"Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace. Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown. This is life like no other, oh this is the GREAT ADVENTURE."
If you're a Steven Curtis Chapman fan, then you know that the above quote is from an older song of his called, "The Great Adventure". Many times I sang along with Mr. Chapman and tapped my toes to this snappy little tune, never fully realizing the importance of what he was saying. When it comes to spiritual truths, head knowledge won't get you very far; in fact, that can only lead to "religion", and rarely to God. It's when a Biblical truth gets down in your inner man ( sometimes referred to as your heart or spirit ) that it blossoms and the Holy Spirit opens it up to you like never before.
Well, that is in fact, what happened to me as the Spirit of God revealed to me all about the "Great Adventure" that I was on. This new revelation totally revolutionized my life as a Christian and my daily walk with God. Now I arise each morning with tremendous anticipation as I ask the Lord, "What are we going to do today, where are we going to go, who are we going to see?"
You see, it all began with simple deliberate acts of kindness to those around me. Helping an older person with a door or carrying their packages. Soon He had me praying for strangers I would see at the mall or on the street; the man with the limp, the mom struggling with her children, or the cashier who was having a bad day. Everywhere I went, I was actually looking for opportunities to help others and show them God's love.
I asked the Lord one day, "What good are all these things? They are so small in the grand scheme of it all. I didn't want to just say a kind word to the grouchy lady ahead of me at the supermarket, but I wanted to tell her the whole Gospel right know and get her saved, After all, that's what she really needed. That was the bottom line. The Lord showed me that I'm just one part of the body of Christ, and if every member would do his or her part, then that grouchy old lady and many others would respond to the Gospel and His saving grace.
Matthew 10:42 says, "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water....he shall in no wise lose his reward." there are some Christians who think their life doesn't amount to much because they haven't done what Mother Theresa or Billy Graham has done. But everyone can give a thirsty person a cup of cold water, can't they?
Some of us spend so much time lamenting over the things we haven't done for the Lord that we miss the little things He's asking us to do everyday. You don't have to build a huge ministry, you just need to get involved in the "Cup of Cold Water Ministry". You don't have to lead everyone you meet to Christ, just plant a seed. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, Paul says, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase....and every man shall receive his own reward according to his labor." What a great burden was lifted from my shoulders when I learned that I don't have to do everything, I only have to do something. And it needs to be deliberate. Go out of your way to give that cup of cold water. Go where the thirsty people are. Look for the tired, the poor, the hurting. You don't have to look far, because they are all around you.
When I look back on how I came to the Lord, I can clearly see that it wasn't one event or one person that brought me to Jesus. Rather, it was a series of events and several different people that God brought across my path that paved the way to me accepting God's plan of salvation. You see, your kind word to a stranger may be the beginning of that person's road to the Savior. If you look at this concept in reverse, it's very eye opening. Perhaps your indifference or harsh words my send an individual down another path....one that leads to death!
For me, and I pray for you as well, the adventure begins anew every morning, the Lord and I, ready to blaze new trails. Life as a Christians is not boring! Today, He and I will meet someone new, we will touch a hurting soul in a whole new way. He's teaching me to be creative in my "Cup Of Cold Water Ministry". The Church my be your watering hole, but the great adventure lies outside the church walls. Step out of your comfort zone, step out in faith and in love...."This is a life like no other, O this is the great adventure!"
If you're a Steven Curtis Chapman fan, then you know that the above quote is from an older song of his called, "The Great Adventure". Many times I sang along with Mr. Chapman and tapped my toes to this snappy little tune, never fully realizing the importance of what he was saying. When it comes to spiritual truths, head knowledge won't get you very far; in fact, that can only lead to "religion", and rarely to God. It's when a Biblical truth gets down in your inner man ( sometimes referred to as your heart or spirit ) that it blossoms and the Holy Spirit opens it up to you like never before.
Well, that is in fact, what happened to me as the Spirit of God revealed to me all about the "Great Adventure" that I was on. This new revelation totally revolutionized my life as a Christian and my daily walk with God. Now I arise each morning with tremendous anticipation as I ask the Lord, "What are we going to do today, where are we going to go, who are we going to see?"
You see, it all began with simple deliberate acts of kindness to those around me. Helping an older person with a door or carrying their packages. Soon He had me praying for strangers I would see at the mall or on the street; the man with the limp, the mom struggling with her children, or the cashier who was having a bad day. Everywhere I went, I was actually looking for opportunities to help others and show them God's love.
I asked the Lord one day, "What good are all these things? They are so small in the grand scheme of it all. I didn't want to just say a kind word to the grouchy lady ahead of me at the supermarket, but I wanted to tell her the whole Gospel right know and get her saved, After all, that's what she really needed. That was the bottom line. The Lord showed me that I'm just one part of the body of Christ, and if every member would do his or her part, then that grouchy old lady and many others would respond to the Gospel and His saving grace.
Matthew 10:42 says, "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water....he shall in no wise lose his reward." there are some Christians who think their life doesn't amount to much because they haven't done what Mother Theresa or Billy Graham has done. But everyone can give a thirsty person a cup of cold water, can't they?
Some of us spend so much time lamenting over the things we haven't done for the Lord that we miss the little things He's asking us to do everyday. You don't have to build a huge ministry, you just need to get involved in the "Cup of Cold Water Ministry". You don't have to lead everyone you meet to Christ, just plant a seed. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, Paul says, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase....and every man shall receive his own reward according to his labor." What a great burden was lifted from my shoulders when I learned that I don't have to do everything, I only have to do something. And it needs to be deliberate. Go out of your way to give that cup of cold water. Go where the thirsty people are. Look for the tired, the poor, the hurting. You don't have to look far, because they are all around you.
When I look back on how I came to the Lord, I can clearly see that it wasn't one event or one person that brought me to Jesus. Rather, it was a series of events and several different people that God brought across my path that paved the way to me accepting God's plan of salvation. You see, your kind word to a stranger may be the beginning of that person's road to the Savior. If you look at this concept in reverse, it's very eye opening. Perhaps your indifference or harsh words my send an individual down another path....one that leads to death!
For me, and I pray for you as well, the adventure begins anew every morning, the Lord and I, ready to blaze new trails. Life as a Christians is not boring! Today, He and I will meet someone new, we will touch a hurting soul in a whole new way. He's teaching me to be creative in my "Cup Of Cold Water Ministry". The Church my be your watering hole, but the great adventure lies outside the church walls. Step out of your comfort zone, step out in faith and in love...."This is a life like no other, O this is the great adventure!"
Steve, you write beautifully and I wish you would write more because the Lord brought me to this post today and it has touched me. Thank you so much. Many blessings to you my friend.
ReplyDelete