There is nothing better than encouragement. Do you agree with me? This week we have received an amazing amount of encouragement from our Easter services. E-mails have been encouraging. Phone calls have been encouraging. The snail mail has been encouraging. Encouragement is one of those experiences that you take in, and your first response afterwards is, “Really! That’s great!” Then you want to do it all over again. It doesn’t matter how much energy or hard work or effort it took to achieve whatever result occurred, encouragement makes it all worth it. It really does.
The Apostle Paul in writing to the church in Thessalonica wrote, “Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” Paul understood life is hard and Satan enjoys distracting and discouraging God’s people, but mutual encouragement wards off those difficulties. It reminds us we’re not crazy! We’re not alone!
So, let me return the blessing and share with you an encouraging word from Psalms that I pray you will take as your own. It will be your words not just the words of the Psalm. It’s found in Psalm 18:16-19. Here’s what it says, “He reached down from heaven and rescued me;he drew me out of deep waters. He delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the Lord upheld me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” (emphasis added)
Pastors are notorious for talking about “grace” in the future tense. We say things like, “When Jesus returns we’re going to be able to experience God’s grace.” Or, “If you will take this next step you will experience a grace that can only come from God.” Those statements are true, but they don’t really do justice to the scope of God’s grace. They aren’t complete.
God’s grace isn’t reserved for the future tense. God’s grace is also in the past. We experienced God’s grace the moment we were born. God gave us life. We experienced God’s grace when we received food. God gave us nourishment.
God’s grace isn’t reserved exclusively for just the future or the past either, but God’s grace is also in the present. We experience God’s grace when we awaken in a house. We experience God’s grace when we go to a job. We experience God’s grace when we go to bed with a sense of safety and security. We experience God’s grace when we suffer and yet experience endurance, patience, and hope.
2 Corinthians 12:9 quotes Jesus by saying, ” “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”
Take an opportunity today to truly live in Grace.
Every year there are countless hours poured into preparing for our Easter services. From the discussions about the best service times, to recruiting additional volunteers, to planning and preparing the stage, to putting together the actual service there is no shortage of work to do. Some years we get to the end and we conclude, “Things didn’t go quite as planned. There was something we could have done better. There was something we could have articulated more completely.” Then there are years when we stand back and we say, “Wow! God did something amazing here today.” That simple phrase is about the only way we could summarize what occurred. It didn’t have anything to do with us. It had everything to do with God.
We are just a few days away from celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus and already I’m anticipating what’s going to happen. For several weeks now I’ve had a strong sense that if people will come with anticipation and expectation and we will do our part to communicate God is going to take the opportunity to revive the souls of those who are present. He’s going to awaken those that are sleeping. He’s going to inspire those who are weary. He’s going to challenge those who are complacent. And once again, God’s going to reach across the expanse of human existence and remind us that He stands ready and waiting for us to turn to Him.
I hope and pray people from all over our community (those we have invited and those who just feel drawn to come) will come to these services and they will above all else see Jesus. Please join me in praying.
Over the past 2.5 days I’ve had the opportunity to be at a conference for church leaders. It was made up of a combination of ministers who have both been serving for years (decades really) and those who are still in their early years of ministry. Much of the discussion revolved around what the church was going to need to do in order to deliver the “Good News of Christ” as our culture continues to change and move away from Jesus. Questions of, “How does the church stay relevant? How do we raise up people who are committed to the Word of God and the cause of Christ? How do we challenge the church to live and speak from both a state of truth and a state of love?” There were some incredible discussions, a few disagreements, lots of laughs, and an incredible sense that God is still at work.
And that is what struck me. There I sat in the room with people serving from the coasts of California to the shores of Maryland, from the country of Canada to the southern most parts of Florida and Texas and God was just as much at work in those churches as He is ours. Lives are changing in Washington, Illinois, Idaho, and Tennessee, and our God is orchestrating it all (simultaneously). While we worry and fret about what’s taking place in our city, our church, and our community God is redeeming people in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and more.
How easily we forget that God is always at work. How easily we forget that God is able to do immeasurebly more than we could ever imagine. How easily we forget that God is overseeing the harvest and that the fields are ripe. How easily we forget.
Last night our house was pretty quiet. Molly was helping set up for the Girlfriends Night Out event and our 2 youngest were visiting Gramma & Papa. That left me and Kadyn. We were on our own. So, we made dinner. He peeled the potatoes. I cut up the onions and peppers. We, both, mixed up the meat and the seasoning. Then we threw it in aluminum foil and out on the grill. (Yes, we grilled! If you ask me it’s the only way to let Ol’ Man Winter know we’re still looking for Spring.) Anyway, when it was all done we threw it on our plates, grabbed a couple of croissants, and split a Diet Mt. Dew (It’s pretty obvious Mom wasn’t home :-). Then we ate. We laughed. We joked. We talked about his new watch, his school, his friends, and our family. I had the time of my life. I wouldn’t trade those types of moments for anything in the world. I wish I could hold onto them forever. I wonder if that’s close to how God feels when we seek Him.
