A Church with a Heart for our Community

February 1st Wednesday

Greetings to you in the name of the One who calls people to grand adventures, Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! What a beautiful morning in the Kingdom – a little sunshine can have a profound effect on the attitudes and perspectives of the heart. The scripture text for the day appeared on my flip-over calendar saying: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. – Isaiah 60:1 NIV. I will be praying for you today, asking Father to shine on, in, through, and over you so as to warm you and encourage you and challenge you.

I think I told you, but if I haven’t. God has given me a word to focus on, work with, and respond to through the year. The word is “adventure” and it has many expressions. Today I am thinking of the enemy of ‘adventure’ … ‘mediocrity’ which creates stagnation of the spirit. I read a statement that says: Your Heavenly Father didn’t create you to live a life of mediocrity. He created you to live life in the faith lane – Brian Houston. The ‘faith lane’ – isn’t a paint-by-numbers picture but colour outside the lines experience. It has a totally different perspective than the world because it challenges us to … ‘…fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is not seen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV.

‘Adventure’ – living in the faith lane is not like driving on an express lane with a clear destination in mind, moving quickly, making great progress on the most direct route. In fact, adventure – travelling in the faith lane is like being on a mystery tour. It is often the most indirect and slower-paced with seemingly little progress being made because there are so many twists and turns and detours and rest stops. Another aspect of the faith lane is the scenery and the beauty and the people – fellow-adventurers that you encounter. And then there is the ever-changing road conditions – smooth and level, gentle and not so gentle hills to climb, and those dark valleys. There are even surprises, things we never expected to discover but they bring so much joy and pleasure…they even have their own special designation on the road signs – “Serendipity”.

One of the most important things to discover on the faith lane is the ‘rest stops’ – sometimes gathering with others and sometimes by yourself.You grab a snack or stop for a meal or fuel up or check the engine or consult the road map before getting back into the flow of traffic. Strangely enough, the journey – this adventure is giving you life and energy at the same time as you are being challenged, stretched, tried, and tested. As I let my thoughts wander for a moment I am remembering the declaration of Jesus: I am the way – I am the truth – I am the life no one gets to the final destination without me. Ah! thge adventure of following Jesus – there is no life like it!

Be blessed – enjoy the journey!