The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to this world in order to save it. In short He came to make all things new. We are new creations in Christ. We are made the Father’s new family in Christ. Our old self, the carnal, the physical self, dies to make way for our new, reborn spiritual self.
Sometimes I need to be reminded of these things. Sometimes I am so wrapped up in the symantecs, or meanings of the words and phrases that I forget to look at the deep meaning, the true meaning of things. I get so wrapped up in the legalism, of the commandments, and the rituals of my daily patterns, that I forget to show true thanks, and praise. I forget that I am not here to work for man, or to earn so I can pay bills. I am here, my sole reason for being, is to honor, praise and bring glory to the most high. The King of kings is our father. The Prince of peace is our Savior and through Him we are adopted into the royal family of our Lord God.
Today, I was reminded of this through the perfect timing of our Lord. We got up for our Sunday ritual of coffee and church. A few distractions later we were late for the first service, but our fallback plan of the second service was still on deck. That is until I went to get the dog some water before we left. That was when I discovered that our water lines in the kitchen had froze.
This was the second time this had occurred. The first was late last week. The water lines froze and by the time I got home I walked in the door to the sound of a water fall downstairs. The frozen lines had burst and there was water spraying everywhere. The feeder lines that had froze were replaced the following day by our property management approved plumber. But we were not eager to repeat the experience.
So I spent the another hour defrosting piping with a hair dryer so we didn’t end up in the same situation. The pipe’s thawed and water flows freely in my kitchen now, but by the time I was done, my Sunday morning ritual was shot. I was annoyed, put out, and not very patient at that point. I felt the plans of another Sunday go to ruin, and I was not very happy about it. Determined that we would go to church, I looked for another service. We braved the cold to get in the car and drove about, looking for a place where we had not already missed the late morning service. I drove to the nearest church that I knew but their service had already been over a good 20 minutes or more. Then the Spirit spoke through my wife.
“What about that church next to our son’s school?”
I thought, “Sure, why not. What choice do I have”, and we headed that way.
As we pulled up I saw an older gentlemen walking from his car. I asked him when the last service was and he told me we had 5 minutes. I saw the the details falling into place and I realized that this was God’s plan for my day after all.
We walked into FMBC, or Fellowship Mission Baptist Church. These, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ have chosen their name very well indeed. As we walked in, we were welcomed by many members of the congregation in attendance at that time. Their smiles as warm as their words and hearts. We were greeted by some with handshakes and others with the warm hugs given to family members that you hadn’t seen in the months between holidays. I felt absolutely welcomed into this fellowship.
As we visited and shared in their service, I was overwhelmed by their reverence for our Lord. The constant praise and worship of Him through song, and prayer were spirit inspired. The outpouring of love and support for each other was so intimate and so true to their mission of “preparing the saints for the mission field” that stood just outside the walls of this congregational church. The reverend spoke of BEING the embodiment of God’s blessing to another person, both in the family of Christ and in the world. He spoke of being a part of the plan of God. Still others spoke about relying on the power of the spirit and on what Jesus had done for us at Calvary.
As we shared in these intimate, family moments of prayer and praise, I understood what Jesus was doing for me. He was giving me perspective and making my day of praise and prayer completely new. This church, is an example of what we are supposed to be. A family, so together, so completely wrapped up in each others lives, and walks and spiritual growth, that there is no room for apathy. There is no room for envy, or strife, because our purpose IS TO SERVE the OTHER members of our Church.
Today was a great day for perspective. God is good. God is good all the time, in so very many ways. I praise our Lord for His wisdom in all things.
I may or may not get back to FMBC, but their lesson in compassion and caring, service and dedication to the will of our Lord, will always go with me.
Thank you for reading.
May Jesus have His way with your day
He is Founder and consultant for Tek Management,
Founder of the Men’s Leadership site: CalebStrong.org,
Co-Founder of the online Bible study app: BibleCounts
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