Escape from Gilligan’s Island: God Works
The good news: God has a wonderful plan for our lives.
The bad news: God probably has a different plan than what we would.
The results: We need to be patient and allow God to work and not go off in our own direction.
Pastor Bart at Flatland Church yesterday started us out that way in his series on Exodus named “Escape from Gilligan’s Island.” Exodus presents us with a picture of God working in the lives of the children of Israel and the nations they touch. God doesn’t always do what we expect or even want Him to do but in the end, it is always for the best. As such, we need to be patient. The question is of course, HOW?!!! I want it now!
Pastor gave us three (of course) steps which help us be patient. 1. Understand God’s primary aim. Its all about glorifying God. 2. Appreciate God’s Process. We need to go along for the ride and enjoy. 3. Recognize God’s Fingerprints. When we look back on our lives we can always see God working in one way or another provided we haven’t hardened our hearts against God like Pharaoh did. We need to view our lives as a novel and not the latest headline news.
It’s Monday and I am gonna focus on those fingerprints God has all over my life. By looking at those fingerprints, I will be able to better see God’s primary aim and appreciate God’s process. And quite frankly, I am so glad God has had his fingers all over my life.
The first fingerprint I see is my mother. God gave me a wonderful mother! Or to say it differently, God’s fingerprints are also all over my mother as He directs her paths and she follows Him. As she followed God, she also led my sister and I as children down those same godly paths. God had his hand upon our family, and still does.
The second fingerprint I see is my wife Joy. God gave me a wonderful wife! Or to say it differently, God’s fingerprints are also all over Joy. We have been married now 30+ years. God blessed me greatly with Joy. God has His hand upon our family.
I see a lot of other fingerprints in my life – being 50 will do that – but I want to finish with the most recent fingerprint I see and that is my new church, Flatland Church. God has led us to a church that has got me involved again. I have always been in good churches, don’t get me wrong, but at this point in my life, I needed this church. I had become very passive and coming to Flatland has got me to become active again.
Flatland isn’t a perfect church. No church is. A recent conversation with my cousin Bruce got me to thinking about this. If we continually look for the “perfect” church, we may very well miss out on the right church. Flatland is the right church, the right pastors, the right people for me right now. And for that, I thank God.
God’s hand is upon me. I may feel stranded in many ways, just like Gilligan, but I know that God is working. I will try to be patient; understanding God’s primary aim is to bring glory and honor to His name, appreciate God’s process and go along for the ride, and keep recognizing God’s fingerprints all over my life and thank Him for being there.