God at Work

God at Work

“For it  is God who works in you to will and
 to act according to his good purpose.”
                                     Philippians 2:13

Looking back on the events in my life that set the stage for my giving my life to the Lord, it is pretty clear that I failed to recognize the Lord at work in my life. A look at just a portion of what happened back then might help each of us learn to recognize that the Lord is daily at work in our lives to accomplish His plans and purposes.

It was the mid 70’s and the real estate developer who owned the 188 acre farm that we were renting in Lima, New York had given us notice that he was selling the property and that we would have to move. Despite not having running water (a well and a pump were our source of water), we were very fond of the farmhouse and the peace and relaxation of living in the country. To say that the news of having to move was not well received would be an understatement. But soon after, three of us who lived there responded to a simple ad, “country estate for rent, $350” and found ourselves in a far better place. And it was at that place that I found Christ and received His salvation.

What I now realize, many years later, is that in answer to prayer, God had moved on the heart of that developer to sell his property. His actions were neither random nor coincidental. God was at work; I just didn’t recognize it. God had also coordinated the timing of his notice to us so that it perfectly coincided with the ad being placed in the paper.  And that meant that the Lord also had to move on the heart of our new landlord to rent out half of his house now that his children had moved away. Wow, was God busy and all in answer to prayer, and all for my good, leading and guiding without me having a single clue.

One translation of John 14:7 begins with Jesus saying, “If you had learned to recognize me…” We are to learn to see the Lord in every situation we face and in the people He brings into our lives. What we consider ordeals are most often opportunities. What we see as obstacles to our success are the very means of our preparation for God’s next step. Trials and difficulties in life are to be opportunities for us to trust the Lord and for our faith to grow as we exercise it.  When we see a problem as an ordeal or an obstacle, we fail to see the Lord in the situation and we miss an opportunity to grow and to be strengthened. Let’s stop giving in to frustration and discouragement at the first sign of difficulty and trust that the Lord, out of a heart of pure love, is at work in each of our lives.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Welfare of Others

The Welfare of Others

“I have no one else like him, who takes
a genuine interest in your welfare.”
                       Philippians 2:20

The story is one familiar to most Christians: Paul and Silas were in jail, having been severely beaten for delivering a slave girl from a demonic spirit. Around midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God when an earthquake struck. The shaking from the earthquake was so violent that it caused the prison doors to fly open and everyone’s chains to fall off. Now I don’t know too many people who, at that moment of seemingly being set free, wouldn’t have encouraged Paul and Silas to run for the hills. Yet, despite their wounds, and despite the open doors, that is not at all what those two godly men did.

Years later, Paul wrote back to the believers in the city where those events occurred and commended the character of young Timothy, pointing out traits that made Timothy stand out from the crowd of believers in his day. Paul wrote, “I have no one else who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” Maybe living in a “me first” generation as we do is not so original after all. But, hopefully, there are still Timothy’s to be found in the church, men and women who will put others’ needs before their own.

But I want to get back to what happened that day in the jail when the earthquake struck because Paul had lived out the very traits he was noting in Timothy’s life. Taking advantage of the open doors in the jail that night would have meant the certain death of the jailer whose responsibility it was to guard them. Misinterpreting the open doors as a sign to flee would have had disastrous results for not just the jailer but his entire family. No, Paul and Silas were found sitting in their cell, and the result was that the jailer and his entire family became believers that night.  The choice to “not seek their own good but the good of many” bore incredible fruit not only that night for that family but it resulted in a strong church being raised up in that city.

Putting the welfare of others first so goes against the grain of our society that it has to become a trait we purposefully embrace. Certainly the Lord demonstrated it for us on the cross, when He gave up His life for ours.  And Paul and Silas provided another stirring example in their response to cell doors flying open and chains falling off. Now it’s our turn. Let’s each look for opportunities to help others through life, even in situations where our own interests have to take a back seat to those of others.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church