"And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. " Nehemiah 2:1-4 NASB.
Life continues, often even past the very point where we don't have confidence it will anymore. And the call still echoes like life in my bones, and I find myself struggling like Isaiah where I do not want to speak of things of God, but I find I have to, because I cannot contain the fire in my bones.
Who am I? I am a sinner, broken and bruised, unworthy of salvation, unworthy of the call God has placed upon me. But God, the Creator of all that is good and worthy made me.....so, I find that I do have value, when viewed in my Father's eyes.
And how do I get the God of Holiness to look my way? He who is righteous beyond all measure and standards known? Through the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If I lead, who will follow? Does it matter in the scheme of the Father's plan to wonder about that? I've expressed frustration this week, over the seemingly echoing silence from Heaven over the turmoils in my life. The lack of endorsement from the leadership, the lack of discipleship from the church, and the fire....consuming and demanding that I follow the call.
Nehemiah, despite being a highly placed official in the court of the King, was afraid when the King asked him why he was sad. Not because he didn't have the answer, but because he was afraid of the results. So what did he do? He prayed.
He phoned home.
In our counseling class last night, we learned that theological standard of communication with God. God won't communicate anything that is opposing to His word. Though, as Dr. Sandra Wilson said in the DVD, I haven't heard an audible voice since the call to come home in my relationshipal conversations with God, I have been spoken to.
God doesn't require perfection to be in ministry, God doesn't require all the ducks in a row. God requires obedience and desire to serve. God requires an answering to the call. God requires that I subject myself to Him and all my faults, sins, and sorrows upon His table so that He can address the problems and enable the solutions. To be an open book.
I struggle, with finances, in my marriage relationship, and with other personal issues that it seems many Christian leaders would say disqualifies me from service. But I see nowhere in the Bible where anything I have done would do so in God's eyes. Moses murdered. Jonah ran.
I cannot offer anything to the call that would enable me to point to myself as the source of the glory. I cannot boast upon my own strengths.
I can only offer service and allow my will to be subjected to the will of the Almighty God of all Creation.
Jim
Friday, October 12
Thursday, October 11
A forwarded story I loved to read....
A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible Study.
The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice
The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"
After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.
Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different Ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?"
He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.
But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."
It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."
This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street .
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh
Half jokingly, he said out loud,
"Okay, God, I will."
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face
The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.
He knew that God still answers prayers.
Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He's asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13
If you aren't ashamed to forward this, please send it to ten people. Follow the directions, Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father."
Not ashamed...Pass this on.
Every once and a while you get a forwarded story, prayer, or chain letter that speaks to you. My dear friend sent this to me and it spoke to me.
God does speak to us today, instead of through prophets and preachers, He does it directly. But too many of us don't hear. Too many of us are afraid.
Pass it on or don't. I know I am blessed to have read it.
The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice
The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"
After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.
Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different Ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?"
He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.
But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."
It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."
This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street .
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh
Half jokingly, he said out loud,
"Okay, God, I will."
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face
The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.
He knew that God still answers prayers.
Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He's asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13
If you aren't ashamed to forward this, please send it to ten people. Follow the directions, Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father."
Not ashamed...Pass this on.
Every once and a while you get a forwarded story, prayer, or chain letter that speaks to you. My dear friend sent this to me and it spoke to me.
God does speak to us today, instead of through prophets and preachers, He does it directly. But too many of us don't hear. Too many of us are afraid.
Pass it on or don't. I know I am blessed to have read it.
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