Thoughts of a Servant

It never stops. God is so good. I am blessed to be a part of what he is doing in my life. Today has been a great day and I have only been awake for 4 hours. I had breakfast with my friends of two+ years. They have come to Easter service but have never really asked questions about anything serious. But of them has been having a really difficult time with her job and career and schooling and really, life. She came to breakfast this morning, and I guess one of her really good coworkers (who had two kids, a beautiful wife, great job, etc) had recently committed suicide. It is a tragedy to her and people around her, and people are questioning whether he is in Heaven or not.

Continuing on, we were having a nice conversation about dancing (what else is new) until she interrupted with the question, “Where do we go when we die?” which I guess was God’s way of using that gentleman’s death as a tool (while still a tragedy, and I still feel deep grievances for her and the people around her– but He is using it to stir up our hearts causing us to ask the right questions).  And we sat there and talked about salvation (just being a real conversation, no preachy stuff).  And I am just blown away.  Because first of all, you have to realize the context of which this happened…  My friend has always believed that you have your belief, and I have mine, and we’ll leave it at that… But what I love about her is she is always open to discussion on any topic of choice.  So this makes it very easy to share what I believe and listen to what she has to say about her beliefs. We concluded the conversation on a good note, but I can only imagine the transformation that can occur.  This is a progression, nothing is instant– but it is the start of something beautiful.

To top it off, I come on home to find two Jehovah’s witnesses standing outside my door.  I ask them how they are doing, one of their names was Marvin–  I guess they were witnessing to Hispanics because they didn’t really want to talk to me.  I walked inside, but I felt that God wanted me to say something or talk to them.  So I found some water and walked back out to offer it to them…  If they asked a question or initiated some form of welcoming of the water, I knew that God would want me to talk with them.  But unfortunately they respectfully declined the water and waited for me to return inside.  Maybe I was ill-prepared for what they had to say and God was protecting me, or maybe it was not God’s timing on what they needed to hear.  Either way, just being open to God’s will is the key.  And he will work His wonders regardless.

I went to a leadership training the other day, and there was a Bible verse that just killed me.  I believe it was in Colossians 1:5-14…  Its kind of long, but well worth it.

5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on oura behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified youb to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption,c the forgiveness of sins.
The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).

How Great!  God has stored our treasures up in Heaven, and he has “qualified” us to join in on the inheritance of a life tha is full of endurance, patience, joy, thanks, as he has recued us from the darkness, and forgave us of our sins.

Praise God for another wonderful day.  I am nothing, I am but dust– but He is the Creator, and my Savior.

ADDED: I found a cool passage that analysis the Colossians verse.. check it out:

1:5. Paul thanked God for their faith and love that spring from … hope.
This trilogy of virtue—faith, love, and hope—is a favorite of Paul’s (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13; 1 Thes. 1:3) and Peter’s (1 Peter 1:3, 5, 22). Faith is the soul looking upward to God; love looks outward to others; hope looks forward to the future. Faith rests on the past work of Christ; love works in the present; and hope anticipates the future. Even though “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6), and “hope does not disappoint us” (Rom. 5:5), nevertheless “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). The Colossians’ love extended to “all the saints” (Col. 1:4), or all believers, probably not only at Colosse but everywhere (cf. 1 Thes. 1:7-8 for a similar commendation).

John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-).