Awake Thou That Sleepest And Arise From The Dead And Christ Shall Give Thee Light

I had the joyous privilege of attending a backwoods Church in Marshall Arkansas for a few years. One of the things that I heard there, a lot, was “Standing in the gap” and “Paying the price”. That made sense to me then, and I knew what Donnie Chisum, the Pastor there, meant when he said it. He was saying that loving others, and discipleship in general, comes with a cost. He was saying that having faith FOR others comes at a cost. He was saying that the lost, don’t know they’re lost, and so you, who are supposed to be made alive by the Savior, are to try and help show them the way and that the path to show them the way is going to be a long, arduous one.

How much do you love others? Do you love them enough to see them set free from the chains of sin, their own minds, their own screwed up nature? Do you love them enough to pay the price it’s going to take to help them along the way? It’s a completely self-less love that usually gets very little in return for much expenditure.

How free do you want to be? Do you want to be free enough to help free other people? You know you love people when you are willing to pay the price to help set them free.

God is the one who sets people free and why He uses nuts like us to ‘help’ in the process is something that boggles the mind. Yet He does. Of course if we don’t go along, it’s not like all is lost. God’s work will be accomplished. We are not that important. He’ll find someone who is willing to be a vessel.

And that reminds me, one of the things I hate hearing people say is “What if you didn’t witness to that person and they split hell wide open and it was all because of you!!!!!”. I’m sorry folks, but God isn’t that reliant upon us. He isn’t in Heaven wringing his hands hoping that we’ll finally see the light and do His work for Him. No, God’s work goes on and we can choose to be a part of His plan. We can be His children and work in His kingdom, because He wants us to! He loves seeing His children as His son, victorious and faithful. But if we’re not, His plans will definitely go on. He’ll use a blind child if he has to, a donkey, a rock, raise up Saints from grave bones, but it will go on.

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom of God and share in the reward that’s coming. That blessed day when our faith will become sight. We’ll see Him as He truly is and we will become like Him. Isn’t that cool? Our natural children become like us Parents, don’t they? They start saying the same things we say. They watch the same shows we watch and want to do the same things we do. Their mannerisms come from us and others they hang around. They become mini us’s. If we’ll keep our eyes on Jesus, and do what He did, because He did what Father God did, then we’ll become just like Him. That’s what I’m hoping for. That's why I reckon scripture says "We will become like Him for we will see him as He is".

Jesus, let your light shine at Harvest Church in each person there, and as we go along the way of our lives, so that each and every person sees it and wants that light. Some will run from the light (lest their deeds become known) but some will see it and run towards it and be changed for all eternity. Thank you Jesus that we can water and plant and share in the work you have going, but thank you even more that YOU are the one who brings the increase. If we work in our own power, we will toil in vain, our money will fall into bags with holes, we'll eat but never be filled, we'll drink but never be refreshed. It’s not by our own might, intelligence, giftedness or power, but by your power and for your glory.