Connecting Points

Friday, September 6, 2013

Today’s Topic: Oops!

Today’s Text:  Daniel 5:27 (ESV)  You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;

Don’t use a screwdriver as a hammer.

Don’t use a knife as a screwdriver.

These are just two of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way. To be honest, there were many times that both substitutes worked, which only fueled my pride. It was that pride that eventually led to a time when the substitutes failed and the project ended badly. I’ve said “OOPS!” too many times.

Everything that has been made has an intended purpose. Granted, some things are multi-functional, but that was intended by the designer. When we use things for purposes that were not built into the original design, we can get into serious trouble.

That’s what happened to King Belshazzar in Daniel chapter five. Belshazzar was the son of King Nebuchadnezzar, whom God had humbled. His son knew what had happened. Yet Belshazzar rejected the work of God in His life and became proud – so proud that during a showy celebration he ordered that all of the vessels of gold and silver from the temple in Jerusalem be brought out and used as common serving and drinking utensils at the banquet.  In his pride and desire to show off his wealth and power, the king chose to take things that were designed solely for the Lord’s work and use them for personal gain.

Immediately God responded. His hand wrote something on the wall that no one could read except Daniel. Here’s Daniel’s perspective on what happened.

²² And you [King Nebuchadnezzar’s] son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, ²³ but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. ²⁴ “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; ²⁸ PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:22-28 (ESV)

“OOPS!”

That night Belshazzar died, and Cryus became King. All because of pride, which always precedes a fall.

“OOPS!” I’ve used some of the Lord’s things for personal gain.

“OOPS!” I’ve taken money from my tithes and offerings to pay bills or buy new things.

“OOPS!” I’ve not followed through on pledges and commitments because my pride saw ways to use those resources for myself.

“OOPS!” I’ve lost the use of some things because God has immediately responded and taken them away to get my attention fixed back on Him alone.

“OOPS!” My heart has been weighed in the balances and been found wanting.  What a horrible condition. Oh how I never want that statement to be true of me again.

Today, dear Lord, I commit myself again to your Holy Spirit’s correction to create in me a humble heart, so that all you have given me will be used for its intended purpose to serve you and not me!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Today’s Topic: Enduring Love

Today’s Text:  Psalm 107:1 (ESV) Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

This morning I stopped at the hospital to visit a man God brought into my two years ago. He has become a good friend. He is succumbing to the ravages of cancer.

I met with the family on Tuesday after they had heard the options from the doctor. After careful thought and prayer, this is what my friend wrote this morning on Facebook…

I am having a hard time trying to figure out when or how to make a final announcement to all my friends and family. I guess now is as good as it gets. As most of you know I have been fighting stage IV prostate cancer for almost 3 years now. Last Monday the 25th I was admitted for respiratory distress. My cancer has taken a serious turn and involved my liver and lungs. I am now experiencing liver failure and told I have 1 to 4 weeks left. I will be going into hospice care and letting the Lord Jesus take the wheel from here. I Love you all and just want to thank you for being part of my life and having impacted my life by being there. Everyone of you are special to me. I will monitor FB as long as possible but probably will not have a lot interaction from now on. Again I Love you and thank you for your love and friendship. God bless you all!

As I parked the car at the hospital the Holy Spirit led me to the one-hundred seventh Psalm. After some wonderful conversation around the bed with him and his wife, I read the first nine verses to him.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! ² Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble ³ and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. ⁴ Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; ⁵ hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. ⁶ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. ⁷ He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. ⁸ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! ⁹ For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

When I was done reading, we talked about how the longing of the soul is completely satisfied by the love of God. God’s love is not a response to our actions or attitudes. God’s love is not a response to our work to earn it. God’s love is not limited by circumstances. God’s love endures forever.

God loves us while we have cancer. God loves us while we suffer for any reason. God loves us no matter what the condition of the world or the economy. God’s love endures forever, and it satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good things. God doesn’t promise to remove physical problems, but He promises to satisfy the longings of our hearts during the problems we face.

While everything around us may appear harmful, hurtful, and hateful, God’s love endures forever. God’s love is not delivered through any external event. Solutions to problems is not the means of receiving or recognizing God’s love. Fixing issues is not the means of experiencing God’s love. His love is delivered through the life-occupying Presence of the Holy Spirit. Love comes from the heart of God into the soul of man to flow out of man. God’s love endures forever, not matter what is going on around us, because His love is within us.

