BIG God

Recently, I have been reflecting on the story in the Bible when the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River and were confronted with the city of Jericho. Those massive walls were in front of them and God invited them on a journey to break down those walls. God's plan was an odd one. I am sure it raised some eyebrows, but the people responded...relying on the BIG God they served.

I have often heard people respond to life's difficult challenges with the faithful cliche, "God is bigger than my problems!", then later slump in spiritual despair because they are not experiencing the power of God behind them. When faced by large obstacles in life it is not enough to just state our belief in a BIG God, we must also be willing to follow this God and be led by Him.

God is BIG enough to only be limited by the obedience of His people. There are many things that limit me. I am limited by my body, my experiences, my skills, and my stubborness. I could go on and on and on, for there is virtually no end to the list of things that limits me. But God is so big that there is only one thing that limits Him. And that one thing is the obedience of
His people.

God was big enough to part the Red Sea, but the Israelites had to obey Him and be willing to cross. They crossed confidently on firm footing with firm hearts, danger behind, danger on both sides. They could have this kind of attitude because they knew that they had a big God, and He was fighting for them.

God was big enough to make the walls of Jericho fall, but the Israelites had to be willing to obey and march. The real obstacle was not Canaan but unbelief. The only difficulty for God was getting His own people to go with Him. It isn’t just belief that makes things happen. It is the obedience that faith produces that makes things happen. The people had to cross the Red Sea
and they had to march around the city. They had to be persistent and unflinching. Going halfway through the Red Sea or marching for 5 of the 6 days would not have gotten them victory. After the 6th day, their feet would have been hurting, and they would have been tempted to give up.

After all, they had seen no fruit to their labor – not even the smallest crack in the city wall. God is not limited to doing things a certain way. Militarily, the seven days of marching demanded nothing. But psychologically they demanded a great deal of courage…the effort appeared utterly preposterous…it would have been easier to fight than to have faith. If we fight, we will at least have a certain respect from the world, even if we lose. But faith always looks foolish in the
eyes of the world.

The Israelites marched around the city of Jericho to make the walls fall. I would have to say that there are a lot of walls that prevent people from coming to faith in Christ. There are a lot of walls that could prevent us from growing as a church or from being successful in our attempts to share the love of Christ to people. We have fears. We have doubts. But we have a big God. And He can make the walls fall down.

God is only limited by our faith and obedience. Let it not be said of us as it was said of the people in Nazareth that Jesus “did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:58)

Almighty God, Who is bigger than my wildest dreams and expectations, strengthen me in my weakness, help me in my unbelief. I want to be led by You and experience the BIG blessings you have to offer in my life and in the lives of those around me. I desire for my faith to be more than words. I want to be obedient to Your direction as You lead me to break down the walls in my life and the walls that exist in our world, so that others can experience how BIG You are! In Jesus' name, Amen.

My Love

Good morning!

It's been a while since I have offered a blog post. I am happy to be back at it and to share with all of you what God is laying on my heart. The last few weeks have been a time of conflicting emotions and ardent prayers lifted up to God. As many of you know, I have been asked to take a new church appointment beginning July 1, 2012 at Hope UMC in Greenwood Village, CO (the south Denver metro area). My family is excited about the new opportunity God is giving us, while at the same time we are saddened to leave such loving and faithful people in our church and community. This transition will be a major change for me and my family. We are humbled that God, the Rocky Mountain Conference Cabinet, and the leadership at Hope UMC see within us the potential to succeed in another ministry setting. On the other hand, we feel there is so much more God wants to do here in Canon City.

It is in these conflicting moments that we have learned to trust God and His movement in our lives and to trust the work He will continue to do at FUMC Canon City. God is providing opportunities for all of us to partner with Him as He paints a beautiful picture of His Kingdom through the lives of all who consider themselves a part of His Body. We are blessed that God has created us in a way that we are forever connected.

That became so clear to me on Tuesday during staff meeting when Glenna Huskey shared a poem by her great-granddaughter, Rachael Murphy. Rachael is one of our 5th graders at FUMC. I would like to share her poem with you:

My Love
Love is often hidden to those lost in it
But my love is like a black hole trying to suck in the universe.
My love is one of a kind & can run far around the world.
My love will never stop
It will always go on & on & on.
Even when I pass away
My love will still go on.
I wish my love could go farther out of this world into the Galaxy.
I wish people could feel my love.
Love is a magical thing
It's God's wife,
It's Mother Nature's baby.

It is the love God gives that binds us together. It is the love we pour out to others that keeps us connected to each other and God. It is our love for one another that will go on and on and on, even when we pass away...even when we move.

My love to you all!

Pastor Don