FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Considers the lilies.....

[Lynn D. Walker]

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FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Consider the lilies...
Consider the lilies of the field, how they GROW: they neither toil nor spin”-they simply ARE!! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and moon-all of these simply ARE as well-yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf!! So often we impair God's designed influence, which he desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38) ~Oswald Chambers The people that influence and touch the lives of other people are not the ones that are continually trying to pin us down with their talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “lilies of the field”- simply and unaffected. These are the people who mold and shape us because they have something we want. If we really want to be of use to God, we must maintain our relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on HIM. Jesus is the one doing the work in and through us, and He will make use of us every minute we are alive. What is truly amazing about this process is that we are many times not even aware on a conscious level of how many people we influence!!
I once was the music minister at a small church in Oklahoma city. All the time Casey and I were there, there was one particular man that came to that church with his family who never seemed to smile, he had never spoken a word to me the whole time we ministered at that church. The last service we were there, that man walked up to me after church with his little three year old daughter in his arms. Tears were streaming down his face as he told me his little girl wanted to say good-bye to me. She told me good-bye and that she Loved me. Then this man looked at me and told me how much Casey and I had been a blessing to him and his family and how much we had influenced their lives. Now this was the first time this man had ever said anything to me, and I didn't even know that he ever even paid attention to anything we had ever done or said!! If you really want to be used by God, you must maintain a right relationship with Jesus Christ, and you do that by staying focused on Him. When you are focused on Him, He will make use of you every minute and every hour of your life. When we live like this, someday someone will walk the isle up to some preacher and turn to point at you and say with tears running down their face, “I want what He's got!!” Have a peaceful and blessed day. ~Pastor Lynn