The Weary Wait Upon The Lord

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

                                                                                     (Isa 40:28-31 KJV)

I am waiting. I am waiting for the Lord to renew my strength. I can walk. I can still kayak. But, running is pretty limited! Recently retired; having grown faint and weary of having to spend so much time and effort with so many issues  that had nothing to do with proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus the Christ.

The church on earth must return to the main thing: proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do otherwise only makes for faint and weary children of God. To do otherwise will cause the various congregations and denominations to fall. And, rightfully so if they will not trust the Lord.

After the Christ's crucifixion, the disciples hid out in an upper room. They waited in fear for the authorities to come after them. They continued to wait even after they saw the resurrected Lord. They waited to be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come. The Holy Spirit came and they were lifted up. Their strength was renewed and they were dispersed to spread the news that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Savior of the world. They were empowered, even in the face of death, to spread the news that Jesus lives.

Most of us do not face death for sharing that Good News. I often wonder if  the reason that we are not more energetic in sharing that Good News might be  because we aren't really persecuted. After all, here in the United States, we are not in danger of dying for sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

Consider the Christians around the world who are persecuted; who are imprisoned; who are put to death for their faith. Have they not been strengthened to confess Jesus as Lord in the face of their oppressors? 

What will it take for those who claim to be Christians to stand up with their brothers and sisters around the world and without fear enthusiastically tell others that Jesus died so that they might live; that they might be reconciled to our Father; our Creator, in heaven? 

I confess, I have grown weary. I long to see the day when Christians are empowered in this country to not just worship out of obligation on Sunday mornings; but, let the world around them know that Jesus is Lord every day of the week.

We live in a beautiful world. God has created it most magnificently. But; I confess, that on too many days I feel very weary of this world and particularly the lack of faith in the one true God that I witness around me. But, I also trust that "...they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Dead or Alive?

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12 NIV)

There is a town, which will remain unnamed, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that I have referred to as the home of the "Walking Dead." Drug abuse was so rampant that all you had to do was walk down the street to see the devastation wrought by the illegal use of various drugs in the faces, in the eyes, of the people walking by. It is not just an affliction of the young. People in their very advanced years are also using and peddling various mind altering drugs. This is not a problem in just that one town. It is a serious problem throughout the United States.

People have turned to mind altering drugs (this includes abusing alcoholic beverages) for a bit or a lot of pleasure or escape or a whole multitude of other excuses. When this happens, mind altering drugs can very easily become their gods; false gods.

Once caught in the seduction of these drugs many become like the walking dead. Yes, they move and breathe. Many are able to hold regular jobs. But, whether they are fruitful employees or not is a whole other question.

Mind altering drugs; false gods will steal your life away. Live life! The Son of God gives life.

God's Peace - Pr. J.