Scripture
I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 1:6, GNT
Quote
You have no idea how God is working through you–even in your limitations.
~Charles F. Stanley
Paul was a brilliant man and a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. I do not question his commitment to Jesus, it is second to none but he did make some mistakes. He had a very difficult time letting go of Judaism. He was warned not to go to Jerusalem but he refused to listen. Then he took part in a purification ritual that Jesus had fulfilled; he did the very thing that he told others not to do. Paul was the leader of the mission movement and he took himself out of the game by returning to Jerusalem for no legitimate reason. One of Paul’s helpers could have delivered the offering but Paul was bound and determined to do it himself. I think Paul had the little man syndrome and he was set on winning the affection of the Jerusalem establishment. It was that establishment that set him up for failure and they made no effort to help Paul once he was arrested. So Paul goes to prison and that is where he will stay until he is executed. YET it was in prison that Paul wrote many of his epistles and these living letters have touched the lives of billions. Of course, there was not a billion people on earth in Paul’s day. Do you think that Paul knew when he wrote these letters that they would impact the lives of billions and be incorporated into the holy scriptures? I will answer the question: he had no idea.
You may feel like you are limited in your service to Christ but there is no way for you to know how many people you are influencing through your obedience to Him. The butterfly effect is the principle of small things effecting great change. Benjamin Franklin makes the butterfly principle clear in his little ditty…
For want of a nail the [horse] shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
I guess its been 12-15 years since we did the 5th quarter at DBC but for years, we hosted 5th quarter after all the home football games. Trust me, I got no encouragement from anyone. More than one told me I was wasting time, energy and resources. I was never able to get the coaches to work with me or to have any kind of real program for the kids but they did come, year after year, game after game and we feed them free pizza and hotdogs. One of those kids who was drawn into the fellowship of our youth group and later was baptized. Of course, you know me, I forgot all about it. A couple of years ago, the principle at Marshall County Tech said to me…“Aren’t you looking for a YOUTH director?” I said, “We sure are.” He said, “You have one right under your nose and he is originally from your neck of the woods.” He gave me the name but it did not ring a bell. I called the man to set up an interview: He knew me but I could not place him. When I meet with him for the interview, the moment he walked into the room, I blurted out, “I do know you!” He said, “You ought to Bro. Jack, you baptized me.” This young man just returned from Scott Dawson Youth Camp. He carried over 40 young people from the Brewer area and 14 made professions of faith. The same young man is hosting an area wide youth rally on August 8th. We are planning and praying for hundreds to attend that rally. He has told me more than once: “Bro. Jack, it was the 5th quarter that lead me to Christ.” All I can say is, “Thank God I didn’t get discouraged and quit.” What we did at DBC was a very small thing like a butterfly flapping its wings but God has made it a big thing, one that blows my mind. Never despise small things!
Well it is Saturday and that is the day I try to tie up all the loose ends. We have a lot of things going and hopefully, we will get them done. Got my new tractor yesterday, same size but 13 more horses. I hope to try it out Monday. Big day tomorrow LORD willing. I am doing a God and Country sermon that will burn a hole in your dining room table. Don’t worry, Josh took me off line weeks ago. I do need your prayer. God bless, have a great week end and a happy 4th of July.