Strength for the Task

New York is an amazing city. There is so much to do and see. There is such diversity, and there is no doubt much kingdom work to be done for the glory of God. In fact the task is quite daunting if one really considers it. And while I’ve loved my first two weeks in the city, I have to admit that the whole experience can be overwhelming to say the least. It’s along those lines that I want to share a part of my journal from this past week:

“I’m not going to lie, at one point yesterday I was so tired that I already started wondering how I’m going to make it here. I just realized how ridiculous I am though for thinking (even if subconsciously) that I could make it on my own strength and ability. I am so inadequate, and I simply don’t have the strength to make it on my own in this city (or anywhere for that matter [the situation is simply amplified in the city unlike anywhere else]). Ultimately though, no one has the strength to make it on their own in this city. Everyone seeks to find a source of strength from something whether that be religion, a relationship with another person, coffee, alcohol, drugs, or some other method to cope. Unfortunately none of those methods work, at least not in the long haul. Religion disappoints, relationships break apart (unfortunately including most marriages), coffee brings addiction and eventual tolerance, alcohol and drugs often bring people to far worse places, so if these all fail in the end, how am I to not only cope with this city but to minister to the people all around. How foolish and arrogant have I been to get here and besides my quiet time in the morning, to completely ignore Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” and the Psalmist example “I hide your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” God must be the source of my strength and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23-26 says ‘Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’”

Since that morning when God brought to my attention Psalm 73, I have found my strength in His Word through that verse and others. I’m finding that the exhausted and overwhelmed feeling that I’ve had lately is going to continue to come back in order that I might learn to rely on God more. God wants to bring us to a point of complete reliance on Him, and He will do whatever it takes to bring us to that point because He wants to be our strength.

I want to share one final Scripture that has been a huge encouragement to me: 1 Timothy 1:12, “I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service.” Paul thanked God for the provision of strength that he needed so desperately. God had appointed Paul to a specific service in the Kingdom, and He was faithful to give him the strength to carry that task out. God didn’t give Paul his marching orders and leave him out to dry. Instead because Paul continually sought God as he served Him, Paul received the fullness of strength in God that he needed to accomplish the task set before him.

The same thing is true for us. Everyone of us have been given a task for the Kingdom. In a very broad sense, we are to bring glory to God by sharing the gospel and making disciples, but each of us have our own specific calling that God will be faithful to enable us to accomplish if only we would be faithful in our seeking of Him. He did not give us tasks that can be accomplished by our own strength, if so who would get the glory? Rather God gave every Christian a task to big to handle on his own. So seek God, hide His word in your heart, and find your strength in Him.

The Start of a New Journey

As I prepare to set out on a vastly different journey than anything I’ve ever experienced and I’m looking at being so far from family and friends that I hold so dear, I’ve decided to start blogging to share what’s going on in my life and whatever God teaches me. I realize that few will likely read this blog, but I’m also writing for me so that I will make sure to take consistent time to thoughtfully consider what has been going on in and around me. For those of you who don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing and how I got to this point, I want to give some quick background.

About a nine months ago, I was in the midst of considering plans for after graduation from Union University (which is one of the best places on earth for those of you considering what college to go to). I had decided on Southern Seminary in Louisville when God changed vastly changed those plans. I ended up on the phone with my former youth pastor Freddy T. Wyatt on Thanksgiving break about coming up to NYC to intern at The Gallery Church for… two years! I had been looking at a semester internship, but two years was a much bigger commitment and life change especially with my best friend/girlfriend of 4 years still in Tennessee. Ultimately, God made clear to me that this was the path for me. So come Tomorrow August 17^th I will be flying to NYC to go to work with the Gallery and attend Southern Seminary at the extension center there, which happens to be housed at the Gallery. I know that the next two years will stretch me beyond my limits, and I can’t wait to be able to see the limitless measure of God’s grace that will cover for those weaknesses of mine.

The past week and a half I’ve been struck by a couple of things that God has used in His sovereign timing to refocus my eyes fully on Christ. Not quite two weeks ago, my great uncle John passed away. Fortunately, I am confident that he is rejoicing in heaven now, for the fruit of his relationship with Christ was great. He was a pastor for many years and then a chaplain for the army. His funeral left a lasting impression on me. While he might not be widely recognized, his impact was obviously deep and profound on many men and women that he ministered to over the years. The men that preached his funeral were direct evidence of the incredible impact he had by the grace of God during over sixty years of ministry. He humbly set his eyes on Christ and followed Him with all his heart. He loved his family as a godly man should and his wife as Christ loves the Church. And he shepherded the flock that was placed under his charge toward Christ always. A humble, godly man he was, and the likes of which I can only hope to attain. Secondly, I have been impacted by another man of God… this one you might recognize: A. W. Tozer. I read his biography this past week, and I have been incredibly humbled to see his deep thirst for God. While Tozer has his faults (as were clear in the biography), God has used his passion to set my eyes aright on Christ. My studies had become dry and too academic, yet once again God has given me a thirst for Him just in time for this new part of my journey in life. I highly recommend reading Tozer’s works especially Knowledge of the Holy and Pursuit of God, which, by the way, Tozer wrote on a single train ride with nothing other than a Bible, pen, and notebook paper.

I want to leave you, especially my brothers called to full-time ministry, with a quote about Tozer that we should make true of ourselves: “Tozer concerned himself with the depth of his ministry and left the breadth... up to the Holy Spirit.”