Pastor Matt
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Professional
Have you ever failed at something miserably? Come on, be honest. I know I have. I'll never forget the time that our toilet was busted. To this day, I couldn't tell you what was wrong with it. There was some valve or flap or something that wasn't working correctly. Can you tell I"m not a fix it guy? I'm not sure what possessed me that day. I think I may have watched one too many episodes of Design Star or maybe it was Extreme Home Makeover and I thought I had what it takes to fix the problem. So, I broke out our all purpose fix it book and read the instructions for how to fix our problem.
The problem was actually pretty easy to fix, the difficulty was that I had to take the tank off of the back of the toilet along with some of the other major pieces of the throne. No problem right? As you might expect, the further that I got into the job the more I realized that I was in way over my head. Before I knew it, I had pieces of the toilet scattered throughout the bathroom. I'll never forget the moment that Jenn came into the bathroom, she claims she heard shouting and loud thuds but I'm sure she was dreaming, and I was surrounded by all the various pieces of our toilet. My hands were covered in black gunk, which I hate to think about where it came from, and sweat was pouring from my forehead. I simply uttered, "I think we need to call a professional."
Ever had that feeling? You've gotten so far in over your head that you need to call in a professional? Have you ever felt that your life has gotten so out of whack, that there is...no hope? If you haven't, give it some time. Life can be excruciatingly difficult at times can't it? There are times, like my experience, where you have brought the problem on yourself. There are other times that it seems like the universe is against you. Someone gets sick and it seems to only get worse. You lose your job and are a victim of office politics. A relationship fails and you've tried everything to salvage it. It would seem that you need to call in a professional.
Since God is the Creator of the universe, He is able to heal your brokenness. I'm not saying He will automatically make your situation better overnight but He will be there in the middle of all of the broken pieces of your life and help you put it back together. The only way that is possible is if you trust Him with it. 1 Peter 1:3 calls Christ a "living hope". That regardless of the decay and destruction that we experience in this life, that hope that we have in Christ will not decay but remain perfect and kept in heaven for us. He is also called the "anchor of our souls" in Hebrews 6:19. What a great description! Regardless of the waves that hit your boat, regardless of the mess that your life has become, Jesus has the ability to keep you from being decimated, if you trust Him.
God's promise to us when we do this is that we could say: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) If our identity is in Christ, if we are solely committed to Him and trust in Him with our whole being, when we experience that type of death, we truly experience the resurrection life that Christ provides.
If you are at one of those low points right now, let me encourage you to go to God in prayer. Ask Him to heal the broken pieces of your life. Ask Him to breathe resurrection life into the death that has besieged you. Trust Him to heal the wounds that you have incurred and expect God to be glorified through it. Call a Professional.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Faith In Uncertainty
This is a message that I did at West Houston Chinese Church on Hebrews 11:8. Click on the title to check it out.
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