I admit that I am not excellent at following directions.
I don’t excel at paying close attention to someone as they spell out specific details of what I need to do to get to where I need to be. Maybe, that is why I have spent so much time wandering while in my car.
I know I would make it easier on myself if I would focus and stay present during the instruction portion of the program, but my attention span shrinks too easily. However, when it comes to following Jesus, I am all ears.
If my heart is going to be healthy spiritually, I need to hang on to every word proceeding from God’s mouth.
I came across 2 Thessalonians 3:5, which reads, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” If anyone ever doubted that God is taking us somewhere worth going, this truth sets us straight on a path to life-giving destinations. If Jesus is truly given the privilege to take the wheel, get ready to head to the land of love with a lasting staying power.
Christ’s perseverance is that of epic proportions. Jesus endured mankind’s hatred by conquering the cross and rising from the dead, which is why we are challenged to fix our eyes upon our Savior who is the author and finisher of our faith.
The source of our endurance is the same Holy Spirit whose power ignited the light that our Lord needed. The Greek word translated “steadfastness” means staying strong through grueling situations despite opposition from both outside and inside.
We can do everything through Jesus’ presence that supplies necessary equipment to keep running the race when a lawn chair to plop in is calling our names.
Let me share a story about the Nobel Prize-winning Russian novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The tale happened when he was imprisoned by Stalin in a Siberian gulag.
One day, while being forced to slave away in sub-zero temperatures, Solzhenitsyn finally reached the breaking point of what he could humanly handle himself. Filled with frustration, he threw his shovel down, slumped to the ground, and surrendered himself to a beating from a guard that would probably end up killing him.
He frequently saw it happen to others, and now he was waiting for the first fist to batter his face, but God had other plans to encourage His servant to not give up but to look up.
Without any fanfare, an emaciated fellow prisoner approached Solzhenitsyn. Simply and silently, this humble comrade scratched the sign of the cross in the mud and disappeared into the crowd of those imprisoned.
Solzhenitsyn stared at those two lines scratched in the dirt and got the message. Thinking of Jesus and all He went through for mankind shattered the despair that was hoping to deflate the Russian’s battered heart.
We learned later that it was at that moment, Solzhenitsyn knew there was something greater than the Soviet Union. He knew that the hope for mankind was represented in that simple cross, and it was through a sincere allegiance to the cross’ power that anything was possible.
Picking up his shovel, Solzhenitsyn slowly returned to work. Nothing but the encouragement of our Savior’s steadfastness could have inspired Solzhenitsyn to continue working that day. Only God’s presence at Golgotha could allow the church to occur in the gulag with fresh possibilities.
Living with so much uncertainty in 2020, we need a big God – an awesome, unspeakably amazing God. We need a God whose promises are certain and who can walk with us, counsel us, stand up for us, prepare a place for us, and make everything work together for the good of those who love Him.
Loving Him should not be as hard as we sometimes make it. Remember, when we open up our hearts and choose to love God, we are privy to the secret that this love is possible because He chose to first love us even when we weren’t loveable.
God’s love is our beginning and our end. It’s also our launch and our finish line. When it comes to faith, we are on the road to a paradise that will never fade.
This is satisfying to know when you come to realize what God’s future for us is about. God did not create us to serve Him as much as He made us for a relationship with Him.
God doesn’t need us to get things done, and more times than not, we complicate the process rather than make it go smoothly. More than anything, God longs for us to stop seeking affirmation and validation in the wrong places and to rest our weary hearts in His hands.
The holy map is not taking us to a destination of mechanical duty. All signs point to us finding our satisfaction and completion in a connection that causes sparks to fly within.
God showed me a living illustration of what life is about the other day at my son’s soccer game.
Joel is one of the senior captains on Cape May Tech’s team and has become a great player, but the disappointing news is that they haven’t won a game this season. The other day was the stuff that dreams are made of.
With the team down 2-1 to Wildwood Catholic and with only about 15 seconds in regulation, Joel was involved in a breakaway with a clear shot on the goal. It appeared that Joel was going to be the hero and score the tying goal.
With us on our feet, Joel took his shot. What nine out of 10 times would have ended well resulted in a ball that hit the pole and bounced out and not in – game over.
Tech lost again, but Joel didn’t. He will always be a champion and a hero in his father’s eyes. Nothing would ever make me love Joel any less.
I told him how proud I was for him playing hard and leading well, and when it all wraps up, whether he scored that goal or not doesn’t impact eternity, but living life knowing that not only his earthly dad loved him, but his Heavenly Father cherished him, too, would make the difference.
We are being led to God’s unconditional, ever-lasting love. When you come to the end of your search for perfection on earth, maybe you will finally be ready to look up and listen to the One who longs to lead you to Him.
We are called to pray that God’s word will accomplish His will, in the way He wants. Prayer must be aligned with God’s purpose.
Prayer is not trying to change God’s mind. It is about transforming our desires to follow how God thinks. If all we need is love, it is time to listen to the One who wants to get you to experience the real thing.
Pay attention to the One who paid it all to win the right to keep you safe with Him forever.
ED. NOTE: The author is the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church, 1248 Route 9 South, Court House.
