It's 1:00 AM and I am sitting in the PA Farmshow Complex. While I recently started a new job with Agri-King, a livestock nutrition company, I still work for the state at the Farmshow Complex from time to time. Tonight I have lots of time to think as I make sure nobody steals the antiques on display for a show. I am surprisingly lucid...maybe it's the coffee!
In my last post I reflected on the goodness of God. (And for all those who will meet with GCC on Sunday, it is a preview of what I will be teaching). I think that I am beginning to understand eternal life. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace. This is not some ethereal concept but a practical reality.
I am aware that many teachers in the church world resist the idea that life can be good, that God desires us to enjoy life. They speak of dying to self, of the fact that Jesus said that in this world we will experience trials. Unfortunately they never move beyond the suffering. Jesus did not come so that we could suffer. Jesus did not come so that we would spend our days being miserable.
Will following Jesus cause us to die to self? Absolutely. However death is not the destination. It wasn't for Jesus and neither is it for us. Death and suffering are simply the doorway to the realm of God, a place of righteousness, joy, and peace. Taking up our cross and dying to self is for the purpose of experiencing resurrection life, not just in theory but in reality.
Do not give ear to people who spend their entire life in misery. They have not truly experienced God. Do not be swayed by those who promote Christianity as a struggle to "hold on" until they reach heaven some day. These miserable Christians frequently attempt to place guilt on those who are enjoying life. They are much like the older brother in Jesus' story of the prodigal son.
Jesus came so that we might have abundant life...enjoy it lavishly!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
God is so good
I know the title of this entry sounds rather cliche-ish. However I do not know any other words to use to describe what I am experiencing as I walk with Him. In 1994, Bev and I relinquished our dream to own a farm and breed the best herd of Holstein cattle possible. God invited us to leave it all and follow Him into the unknown. We simply assumed that the dreams of raising livestock, of cows contentedly lounging on a green pasture were gone.
For the past several years, I have done some security work at the Pennsylvania Farmshow and Expo Center. Last fall as I watched a cattle show, I began to realize how much my heart was still stirred by the thought of breeding cattle. I began to wonder if maybe my heart dreams that I relinquished in 1994 were perhaps coming to life again.
In January of this year, God opened the door for me to work in the livestock nutrition field. Once again I find myself working a job that is not work for me. It makes my heart come to life. The dream of breeding fine cattle is stirring again.
When I gave my dreams to God, relinquishing my right to fulfill them, I assumed that He had discarded them in some eternal trash can to buried in the landfill of selfish desires. Instead, He deposited those dreams into an eternal bank account for a time. While I thought that they were dead, in reality, like any good investment, they were collecting interest until the time for them to be given back to me. God could have chosen to discard those dreams, instead He took care of them for me. God didn't have to keep those dreams for me - but He did!
And so I find myself in a place where my heart explodes with gratitude. His goodness in giving the dreams back to me was not required for me to love Him. He has already done enough. But the lavish restoration of relinquished dreams points to His extravagant love for me.
To all of this I can only say GOD IS SO GOOD!
For the past several years, I have done some security work at the Pennsylvania Farmshow and Expo Center. Last fall as I watched a cattle show, I began to realize how much my heart was still stirred by the thought of breeding cattle. I began to wonder if maybe my heart dreams that I relinquished in 1994 were perhaps coming to life again.
In January of this year, God opened the door for me to work in the livestock nutrition field. Once again I find myself working a job that is not work for me. It makes my heart come to life. The dream of breeding fine cattle is stirring again.
When I gave my dreams to God, relinquishing my right to fulfill them, I assumed that He had discarded them in some eternal trash can to buried in the landfill of selfish desires. Instead, He deposited those dreams into an eternal bank account for a time. While I thought that they were dead, in reality, like any good investment, they were collecting interest until the time for them to be given back to me. God could have chosen to discard those dreams, instead He took care of them for me. God didn't have to keep those dreams for me - but He did!
And so I find myself in a place where my heart explodes with gratitude. His goodness in giving the dreams back to me was not required for me to love Him. He has already done enough. But the lavish restoration of relinquished dreams points to His extravagant love for me.
To all of this I can only say GOD IS SO GOOD!
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