Restless Pursuit

Sunday Craig preached (and it was some GOOD preachin') on Nehemiah.  He challenged his churches to become leaders.  One thing that stood out to me was when he said  "Real leaders work, while the others sleep".  It's been so weird to me that I have been waking up (fully awake) at 5:30 am.  I had been racking it up to old/middle age, but in truth, it's been God working in me to GET UP OUT OF THE DANG BED AND WRITE YOUR STUFF.  It's that easy. 

He challenged us to think about what we want to do and put it in a simple mission plan and go after it.  What breaks your heart?  What makes you want to do something?  What can you not idly by and watch anymore?   Bullying?  Child Abuse?  Domestic Violence?   Animal Cruelty?  Elder abuse?  Drug addiction?  What breaks your heart???

I was sickened at myself that I didn't have a ready answer.  I am so desensitized to the problems of the world, because the news screams it, the papers write about it, the people turn their heads and walk on, the world is SO broken.   Free will has broken this world. 

We sit in our air conditioned houses, eating take out food, worrying about the boat payment.  And if you are squirming, good.  It took me losing EVERYTHING, to understand the value of having LITTLE. 

I read through Habbukuk last night, and was overwhelmed.  I used to use the excuse, "Nothing in that bible makes sense to me, it's a bunch of thee's and thou's and whilst's, and it just doesn't apply to today".   Pssshhhh.   Poppycock.   It was an EXCUSE to not read it.   AN EXCUSE.   The answers to every one of my problems lay in the book buried in my basket by my bed.   I struggled, worried, deliberated, fought, hated, controlled everything in my world...... and it got me NOTHING.  I showed up at church, listened to the music, paid my tithe and went home and lived my life.  I expected God to do the miraculous things he does, but I wasn't willing to get to know him. 

How many of you read in the papers that a rich person dies, and then all the sudden all these people show up for their "Inheritance".  "Hey, I was related to him.... hey, my mom was his sister.......I DESERVE some of the riches!"    I see or read that, and I'm like..... "Why should they get any of that inheritance??  They didn't show up and wipe that dead person's nose.  They didn't show up and help when he needed it.."  Basically, you show up for the good stuff, but you have no day to day relationship.   Why in the world do you think you are entitled to this dead man's kingdom??

That was me.  Believing that the bare minimum of contact with God would be enough.  I can't believe I used to boast and say  "I may be a bag lady in heaven, but I'm going to be there". And as gracious and loving as our Father is, it might be enough to just be a "bag lady".   But when I roll down the kingdom of heaven, I want to know the stories, I want to be intimately acquainted with the people there.    I want to run up to Abraham and say  "Grandfather!"  and probably follow it with  "You were DANG OLD when you started having kids, and THANK YOU"   I want to find Nehemiah and tell him that he inspired me to be a better leader.   Reach people and help them start fixing all the broken things in their life by simply fixing the gate in their own front yard.    The wall of Jerusalem had been destroyed for over 100 years.  One man, Nehemiah, said, "That's it, I can't stand it, I have to fix it" .... he enlisted the people of the city to help him  (They had walked by that broken wall for years, doing nothing about it and just let it become a part of their life) and challenged them to   "FIX the wall directly in front of your home.... and don't be a slug about it, because just think...when this wall is finished and all the rest of your neighbors have built a solid tall, inpenetrable wall, you won't want to be the one neighbor that threw his up, and all the attacking armies use your wall".....   That was herd mentality thinking at it's finest.   Tell one to do it, and they all will.  I work best in herd mentality.  It's true.

People.  I cannot believe I wasted 50 years getting to this real truth.  Seek God in everything.  Do life with a prayer in your heart and His will for you foremost.  I understand that this might be something that is so foreign to you (like eating cheese for me), that you are going, I DON"T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!  It's easy....  pray with me ..    "God, work Your will in my life, and let my eyes stay on You".    That's a good start.  And go dig your bible out of the basket beside your bed.  And get started.  Don't use excuses like I did for YEARS to not read the bible.   Instead, embrace it and start getting to know your great uncle's best friend's Uncle Jesus, cause he already died to save you,  and before YOU are gone, put in the time to really, really know Him.

Life finally makes sense to me. And it was smack dab in front of me all these years.  Just restlessly pursue God.  He will open your eyes and give you peace.