Terrible storm last night. Torrential rain, high winds, basement flooded when the sump pump failed. We had an 8 gallon, 4 hp shop vac someone had just given us, what a blessing. But it was taking forever! Then I walked over to the sump, lifted it up, set it back down, and it worked! After an hour of "shop-vaccing" I felt we had gotten no where, but after seconds of the right tool for the job was turned back on, all the water was gone. The power of God verses our own power and strength is a lot like that. Except a lot more! I was going to wear out, literally. My strength was waning big time. Then God showed up, yes, in the form of a working sump pump.
As I was sitting here this morning I was thinking about how much we need God's provision for our family, how much we need His power and strength, versus our own. As I was saying this to my wife, she pulled out a power cord she had just found, and was looking for. The power of God, that's what we need, and we prayed for that together, for our family and for our ministry. God uses little things like lost power cords and properly working sump pumps to remind us of His strength, His power. Without it, we are like a shop vac trying to clean out the ocean.
During the storm God had me praying, intensely. Normally I just enjoy the beauty of a storm, this was different. I found out later there was much damage in many places. But my prayer was a reminder, we are in a storm, a storm that is claiming souls, and we need to be praying Church, and we need your prayers to do the work we are trying to do. As I was hauling bucket load after bucket load, up and down the stairs, that was my prayer, that we, The Church, would pray more, and more people praying, for our work. Our work of evangelism, our work of taking people to God who need a major cleansing, that only Christ can provide. Please Church, pray, intently, as if lives depend on it, because they do, everyday.
After the storm, the next morning, I walked around, and there was debris everywhere. It reminded me of the state of people's hearts, and it made me sad. I remembered after the storm, the night before, I had watched a story about WWII, and Hitler and his men. They have video of them walking and laughing, carrying on as if they hadn't committed some of the greatest atrocities in all of history, and I asked how, why? Sin was the Lord's response. People are not a good judge of their own hearts, they can't see how evil they've become. As I looked at the wreckage from the storm, and remembered the carnage of Hitler and crew, I was reminded of what sin does to people, and how horrible it is. God has given me compassion for them, for the lost. They need Jesus, just like I need Him so badly.
He wants us to be clean, just like that shower I took after my basement workout, dead things floating around in the water I was in, that shower never felt so good. And so His grace will feel even better as the graceless world gets to feel His grace for the very first time. They are reaching, and we need to be giving.
"Lord help us. help us to give all we can, and receive all You have. It will always be enough, Your grace always is."
In grace,
Tim
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
God's grace
God's power, it's unlike ours in that it has no limits, no wearing out, and it's not at all dependant upon any others. 
Terrible storm last night. Torrential rain, high winds, basement flooded when the sump pump failed. We had an 8 gallon, 4 hp shop vac someone had just given us, what a blessing. But it was taking forever! Then I walked over to the sump, lifted it up, set it back down, and it worked! After an hour of "shop-vaccing" I felt we had gotten no where, but after seconds of the right tool for the job was turned back on, all the water was gone. The power of God verses our own power and strength is a lot like that. Except a lot more! I was going to wear out, literally. My strength was waning big time. Then God showed up, yes, in the form of a working sump pump.
As I was sitting here this morning I was thinking about how much we need God's provision for our family, how much we need His power and strength, versus our own. As I was saying this to my wife, she pulled out a power cord she had just found, and was looking for. The power of God, that's what we need, and we prayed for that together, for our family and for our ministry. God uses little things like lost power cords and properly working sump pumps to remind us of His strength, His power. Without it, we are like a shop vac trying to clean out the ocean.
During the storm God had me praying, intensely. Normally I just enjoy the beauty of a storm, this was different. I found out later there was much damage in many places. But my prayer was a reminder, we are in a storm, a storm that is claiming souls, and we need to be praying Church, and we need your prayers to do the work we are trying to do. As I was hauling bucket load after bucket load, up and down the stairs, that was my prayer, that we, The Church, would pray more, and more people praying, for our work. Our work of evangelism, our work of taking people to God who need a major cleansing, that only Christ can provide. Please Church, pray, intently, as if lives depend on it, because they do, everyday.
After the storm, the next morning, I walked around, and there was debris everywhere. It reminded me of the state of people's hearts, and it made me sad. I remembered after the storm, the night before, I had watched a story about WWII, and Hitler and his men. They have video of them walking and laughing, carrying on as if they hadn't committed some of the greatest atrocities in all of history, and I asked how, why? Sin was the Lord's response. People are not a good judge of their own hearts, they can't see how evil they've become. As I looked at the wreckage from the storm, and remembered the carnage of Hitler and crew, I was reminded of what sin does to people, and how horrible it is. God has given me compassion for them, for the lost. They need Jesus, just like I need Him so badly.
He wants us to be clean, just like that shower I took after my basement workout, dead things floating around in the water I was in, that shower never felt so good. And so His grace will feel even better as the graceless world gets to feel His grace for the very first time. They are reaching, and we need to be giving.
"Lord help us. help us to give all we can, and receive all You have. It will always be enough, Your grace always is."
In grace,
Tim
Terrible storm last night. Torrential rain, high winds, basement flooded when the sump pump failed. We had an 8 gallon, 4 hp shop vac someone had just given us, what a blessing. But it was taking forever! Then I walked over to the sump, lifted it up, set it back down, and it worked! After an hour of "shop-vaccing" I felt we had gotten no where, but after seconds of the right tool for the job was turned back on, all the water was gone. The power of God verses our own power and strength is a lot like that. Except a lot more! I was going to wear out, literally. My strength was waning big time. Then God showed up, yes, in the form of a working sump pump.
As I was sitting here this morning I was thinking about how much we need God's provision for our family, how much we need His power and strength, versus our own. As I was saying this to my wife, she pulled out a power cord she had just found, and was looking for. The power of God, that's what we need, and we prayed for that together, for our family and for our ministry. God uses little things like lost power cords and properly working sump pumps to remind us of His strength, His power. Without it, we are like a shop vac trying to clean out the ocean.
During the storm God had me praying, intensely. Normally I just enjoy the beauty of a storm, this was different. I found out later there was much damage in many places. But my prayer was a reminder, we are in a storm, a storm that is claiming souls, and we need to be praying Church, and we need your prayers to do the work we are trying to do. As I was hauling bucket load after bucket load, up and down the stairs, that was my prayer, that we, The Church, would pray more, and more people praying, for our work. Our work of evangelism, our work of taking people to God who need a major cleansing, that only Christ can provide. Please Church, pray, intently, as if lives depend on it, because they do, everyday.
After the storm, the next morning, I walked around, and there was debris everywhere. It reminded me of the state of people's hearts, and it made me sad. I remembered after the storm, the night before, I had watched a story about WWII, and Hitler and his men. They have video of them walking and laughing, carrying on as if they hadn't committed some of the greatest atrocities in all of history, and I asked how, why? Sin was the Lord's response. People are not a good judge of their own hearts, they can't see how evil they've become. As I looked at the wreckage from the storm, and remembered the carnage of Hitler and crew, I was reminded of what sin does to people, and how horrible it is. God has given me compassion for them, for the lost. They need Jesus, just like I need Him so badly.
He wants us to be clean, just like that shower I took after my basement workout, dead things floating around in the water I was in, that shower never felt so good. And so His grace will feel even better as the graceless world gets to feel His grace for the very first time. They are reaching, and we need to be giving.
"Lord help us. help us to give all we can, and receive all You have. It will always be enough, Your grace always is."
In grace,
Tim
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