"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended [laid hold of it]; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13 & 14, NKJV)
In these verses, Paul refers to accomplishments in his life that he could have easily held onto as things to boast about. In short (as he describes in the section preceding this one), he did a very good job at being "righteous" according to the standards of the law. In other words, he had been a very good religious boy. Having since been confronted by Jesus Himself, who challenged Paul to abandon that former lifestyle, he goes as far as to say that what many would consider great accolades, he now considers rubbish. (Think of the smelly, decaying food scraps in the garbage that really should have been taken out the day before.)
I have been thinking about these verses for some days now. God has been stirring my heart and also my mind--to think about how they apply to me in this season of life. I sense God's call to leave the former things behind because God is doing a new thing. Without a doubt, some of what Paul chose to leave behind was good stuff. In the same way, I know God is urging me forward. I'm feeling nudged by Him, and I'm ok with that. I want to stretch, strain and press in--like a child trying to squeeze through the unforgiving opening between two chain-linked gates. It's not always comfortable, for sure. But on one side is complacency and on the other is more promised land.
This summer it's simple to see: I had an amazing experience at VBS (I tell some of that story in the previous post). And while I feel naturally inclined to reach back in an attempt to hold onto that great week, I know that God is saying, "Check this out: as good as that was, I've got equally great things ahead. Don't look back with longing, but with celebration; don't think it's anything you did, but give the glory to Me; after all, it was My grace that saved the day...and I want to do that for you again and again. Trust Me, and keep pressing on!."
I'm eager to keep straining my eyes to see and turning my ear hear the new things God is up to. And as much as it makes a bit nervous, I'm continuing to pray for HIS grace so I can again experience His hand at work.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
One of My VBS Testimonies from 2009
This is one of the testimonies I have from Vacation Bible School this year. I wrote it for our church bulletin. (As of today, it hasn't actually run yet =)
The 2009 VBS Assembly Team has an awesome testimony. Appropriately, that testimony is contained in a song that we sang and taught the kids. That song not only tells our story, it also became the theme of everything we did that week. And for the VBS Assembly Team MC, that testimony is mine, too:
“My God, He made a way; my God He saved the day—forever we will shout Your praise. This world will fade away but Your word remains forever—Jesus, we will shout Your praise!” (“Saved The Day,” by Planetshakers)
I have never not had an amazing VBS experience, and this year was no exception. God built my faith incrementally this VBS through several simple, personal and powerful demonstrations of His amazing grace.
On Wednesday night of VBS week I felt a cold coming on. By Thursday morning, I was sick. Not violently ill, but sick enough that I would have stayed home had it been any other week. My response to the acute awareness of what was going on in my body almost surprised me. While I initially—for just a short time—felt disappointed, by the time the AM assembly started that Thursday, I was…excited about being sick!
Let me assure you; I am NOT a masochist. I DON’T like being sick, and am perfectly happy to let people (like my wife) know when I’m not feeling good. But that Thursday was different. I didn’t consider going home an option. Consequently, I was left with a decision to make: Do I crumble and crawl up into a ball (of self-pity, moaning and groaning, frustration, disappointment, etc.), OR… do I lean on Jesus all the more? God reminded me of what He spoke to Paul, in response to Paul’s plea that God take away the particular affliction he was experiencing: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is perfected in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
That was the beginning of an unceasing flow of Grace that carried me through the next 5 assemblies that Thursday and Friday. My excitement grew as I saw the potential for God to do what I knew I could not. And that’s just what happened.
I’ll summarize the rest of the week. I didn’t just barely make it through those two days; rather, I felt like I was soaring, excelling—again, not at all because of anything in me, but by the enabling grace of God. I felt great during each assembly… but within an hour of its end, I felt like I could collapse. Yet, without fail, I felt great again during the next one! It was so evident to me that this was all God that I found myself laughing about it periodically. During the in-between times, I was toast…but had ALL I needed while on stage.
On Sunday following VBS, my mother-in-law told me she felt so bad and was so sorry I was sick during the week. I told her, “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m actually glad I got sick!,” and then proceeded to share with her the testimony I’m sharing with you. God’s grace IS indeed sufficient; I know it because He says it AND I experienced it. I don’t believe God gave me a cold. But I do believe that because of my decision to lean on Him for His grace that He was able to force my unfavorable situation into something great. That’s exactly what He loves to do. “My God, He saved the day!” And He did it in a very practical and easy-for-me-to-understand kind of way. Because of that, I give Him praise.
The 2009 VBS Assembly Team has an awesome testimony. Appropriately, that testimony is contained in a song that we sang and taught the kids. That song not only tells our story, it also became the theme of everything we did that week. And for the VBS Assembly Team MC, that testimony is mine, too:
“My God, He made a way; my God He saved the day—forever we will shout Your praise. This world will fade away but Your word remains forever—Jesus, we will shout Your praise!” (“Saved The Day,” by Planetshakers)
I have never not had an amazing VBS experience, and this year was no exception. God built my faith incrementally this VBS through several simple, personal and powerful demonstrations of His amazing grace.
On Wednesday night of VBS week I felt a cold coming on. By Thursday morning, I was sick. Not violently ill, but sick enough that I would have stayed home had it been any other week. My response to the acute awareness of what was going on in my body almost surprised me. While I initially—for just a short time—felt disappointed, by the time the AM assembly started that Thursday, I was…excited about being sick!
Let me assure you; I am NOT a masochist. I DON’T like being sick, and am perfectly happy to let people (like my wife) know when I’m not feeling good. But that Thursday was different. I didn’t consider going home an option. Consequently, I was left with a decision to make: Do I crumble and crawl up into a ball (of self-pity, moaning and groaning, frustration, disappointment, etc.), OR… do I lean on Jesus all the more? God reminded me of what He spoke to Paul, in response to Paul’s plea that God take away the particular affliction he was experiencing: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is perfected in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
That was the beginning of an unceasing flow of Grace that carried me through the next 5 assemblies that Thursday and Friday. My excitement grew as I saw the potential for God to do what I knew I could not. And that’s just what happened.
I’ll summarize the rest of the week. I didn’t just barely make it through those two days; rather, I felt like I was soaring, excelling—again, not at all because of anything in me, but by the enabling grace of God. I felt great during each assembly… but within an hour of its end, I felt like I could collapse. Yet, without fail, I felt great again during the next one! It was so evident to me that this was all God that I found myself laughing about it periodically. During the in-between times, I was toast…but had ALL I needed while on stage.
On Sunday following VBS, my mother-in-law told me she felt so bad and was so sorry I was sick during the week. I told her, “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m actually glad I got sick!,” and then proceeded to share with her the testimony I’m sharing with you. God’s grace IS indeed sufficient; I know it because He says it AND I experienced it. I don’t believe God gave me a cold. But I do believe that because of my decision to lean on Him for His grace that He was able to force my unfavorable situation into something great. That’s exactly what He loves to do. “My God, He saved the day!” And He did it in a very practical and easy-for-me-to-understand kind of way. Because of that, I give Him praise.
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