What a joy to know that my friend understands this. What a blessing it is to watch his life influence so many others to discover the truth of God’s love. What hope it gives us all to know the truth of God’s enduring love as expressed by the Apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans chapter 8 –  

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death… ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you…³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Today’s Topic: Fresh Start

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

They say that Spring is the season of new beginnings. Well, for me, Fall is the time of starting over. After a long summer of excessive distractions, it is now time to get back on track.

Don’t get me wrong, I was not distracted from the Lord; but I was distracted from the normal routine of early morning writing of these Connecting Points. Much was accomplished for the Lord’s work in those distractions as most were designed by Him, yet there was always something missing. I have come to realize that the time I spend in writing is extremely important to my spiritual health.

As I return to the office this morning from my latest adventure across the Midwest, I come with the determination to invest the first hour of my day in hearing from God and sharing with you what He is teaching me.

WAIT! What a horrible word. When used as a suggestion it seems impossible to do. When issued as a command we rise up in rebellion against it and demand an explanation of why. The mere sight of a construction sign on the highway that says “Flagman Ahead” sends sighs of frustration through the car.

We don’t like to wait. We don’t like to wait at stoplights. We don’t like long lines at the store, and in reality any line with more than us in it is long. We check all the open registers before choosing what we think will be the quickest line. If you ever see me in a store, don’t get behind me in line because I always choose the wrong one.

Yet waiting is a fact of life. We’ve tried to make it bearable. We now have countdown timers at intersections that let us know when the light is going to change. They are controlled by pedestrians who have pushed the crosswalk button. Now we get made when we see pedestrians at the corner.

We have created waiting rooms, and we have quickly learned that the time we will spend in them is directly proportional to the number of magazines available. And then there are those that have a children’s play area. Stay away from those or bring a lunch.

How many of us will admit that we are tired of waiting? My hand is raised, or at least it was prior to this morning when God revealed again to me the simple truth of a favorite verse of many of us. They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength. There’s that word – WAIT! Yet today the Lord showed me one simple point that will help me to connect to Him more intimately – Waiting doesn’t make us tired but actually strengthens us.

We waste energy by not waiting. We grow weary by not waiting. We create more problems by rushing in when God has not prepared us or the circumstance for our involvement. The energy spent is not only wasted, but not replenished, making us even more tired than before. God only promises strength to those who wait on Him. He only gives energy to those who are walking and running and working according to His purpose and in His timeframe. God only lifts us higher and higher to soar with Him when we spread our wings in the wind of the Holy Spirit.

WAIT! Before you make any plans today; before you step up in your own strength and wisdom to address any problem; before you insert yourself into any issue; WAIT! Wait for God’s wisdom. Wait for God’s timing. Wait for God’s permission. When He says go, then He will give sufficient grace to go all the way without weariness. When we are tired, it may very well be that we are working in our own strength only.

It is time to wait on the Lord! Enjoy it, and be renewed.

Pastor John

Dear Connecting Points Followers,

It appears over the last week that my WordPress account was hacked, and you may have received some rather nasty emails that appeared to come from me. My apologies. I believe the issue has been resolved, and we are back on line. It is possible that I will be changing blog hosts once I return from vacation. Watch for updates starting September 5th. Have a great and God-honoring day.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 01, 2013

Today’s Topic: Surprises

Today’s Text:  Genesis 48:11 (ESV)  “I never expected to see your face;”

It will be hard for me to ever forget this past weekend. It started on Friday morning, when I got one of the best surprises of my life. It was such a surprise because the basic requirement of surprise was met – it was totally unexpected.

I had just left my office to go to another part of the church on an errand. When I emerged from the room I was in, I noticed a couple of people lounging around in the atrium of our new building. They had not been there two minutes earlier. I said hello to one of them and proceeded to move towards the next room I needed to search as I looked for the item I needed.

As I moved towards that room, one of the other pastors on staff here approached me and told me that there was someone in the church office that needed to talk to me. He made it sound very serious – so serious in fact that he said there was no way that he was going to attempt to talk to this person.  A chill of fear ran through me as I moved towards the church office.

When I entered I saw only the office administrator and a member of our church whom I knew was not the person waiting to see me because I had already spoken to him in the hallway. As I began to move towards my office, thinking it was strange that this person might already be allowed in there, the door opened, and out came Pastor Jerry Moser from our sister church on Bayou DuLarge in Louisiana.

