Character Builder or Character Destroyer
Mathew 5:23-24 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
WHAT! He's the one that has to come to me, I'm not going to him. Do those words sound familiar. I bet they do.
My brother was out here in Vt. for couple of weeks and in those couple of weeks the family had planned to spread my dad’s ashes on the mountain side per dads request. My dad would travel up on the hillside with this 'Ole Toyota land cruiser, it had the shifter on the column. He would cut firewood, listen to country music and just be out in the wilderness on that mountain. Kinda like the Walton’s, remember the Walton’s?
It had been a long time since I had seen my brother so I had no idea what to expect, considering the last conversation I had with him was not a good one. I have forgiven my brother for all those things that occurred in our past and have laid them down at the foot of the cross. I love my brother very much and desire the best for him. That’s what Jesus did for me, for you, for him and continues to extend His hand of grace for us all. Therefore my heart must do the same. Not an easy task but a necessary one. During that week as I shared with a dear brother in Christ, I had found out that he too was in a similar situation and knew where I was coming from. He gave good solid biblical counsel to which I embraced with much appreciation. As we ended our conversation he prayed for me, for my brother, and our family and before we hung up I said to him that I expect a miracle, whether it be here or back in California my heart was expecting a miracle.
I saw my brother 4 times during his stay and the two times in the middle were not good meetings. My heart was being tested and my character was being torn down and rebuilt. It could have been real easy to let what was said destroy all of what god had built in my heart. I fought back with what my heart knew to be true even though there was one point when I was second guessing what I knew. You all know who that was? UH HUH! That’s when I turned to my wonderful helpmate, my dear wife Robin. We talked, we prayed, we read the scriptures and came to this conclusion. What my beloved brother was saying was not of God. It was all evil speech, talk about being face to face with the devil. And yet as I looked deeper into my brother’s face, I began to see myself. OUCH! I was just like that once and that’s when the abundant grace of Christ came and I wept in my heart for him. I was praying for a miracle.
The last evening my brother was here, I had no intention of going over and seeing him. God had different plans. My youngest daughter Marissa kept bugging me to go over to see her uncle, I kept saying no. Each no that was said, broke her heart even more, the scene just a few days ago was still ringing in my ears and I couldn't take that risk of it happening again with my daughter present and that’s when it hit. Why are you being so selfish?, asked the still small voice. I knew without a shadow of a doubt what needed to be done. Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, Bring your daughter over there and let me do the rest said the still small voice.
Had my heart not listened to GOD we would not have experienced God's answer to prayer. My brother and I reconciled, we hugged, we talked, we took pictures, we hugged some more, For 1 solid hour God was present in the face of him, in all of us. As Marissa and I were leaving I said to her, that was my brother, God did that. Oswald Chambers says this in his devotional "My His Utmost for His Highest." Leave room for God- We tend to overlook the element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly--God meets our life--"...when it pleased God...." Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides. What is God doing for you today? – Keith Varga is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy
Compass Pointers: Worship is the test of the authenticity of any conversion, whether to Christianity or some other religion. But the factor that distinguishes our faith from every other creed is the intimacy of our relationship with the living God. Tom Inglis
Anchored to the Rock: If you can’t pray as you want to, pray as you can. God knows what you mean. Vance Havner
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