THOUGHTS FROM SUNDAY

A wise preacher of yesterday once said that "Mondays can either be used for observation, celebration or resignation."  I will seek to use this post to serve as the prior two of the three (although I have succumbed to the latter more Mondays than I care to admit). 

Yesterday was an "interesting" day in the Lord's house, to say the least.  I use the word "interesting" because that seems to be the only appropriate word to draw from the well.  Even now, I'm grasping for a word, but I just can't get away from "interesting," so I will leave it at that.  Just an "interesting" atmosphere for worship.

I am grateful for God's grace in enabling me to preach yesterday.  Yesterday morning I preached, "Don't Wait Too Late" from Isaiah 55: 6.  It was a word about Meeting God, Missing God and Minding God.  The word "while" is the word that arrested my attention.  "Seek ye the Lord WHILE he may be found; call ye upon him WHILE he is near."  The word suggests a specific season of opportunity.  WHILE Jesus makes Himself known, and WHILE He passes by is the time to reach out and touch the hem of his garment.  I pray many did just that, both inwardly and outwardly.

Last night I preached a message I had been looking forward to preach for some time, "Analyzing the Handwriting of God."  There are 3 different occasions in scripture where the "finger" of God wrote something.  It is said that our handwriting says a great deal about us, so I attempted to show what God's handwriting says about Him.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I thoroughly enjoyed preaching the message.  If God spoke to no one else, He resonated truth to my own heart.  I am grateful.

I closed the message last night by looking at a fourth appearance of God's handwriting.  There isn't a specific reference to the "finger" of God writing, but a word is used in Ephesians 2: 10 to suggest that God is still actively honing His writing skills.  It is the word "workmanship." 

 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

The Greek word for "workmanship" is 'poiema,' from which we derive the word 'poem.'  What a graphic reality!  I am God's poem.  He is writing His story on my life everyday.  One day the final punctuation mark will be placed at the end of my life's sentence, and what He has assessed from my life will be recorded in the annuls of history.  I pray that the poem He writes on my life is one that will reflect the beauty, skill and glory of the author.

All in all, we had a good day at NBBC.  Although it was "interesting" I pray that, in some way, God will use it to have an impact of eternal value.  As I told a group of preachers last night, "I did all I can do, so I'm trusting Him to do what I didn't do, couldn't do, and can't do." 

I am thankful for Debra Fitzwater and her 3 children who became a part of our church family yesterday.  Since I have a hard enough time with multiplication and division, I will let the Lord take care of the addition to His church.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Steve