Preaching is always an interesting pursuit. Sometimes you feel good about it, sometimes you feel you didn’t quite make it (for a variety of reasons). What doesn’t change in the middle of all those things is my desire to see God do what He wants to do. I want people to be challenged, encouraged, strengthened, and inspired to live the life God has for them.
This is why I keep doing it. I hold a sense of urgency about it. Do you have that sense in what God’s called you to do? How about in your work? In your family? Your marriage? Your friendships? Your church?
My sermon from yesterday could have been called “Having a ‘Now’ Word in a ‘Wait’ World.” I believe we need to have the words of life He gives us ready and available. The world and sometimes our own thoughts and feelings scream at us to wait for a better opportunity, better time, better place, etc.
The truth is we often say we’re waiting when we really mean we’ve given up. Waiting in the Biblical sense has to do with expectation, anticipation, faith, believing, trusting, and supernatural grace. We have to quit associating it with sitting around hoping for change.
That’s a little beside my point, but worth mentioning. The wait of the world I mention in the title is definitely different than God's definition. It's essentially giving up, at least until another time. It convinces us to put those dreams on the shelf, be quiet and sit down. After all, this couldn’t possibly be the right time to start that new business, ministry, relationship, on and on.
But what happens when God is saying, “Now!” Who will we believe? Whose lives are hanging in the balance as we decide? What joy are we missing out on because of indifference or disobedience?
I don’t want to wait anymore to see our city transformed. I don’t want to wait until we have more money for us to reach out. I don’t want to wait to support missionaries. The reality is that all I have is now, and couple that with the power of God’s word and we’ve got something spectacular.
Share your thoughts—do you feel the urgency in your life? Are there things you’ve “waited” for only to watch them fade into distant memories? What God has called you to do is a now word, and He will strengthen each of us to complete it.
If you’d like to hear the message from yesterday, click this link where you can either listen online or save and download it for later or another device. Be blessed!
6 comments:
God has spoken a NOW word to our hearts. We're stepping out in faith and watching Him meet our NOW with His provision. What an adventure, forever ruined for the ordinary.
Hugs from this missionary mommy,
Sarah Dawn
Awesome Sarah! Thanks for sharing. I'm totally with you.
So many things are worth doing, and anything worth doing is worth doing well (as my dad was always fond of saying).
It's easy for some to write a check and pretend that's all the God requires. But the reality is that life is messy. People are messy. God wants us to put aside our own comfort get a little messy ourselves. Jeff's sermon was about the Good Samaritan this Sunday. Sort of the same groove going on. Good stuff, as always Jason.
Kat- love the Good Samaritan. Who's your neighbor? The one who needs you. How brilliant is God? :)
I think your comment may have inspired my next post...
My problem seems to always be that the things I want God to say "Now!" to are the ones He says "Wait," and vice versa.
One of these days, I really hope we get on the same page. Or rather, that I get on the same page as Him.
Billy- you and me both. :)
Post a Comment
Thanks for joining the conversation! If you get an error that says your comment won't post, hit the "post comment" button again. It should work then.