Sit With Me Awhile

It's been a long time since I have had the opportunity to sit in front of adults to teach the word of God........

I have really missed it. I SO miss the spark of conversation.

This past Tuesday I was given the responsibility to teach/guide a Bible study

for a group of (senior)mature Christians.

You see Keith and Mrs Joy were talking about who would lead this weeks study...they don't like doing that type of thing.....and so Keith offered me up like a sheep to the slaughter. :)

I'll have to say that the realization of what I was doing did not begin to heighten my pulse until I sat there with so much aged wisdom.....and they waited for me to begin.

And then the thought.....What in the world was I thinking!?! Dear God-- hide me behind the cross!

He was faithful to remind me that it wasn't me teaching anyway......so

with a nervous stomach.....I opened my mouth and He spoke.

They were a sweet group of people and they jumped in with the conversation....which made time fly.

And before too long it was over and I had not been hung for speaking anything foolish. \o/

I have missed teaching and I do hope that one day I will get to do it more often.

I do think that when He finally releases me to open my mouth again-- there will be some incredible truths that have been planted in my heart because of what we have walked through lately.

Some things are just crazy......I would have never foreseen going through some of these things.

You know what it brings to mind?

Building a strong resume.

All those individuals who are working so hard to add experience/school to

their repertoire so that they will be more valuable or so they can earn more money.

But in their case......they are the ones responsible for the work of making themselves well round.

Where am I going with this?

Just a little reminder for all of us who are looking at our lives and wondering why in the world we are going through the things we have gone through and are going through.

So here is the tie in.

As I was studying for Bible study foe Tuesday night.... there was a gentle reminder for me from

our brother Paul in the second book of Thessalonians the third chapter.

When I first opened the study- I realized the major topic was the lazy people of the day that were not working but expecting others to take care of them. Paul was giving the church the right to "put them out" so that they would learn that if they did not work...they would not be allowed to eat off someone else's plate.

But the thing that touched me was a small verse at the beginning of the chapter.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (New International Version)

³But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Now this hit me! Isn't it funny how God knows when we need reminders?

I may have been showing my age physically and spiritually.....but I jumped into this verse

because it seemed to be beckoning me.

You probably know that the people Paul was addressing were new believers that were going through a huge time of persecution....life was more than rough.

Can you imagine being in their shoes? They were out there "all alone" trying to work out their faith with fear and trembling....all the time wondering if they were doing it right. Wondering if they were doing enough.....that is why they were hesitant to stop taking care of those people who were no longer working.

They were full of questions, questions, questions.

I am sure they wondered how much they would have to do before they would arrive at the maturity of Paul.

When would they arrive at the point where they could say that in all things

they were achieving peace and content?

And so Paul....what a heart......dropped in some words of peace and security for these young believers.

First, he reminded them that..... God was faithful.

If you have received a text from me in the last several months you know that.....He is faithful.....is my signature. It is something that I need to be reminded of....and something that we all need to KNOW way deep down in the marrow of our bones.

As our savings came to an end... and there was no job in site....I needed to KNOW that He was faithful.

And He was.....we were down to our last dollars and Keith got a job this week.

He is faithful!

But sometimes on the way to that realization ----we sometimes think about what we can do to "shore ourselves up" so that we really believe that when the rough times come.

You know...how cool to have the wisdom before you get to the rough time.

But in the past .....the rough times have often become times of "works" for me.....tackling things on my own.

But the truth of this verse.........it is not my job to strengthen myself.

It is God's job... a promise that Paul uses to assure these wavering believers.

I wonder if they realized that God's way of strengthening them may have just been coming from the persecution they were experiencing?

Hmmmm

I will stop this wondering/wandering post here...with just a gentle thought.

Will you allow God to strengthen you?

Usually......strengthening comes through opposition.