I literally ran the last two steps to him and hugged him and fought back the spontaneous emission of tears from my eyes – tears of incredible joy. He was here to celebrate the dedication of our new building, even though he had told me two months earlier that he was not going to be able to come. The people who had arranged for him to come had worked hard to convince him, and they had all kept it a perfect secret. I was exceedingly surprised because it was totally unexpected.

There are a lot of applications I could make from this story. They range from having the right expectations to having no expectations at all. But here are a few that are running through my mind as I write, mainly dealing with the topic of surprises, and how some things should come as a surprise to us because we fully expect them to happen.

• We should not be surprised – in other words we should expect – that the people who do not know Christ and are still under the influence of their father the Devil will seek to disguise their identity by pretending to be followers of Jesus.  2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
• We should not be surprised when the world hates us, but rather we should surprise the people of the world by not participating in the same sinful lifestyles that they live. 1 John 3:13
  Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 1 Peter 4:4 (NLT) Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.
• We should not be surprised that we have to go through tough times as a test of our faith so that God can refine us into the image of His Son Jesus. 1 Peter 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
• We should not be surprised when Jesus returns. 1 Thessalonians 5:4  But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

Your expectations determine your surprises. As you go into your day today, what are your expectations? Your answer to that will determine the level of surprise you experience if Jesus returned today. Look up and listen for the trumpet. It could happen any moment. And as you wait for it, live completely for the One who is coming again, so no one is surprised when He takes you with Him.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, August 01, 2013

Today’s Topic: Are You Ready?

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 56:8 (ESV)  The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

(NOTE:  While these thoughts may apply to you who do not attend Calvary, they are primarily designed for the people who do.)

Are you ready?

They’re coming.

God has promised to bring them.

Are you ready?

Are you prepared to expand the boundaries of your comfort zones?

Are you excited to weave new people into the fabric of your life?

Are you intentionally looking for new people to whom you can connect?

Are you ready?

Are you preparing yourself to resist the natural urge to stick to what and whom you know?

Are you encouraging your family and friends to consider the feelings of the new people God brings and  ease their fears by becoming their friend?

Are you ready?

They’re coming.

God has promised to bring them.

They are looking for a place to connect to God.

They need a connection to God’s people.

They need a connection to YOU!!!!!

Are you ready to be the people we have been appointed to be and join Jesus Christ in connecting people to God?

Connecting Points

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Today’s Topic: Complete Trust

Today’s Text:  Daniel 3:28 (ESV) ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

Sunday after church I spotted a new family in the atrium of our building. I made a beeline for them as I had not met them yet. I introduced myself to the gentleman who was obviously the father of a little girl he was holding. After exchanging names and a handshake, I asked what the name of his little girl was. She turned her head from his shoulder, looked into my eyes, and lunged towards me with extended arms. As I took her into my arms, she nestled her head into my neck and gave me the warmest and most loving hug I had had since the one I got from my wife before we left for church. It lasted a long time. It was a moment of joy, but more than that it was a moment of complete trust.

As I talked to the parents, I discovered that this little girl didn’t go to everyone like that, but that she had displayed this incredible ability to know the trustworthiness of people based on looking into their eyes. I made an immediate connection with her, and this little downs syndrome two-year old is my new special friend.

It is that kind of trust that I want to have in my Lord and Savior. It is the kind of trust I see in the lives of three men from the book of Daniel, and it was obvious to those who lived around them and with them in their day.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had taken a stand against an incredibly arrogant king who had set up a huge idol for the people to worship. King Nebuchadnezzar had issued a nation-wide command that every person was to bow down and worship the idol whenever they heard music being played. If they didn’t, they would be thrown into a furnace and burned to death.

God’s three chosen men for that time refused to bow down, and the Chaldeans, the Pharisees of their day,  brought Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before the king for their punishment. King Nebuchadnezzar explained the rules to them, and the punishment for disobedience, and then asked them a question that revealed his arrogance – “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Or, to put it in the language of our current lives, “Is there really a god who can handle things better than I can?”

At this point I would be tempted to launch into an apologetic defense of the existence of God and take it upon myself to prove to the king that his views are wrong. But that would be equally arrogant. Instead, the three men of God simply respond, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They are immediately whisked away to the fiery furnace that has been heated to seven times its normal heat, and as the door is opened to throw them in, the guards holding them are instantly killed. But not God’s men. The One and Only God of all creation, the King of kings and Lord of lords, has accompanied His people into the fire and it does not touch them.

