Wednesday

Every week several pastors in our community meet for an hour or so of prayer and fellowship. Yesterday as I was sharing some discouragement- lack of growth in numbers- one of my fellow pastors made a comment that has kept me thinking. When I asked what can we do to reach people his answer was simple- be the best Christians we can be. All we can do is continue to love the Lord, love one another and allow God to bring the increase. Then my wife and I watched the Billy Graham special about Ruth Bell Graham last evening-we had missed it over the weekend but one of my church families taped it. Listening to her family and close friends discuss her life and the impact of her ministry, I was reminded that simply allowing Christ to be real in us may be the best strategy for reaching our friends and neighbors with the gospel.

So, love the Lord. Love one another. Let God bring the increase! May God richly bless you and bring into your life people who need to know the love of Jesus.

On an unrelated (?) note, the lyrics to a song by Casting Crowns (a great group of musicians) reads like this:

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense

Deep water faith in the shallow end

and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences,

the God we want and the God who is

But will we trade our dreams for His

or are we caught in the middle

Are we caught in the middle?

Notice the phrase- The God we want and the God who is. Listening to that song this morning as I walked I was again reminded that so often the God I want and the God who is are two different things. The God I want is One who meets my every need, who removes every difficulty, who provides like a genie handing out free wishes. The God who is does provide my every need-not necessarily my wants. The God who is allows difficulties in my life because He is more interested in what He can do than what I have to offer. The God who is bears no resemblance to a genie granting wishes. Rather, the God who is has a purpose and plan that He is working to fulfill- and He has given me the privilge of participating in a small corner of His world. Oh, that I can live and be the man He has called and gifte me to be!