Basic Training

Occasionally, there are days like today when I feel as though I'm in basic training for the army. I'm sore, both inside and out. I spent a good portion of my Saturday digging ditches and lifting heavy objects, because our church decided to relocate its electric feed underground. I spent a hefty bit of my Sunday singing, singing, and...oh, did I mention singing? My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, my knees hurt...even my gut muscles are sore, to the point that it hurts to cough.

To some degree, I'd have to say that what I'm going through now would qualify as army training, albeit not for the U.S. Army. As the song goes, I may never shoot the artillery, but I'm in the Lord's army. God is preparing me to be a true serviceman. How? By serving. The best way to learn is by doing. I freely admit that, in the majority of the ways I serve, I don't know what I'm doing. I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time.

The best part is that I wouldn't have it any other way. I rarely feel more alive than when I'm serving the Lord in total dependence on Him for everything I need. I don't know exactly what He's preparing me for, but I do know that whatever it is, it's going to be great. Why? Because God created man for one purpose - to glorify Himself. He trains us for that same purpose. Therefore, whatever I'm being trained for, it will ultimately be for His glory, and that makes it great!

Father, whatever you're doing in my life right now, please don't stop. Never before has it felt so good to be molded and stretched. May you be glorified in the life You have given me. Amen.

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" - Romans 9:21

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." - Isaiah 64:8

Happy Day!

I think I must have been temporarily living in a different state yesterday. At least, it seemed that way to me for a while. I'm referring, of course, to the state of confusion. Virtually nothing happened the way it normally does on Sundays for us. It was almost like God took the neatly organized box containing all the pieces of our entire Sunday routine, dumped it out on the floor, mixed up the pieces, and started over from scratch. The result was a roller coaster that could not have turned out better had we tried to plan it ourselves.

Routine: I get up before everyone else, spend an hour reading and praying, then cook a big breakfast while the rest of the house is waking up.
Instead: I got up an hour later (because of the time change that morning), popped leftovers from Saturday's "men's breakfast" in the oven, greeted everyone as they woke up, and read and prayed for a half hour.

Routine: I sit next to my wife in our small Sunday school class.
Instead: I was crammed next to two rather animated people in a combined Sunday school class.

Routine: I go rehearse with the choir, and we sing our number during the morning service.
Instead: No rehearsal took place. We still sat up on the dais and sang during the congregational hymns, but we did not perform.

Routine: One of our pastors or deacons leads our time of prayer.
Instead: A different individual was selected to pray...rather eloquently, i might add.

Routine: Pastor continues his series on the book of Mark.
Instead: Led by the Spirit, Pastor shared a different message from Zephaniah.

Routine: During the invitation, if I have a matter to take care of between the Lord and me, I pray right where I am.
Instead: I only made it a couple of measures into singing the invitational hymn before breaking down. I went forward and cried on bended knee.

Routine: After the morning service, we go home and occasionally talk about the gospel message with our second son, until he gets tired of it and wants to do something else.
Instead: He and his mother stayed in the auditorium after the morning service to talk. He prayed and trusted Jesus as his savior!

The day continued its unusualness all the way through to bedtime, but that was the highlight. God never makes a mistake. He is able to take any and all circumstances and use them to bring about what He wishes. He is even able to take the pieces of a shattered day, or a shattered life, and reassemble them into something greater than any of us could have imagined.

Praise His name! Our Savior lives, and He still saves!

Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away
He taught me how to watch and pray
And live rejoicing every day
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!