When the king sees it, and has them removed, they don’t even smell like smoke let alone show any signs of burning. Then the king declares “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had so much trust in God that the declared two things to King Nebuchadnezzar – that God is able to save, and that God is worthy of trust whether He rescues or not. Based on his response to what happened, the king learned both of those lessons. True trust in God results in the yielding up of our lives, our ambitions, our dreams, our desires to serve the living God rather than serve and worship the god of self.

Go ahead, look into His eyes, and discover that He can be trusted with your life. Then lunge into His arms and stay there.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, July 29, 2013

Today’s Topic: Don’t Forget the Net

Today’s Text:  Luke 5:4-6 (ESV)  ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”  ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

It was a great vacation. I am refreshed, relaxed, and restored in my spirit. I had never been that far north into Canada before. The beauty of the wilderness filled me with awe and wonder at the mighty power and majesty of God. I saw moose swimming in the lake. I saw eagles soaring over the waters looking for food. I watched a beaver smack his tail on the water as he escaped the approaching boat. I got up close and personal with a loon as she protected her fledgling baby. Every experience made me consider the glory of the Creator who instantly made all things that exist with nothing more than His words.

While all of the glorious sights were thrilling, they were not the reason I was there. I was there to fish. And fish we did, with plenty of catching included. As my brother and I motored away from the dock every morning, our primary thoughts were not on what we would see that day, but on what we would catch. Every day was all about fishing.

Before we would start the motor we would run through a mental checklist.

• Lunch packed? Check.
• Tackle Boxes? Check.
• Fishing poles? Check.
• Nets? Check.
• Stringers? Check.
• Depth finder? Check.
• Gas tank filled? Check.
• Rain gear? Check.

Once we got out into the lake we did not want to have to return for something we needed to accomplish the mission, and the mission was to catch fish. All our thoughts and conversations were about fishing. We talked strategy. We talked technique. We evaluated locations. We analyzed weather patterns and wind conditions and lake structure. Everything we did was about finding fish and catching fish.

After a couple of days of doing that, God slammed me with this truth – I am not just a fisherman for this trip, but I am a fisher of men every day of my life. But there are many days when I leave the dock without my fishing equipment, and some days without even a thought of even going fishing.

Jesus has called us all to be fishers of men. Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) He has given us all the same mission to cast the net of His Gospel truth over every person that we contact every day so that He can gather into the net those that He is saving from their sin. But many days we leave the net behind, and walk out into the world with a self-defined and self-serving mission on our minds. We become so self-absorbed in our own lives that even when an obvious lunker swims by ready to be caught, we miss them because we are looking at other things and are not prepared to catch them. We leave the dock without the net of God’s love and grace because we are so in love with ourselves.

The reality of that being true in my own life broke my heart. I realized how many days I get up, grab my coffee, and head out to conquer the day without a thought or prayer for all the fish that are waiting to be captured in the net of the King. I realize that underneath that reality there are two truths at work in my heart. First, I must admit that I am more concerned about my own life and maintaining its status quo than I am about the floundering fish around me. And second, that God doesn’t really need my net to accomplish His purpose. Both are wrong, and one is downright sin.

So I commit to making sure that my purpose every day is to look for fish, and to be prepared every day with the net of God’s love and grace. I will cast it out in every situation as I make contact with people, because it is what God has called me to do. He has called you to do the same.

Connecting Points

Monday, May 13, 2013

Today’s Topic: Work With All Your Heart

Today’s Text:  Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

Older adults were working right alongside of younger ones. Men who are suffering from terminal cancer were carrying and cutting lumber and helping install it. Inexperienced people were carefully listening to instructions and stepping way out of their comfort zone to operate power tools so skilled people could keep working on the installation of the tile. People were stopping in just to see what they could do, and no task was too insignificant for them as they agreed to do it.

This is what I saw last week at our new church building. What an honor to work alongside of people who work with all their heart to the glory of God.

I spent a lot of time out at the building last week, and that’s why my writing of these devotionals has slowed way down. I hope you understand. But you can get great first hand communication if you come out and help. We need help. The deadline for moving is fast approaching, and there is a lot to do.

