  I've heard that verse hundreds of times.  But the next part spoke to me today.  It says that God's Word will accomplish what He desires.  God's Word will achieve the purpose for which He sent.  This challenged me to use God's Word more.  I don't need to use it to beat people over the head, but if I'm reading this correctly, when I use God's Word it achieves the purposes He wants.  Pretty cool.

Encouragers

We live in a world of negativity.  The news is negative.  Social media is negative.  Friends and family are negative.  How do we stay sane in a world that is so angry?  What our world needs are encouragers.  My favorite character in the Bible besides Jesus is a man named Joseph from Cyprus.  He was such a positive influence on the early church that the disciples changed his name.  Anytime a person's name was changed in the Bible it meant there was a change in that person.  I've heard some pretty bad nicknames.  But I love what they changed Joseph's name to be.  He was called Barnabas.  That may sound like a strange name but it means "Son of Encouragement."  Wouldn't that be cool to have your name changed because you were such an encouragement?  Barnabas is the reason the disciples accepted Saul who persecuted the church.  I believe it was because of Barnabas that Saul transformed into Paul.  I believe it was because of Barnabas and his encouraging that John Mark went from outcast to Paul to a useful servant.  Barnabas was a great man that the Bible said led many people to the Lord.  It also says he encouraged people.  I want to be remembered as an Encourager.