Turn the Light On

 We were traveling recently and as we prepared to leave our hotel room, I turned the light off by the bed.  Suddenly, we could not see to make our way to the door.  We need more light, not less light.  I turned it back on until we hit the switch by the door.  You can only go so far on the light you have and then you need more light.

   That is the second thing God showed me (through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians) that I must pray for all of us.  Here is how Paul states it in Ephesians 1:18:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”  Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are three key points in this prayer that are outflows of God bringing more light into the eyes of our hearts.

1.  In salvation, God placed a call on our lives.  This calling is not just from our sin, but to something.  And I am not talking about heaven.  So the first part of this prayer is that the light would come on that there is so much more to the Christian life.  

2.  That fruit of this calling is hope.  And God confirmed this hope by two unchangeable things (Hebrews  6:19).  He wants us to know the limitless nature of this hope to which He has called us.  

3.  And this hope is shown and experienced in and through God’s people.  In heaven, God lays out in glorious fashion all the treasures of the inheritance He is giving the saints.  And here on earth, by the Holy Spirit who is the One who guarantees or is the down payment on that inheritance God has prepared for us, we get to experience and receive some of it now.  And that is what we need our eyes to see. We need to turn the light on.

This is what I am praying for you today.  Please pray the same for me.  And let’s pray that God will do this for every person who is in need of hope.

A Lesson in Prayer

 As we begin the new year, I have been seeking the Lord regarding insight into the direction of our church over the next twelve months.  We want to see Him pour out His Spirit in new and fresh ways, and see our church grow in maturity and in numbers.  Like you, I’ve read through Acts multiple times and took note “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  I’ve longed for it and I’ve looked for it.  And I will continue to do so…… But….

   The Lord took me on a journey over the past several weeks.  And it has been a humbling lesson on prayer.  I pray regularly, and with joy and love, for each and every one of you.  I pray for blessing, for the Lord to heal and provide joy and hope for you and for Him to fulfill His purposes in you.  And those are good things to pray.  But the Lord has shown me I should be praying something far greater.  I want to explore some of these things over the next week, while encouraging us to pray them for each other.

   The first thing He showed me to pray for you comes from Ephesians 1. 

 “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”    Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Notice the goal:  To know Him better.  And the means to the goal:  God giving each of us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.  Wisdom to know that He is God and we are not, and that there is no good thing living in us, that is in these bodies.  (Romans 7:18)  And revelation about Himself so that we truly know Him.  I knew some things about Pam before we were married but since we have been married and lived together for over 40 years that has changed.  She has revealed things about herself and openly lived out her life, her thoughts, her passions and concerns with me such that I really KNOW her.  God has revealed Himself in a number of ways, but we can only truly KNOW Him if we are living life WITH Him.  His desire is for each of us to KNOW Him.

   That is the beginning of what I am praying for you.  Will you pray it for me too?  My life verse states it this way:  “I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.  Becoming like Him in His death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10)

Lord Jesus, I thank you for each and every person who calls Eastern Hills home.  I beg you to give each of us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may truly KNOW you, and in knowing you worship you as you deserve, for your glory and our good.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen

Sink Hole or Storm Cellar?

   I remember the first time I ever read about and saw pictures of the effects of a sink hole.  On the surface, everything looked fine.  Life was happening as normal.  But underneath, unseen by the casual glance, erosion was continuing to take its toll. And suddenly there was a complete collapse.  A building disappeared; cars are swallowed up; and people lost their lives.  Insights as to what was happening under the surface could have prevented the catastrophe, or at least prepared the people to evacuate the building, move the car or relocate to a safe place.  But no one was looking there.

   I also remember the first time I heard about a storm cellar.  Prevalent in the tornado prone states of the Plains, these are safe places to go underground as the destructive power of a tornado was bearing down on the family farm.  Prepared with supplies, these cellars allow people to hear the devastation of the storms above and around them, yet survive to rebuild following them.  The things on the surface may be gone, but the eternal, life itself, is spared.  Things can be replaced.  Life can’t be.

   Interesting enough, both these scenarios refer to what is happening under the surface.  

   A heart that is focused on Jesus is like a storm cellar, a place to run in the storms of life.  

“For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”       Psalms‬ ‭61‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”    Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.””     Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nothing can harm us when we are safe in His hands.  But a life that is not focused on Jesus, is like that sink hole.  On the surface, things may look good.  But eventually, everything will collapse, destroying everything, including life itself.

It is at the cross of Jesus that sink holes turn into storm cellars, and erosion turns into a firm foundation.  Turn to Him today and be prepared for the storms of life.  They are coming.