Near the end of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, Nehemiah was called by God to return to Jerusalem to start the rebuilding process. When he arrived, the first thing he did was to survey the needs. When Nehemiah saw what needed to be done (Nehemiah 2:11-16) he immediately informed the leaders of the need and the plan to fix it. He called them to work.

The people of Jerusalem responded as one, and in a very short time they were half done with the job. Some opposition arose, people got tired from all the hard work, some opposition arose from outsiders which quickly turned into discouragement amongst the insiders, and suddenly the completion of the project seemed overwhelming. (Nehemiah 4:1-12) So Nehemiah prayed, encouraged the people, and put a new plan into place. The people responded, and they finished the job in record time.

With all of that in mind, it is time to report to you exactly where we are in the building process, what the needs are to finish, and encourage you to help in any way you can. Please pray, and provide as God has equipped you to provide for His Kingdom.

Work to be completed:

• Ceramic tiling of the bathrooms and the kitchen. This is a high priority and it would be nice to have the bathrooms done this week and the kitchen by the middle of next week. This will take several workers to assist our tile layers.
• Completion of the cypress trim in the church offices. The varnishing is being done today, with installation scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday.
• Painting, primarily spraying but some rolling and brushing. If you have any experience with an airless sprayer, we would appreciate your help in finishing all of the auditorium walls. We also need people to do touch up painting in next week as the building nears completion.
• Kitchen Cabinet installation when tiling is completed. The installer could use manpower for lifting and moving and fastening of all the cabinets.
• MOVING: We need lots of help packing at both our current facility and the church offices. We must have all our storage and personal items out of our building by May 25. We will also be moving many of the office items like the pastors’ libraries and youth equipment during that time.
• LANDSCAPING.: The parking lot is being staked out this week and will hopefully be done early next week. Once finished, we are responsible for the planting of 55 trees and all the grass. This is where we will need lots of people to help.

Needs:

• In addition to the labor required to finish this project, we are in need of financial contributions as well. Many of you have already given sacrificially of your time, energy, and finances, for which we are inexpressibly grateful. Some of you are not able to participate in the labor, but would like to be a part of this great work of God. Thank you in advance for your generous gifts to allow us to provide for the fixtures and supplies that are needed in many of the rooms and for the reduction of our debt, which now stands very near our maximum level.

That’s a summary of where we are. Our goal is to move into the building in early June. Our optimistic goal is that we will have our first worship service there in 20 days. It took the people of Jerusalem only 52 days to guild the whole wall around the city. If we all work with all our heart, we can do it. Call me and I will show you how you can serve.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, May 06, 2013

Today’s Topic: Spilled Apples

Today’s Text:  Deuteronomy 4:35, 39  ³⁵ To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him…³⁹ know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

I am overwhelmed to the point of speechlessness. Hard to believe, right? But it’s true. I am not able to formulate any clever or clear thoughts to write. I can only think of one thing – the awesomeness of God. He has completely captured my attention this morning by interrupting what I thought were well laid plans of His design, and has totally upset the cart. Apples – golden apples of God’s wisdom – are spilling all over the path of my life, and it is incredible. The potential is unfathomable. The possibilities are indescribable. It is the hand of God moving.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Right when you thought you had brought the plan to conclusion, God upsets it and says there’s more. Our response at such times is important. Some try to pick up the apples and put them back in the cart where they were. Others consider all the apples a waste and move on to find other apples. Some try to find a bigger cart and rearrange the apples so they don’t spill again.

Me? I am just standing here staring at the apples and the cart, and wondering what God is going to tell me to do with it all. Anything I try to do at this point will minimize my understanding of who He is and what He can do. So instead of doing anything, I turn to Scripture and read about His greatness. When His hand interrupts life, I have found that the wisest and best thing to do is to move my eyes from what His hand is doing and focus on His heart that moves His hand.

²⁵ To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? ²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹ He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. ³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; ³¹ but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:25-31 (ESV)

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. ²⁷ The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (ESV)

For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. ⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. ⁸The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Psalm 138:6-8 (ESV)

I confess that my first thought at times like this is to ask, “So God, what’s next?” But I’m learning instead to just wait until He initiates that conversation. Until then, I’m just going to press on with what He’s already said to do, and enjoy His presence as I wait for His next move. There is no other God like Him, and He will fulfill His purpose if we wait for Him to do it.

Pastor John