Update from Todd |
| Posted by RH Admin (rhadmin) on Aug 23 2008 at 3:57 PM |
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
?And lean not on your own understanding;
6 all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall ?direct your paths.
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When it comes to being directed by the Lord, I usually second guess and become borderline anxious about whether or not I am doing the right thing or making the right decision. I read passages such as this and recognize it as the Truth but for some reason when I look at my level of peace about where I am and what I am doing, I have to be honest with myself, I must not really believe. So I have done some searching within the scripture and asking our Father to search my own heart and what I have found is a great conflict between what I say is true and where my heart really is. In one sense this process has been grievous but in another way it has been liberating. I have not yet arrived, but the following text describes the Truth that I am adding faith to so it can be made real in my life.
Jesus was beautifully known as the one who used Truth to set people free and consequently caused them to become whole. So as I look at the principles Jesus taught and the priorities he insisted on, I see the path to becoming one of his friends who is made whole and set free. He taught us to Seek first his Kingdom, and to delight ourselves in him and he would determine the course of our lives. He said if we wanted to be first then learn to make ourselves last and in so doing become like him, "Free!" He said that if we would love him then he would make our desires His desires and our lives would become a glorious reflection of his life. He taught us that if we would be willing to lay down our own selfish desires for our lives and pick up his desires then we would gain his heart and consequently live lives that will have eternal consequences. So many Truths and so simple but for some reason we remain in a struggle between our Spirits desire to live out these truth and our fleshly desire to forsake them and insist on our own ways. What a mystery! How do we gain peace in just living our lives this way and trusting that God will use us along the way. Well, the following story is a depiction of how this truth has been played out in my life.
Last week, Colton and I went on a three day trip into the Idaho wilderness. It was a trip that was a purposeful attempt to maintain a close connection with my son in order to properly disciple him. It was a great trip! We saw elk and deer, and listened to the early morning elk bugles and wolves howling. We discovered a hidden mountain lake that was plum full of Cutthroat Trout that were excited to bite anything we could stick on a hook. We had long conversations about what we would do if we found the Black bear we were tracking and we laughed till it hurt about the way I screamed like a girl when I first dove into the icy waters. We grieved for our old horse "Dog" as he tried to catch the flies that kept biting him. We connected! As we were coming out, we arrived at the truck just as the bottom fell out of a cloud and it began to poor. We through the horses in the trailer with saddles and all and jumped in the pickup. You can imagine after three days of roughing it and eight hours of riding, we were exhausted and glad to be in the truck. Well, to my great displeasure, the battery on the truck was dead. I hung my head and told Colton that our adventure was not over. He said, "Good! I wonder what the Lord will do with us now." My unspoken answer was, "Get us really wet." We put on our slickers , got on our horses and made the six mile ride to the nearest ranch. Dog tired! The rancher greeted us and said he would be happy to give us a lift back up the canyon to give us a jump start. It was on that drive that we realized why the Lord had brought us to this place. As we headed up the rough mountain rode, the gentleman and I talked of various things and at one point he mentioned in pacing that they would be leaving in the morning to begin chemotherapy on his wife of fifty years. My heart sank as I realized the magnitude of this appointment that I had once perceived as a major inconvenience. Once we got the truck started I told our new found friend that I would be honored if he would allow me to pray with his wife when we got back to his place. I am not sure what went through his mind at that point, but I perceived it to be quite a shock that I would make such a request. He simply replied that he would ask his wife and if she agreed then that would be fine. When we arrived back at his place he invited us right in and introduced us to his precious bride. She was a frail woman with beautiful smile and a warm welcome. The gentleman simply said that this young man would like to pray for you and she softly replied that "That would be lovely." I looked at Colton and he smiled as he reached over and grabbed the old ranchers hand and we all followed his lead. I briefly questioned their understanding of Jesus and presented the gospel. We were all in agreement and so as we all held hands, I prayed. When I closed we were
overcome by the presence of the Holy Spirit as he brought peace, Love and Joy to that home. The gentleman said with tears streaming down his face that they have never been church going types and he was amazed that the Lord thought so much of them to run my batteries down just to get us there.
I just wanted to take my son fishing for trout, our Father wanted much more. That day I saw a 11 year old boy exercise spontaneous faith that exceeded that of mine and the Holy Spirit work a series of miracles to bring salvation to a home. I was doing my best to live my life based on the principles of Jesus and keeping his priorities and he did the rest. That few moments spent in that farm house kitchen became the highlight of our trip. I tell the story to illustrate a powerful truth. If we abide in Jesus and live our lives according to his word, he will direct our paths. He wants to use us in powerful ways if we will simply live our days his way. Check out what runs your days and consider your priorities and the principles you live by. If they are not in line with Jesus, repent! Acknowledge your sin and make the changes necessary. There is no other way. Jesus is the way, the truth and the LIFE. Follow him! Serving our King, Todd
