Greetings,
First of all I would like to thank all of you for your different viewpoints that you have brought to these threads. I can truly see God at work in this forum. Nowhere have I ever seen such love and humbleness.
I wanted to share something that God has convicted me about, through His Word. And he taught me this lesson from the life of Paul, one of His greatest Apostles. When was the last time that you have taken time to silently spend before the Lord? I know it's extremely hard for us with jobs, and family, and friends and lots of activities that we have planned throughout the week. Now let me state that this message is as much for me, as it is for you.
A survey of the Scriptures reveals that those God used greatly were often prepared for those exploits during periods of solitude, quietness, and obscurity. Let's look at some examples:
Moses: He was raised in the palace life, everything was going good. He had everything he ever needed, life was great. Then he kills an Egyptian, and flees to Midian where he later marries the daughter of a local priest. He spent 40 years tending to his father in-laws sheep. It wasn't until he was eighty that God finally used the Egyptian prince-turned shepard. And yes, he was EIGHTY!
David: He was anointed as king over Israel while still in his teens. He didn't assume the throne until he was thirty. After he killed Goliath, he lived in fear and loneliness, hiding out in caves of Engedi from King Saul. A few of David's beloved psalms were written while in this time of obscurity. And the Judean wilderness was one of the most rugged and harsh territories of the world.
Elijah: One of the most powerful and well known prophets, after standing toe to toe with Ahab, delivering his oracle of judgement. No rain or dew fell on the kingdom for as long as it would take for them to repent. To protect His faithful prophet from the expected backlash, the Lord hid Elijah by a brook called Cherith. To Elijah's dismay, the fresh water brook dried up much like his own spiritual and emotional vitality. But God had custom-designed this brookside retreat as a place of renewal for the weary prophet.
There are many more examples of this in the Bible but these are just a few that are important. Solitude seems to be the tool most often used by the Lord to strengthen and reveal His most intimate secrets for those noble few who are willing to shut themselves out from the world and listen to His voice only. I'm convinced those sustained periods of preparation fueled the future effectiveness of each choice servant.
Saul's Desert Retreat
Notice the phrase "still pleased men" in verse 10. Saul of Tarsus lived with the ever-imposing drive to please people. A large part of what motivated him was the affirming nod of the Sanhedrin. I find it fascinating that Paul deliberately mentions two things he did not do. First, he didn't immediately consult with flesh and blood, that is other people. Second, he didn't rush to Jerusalem to present himself the the apostles -- the very men who had walked with and served alongside Jesus.
If he didn't consult with other Christians or their leaders in Jerusalem, where did he gain all his insight into the nature of God's call, the reality of the Gospel, and his direct commision from Christ? I'm convinced he recieved all that and much more during his period of solitude and silence when he "went away" to a place he calls Arabia. It was there, no doubt, he concluded "whatever things were gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all thing, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ" (Phillippians 3:7-8)
If anyone remembers the movie Cast Away you would see what a solitary enviroment can do to change a person completely. The plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean not far from a tiny, uninhabited island. He lived totally alone on that island for four years, one year more than Paul remained in Arabia. He finally learned to live off of the bare essentials of life. He returns to the world he used to know to find many changes, and he doesn't fit in. The changes he endured were so radical, that he returned a changed man. And so it is with Saul, he changed.
God is looking to cultivate a life changing relationship with you, if you will just take time to learn and sit silent with him. Let your words be few, don't pray, just reflect on His words and listen.
Love you all in Christ,
Matt
First of all I would like to thank all of you for your different viewpoints that you have brought to these threads. I can truly see God at work in this forum. Nowhere have I ever seen such love and humbleness.
I wanted to share something that God has convicted me about, through His Word. And he taught me this lesson from the life of Paul, one of His greatest Apostles. When was the last time that you have taken time to silently spend before the Lord? I know it's extremely hard for us with jobs, and family, and friends and lots of activities that we have planned throughout the week. Now let me state that this message is as much for me, as it is for you.
A survey of the Scriptures reveals that those God used greatly were often prepared for those exploits during periods of solitude, quietness, and obscurity. Let's look at some examples:
Moses: He was raised in the palace life, everything was going good. He had everything he ever needed, life was great. Then he kills an Egyptian, and flees to Midian where he later marries the daughter of a local priest. He spent 40 years tending to his father in-laws sheep. It wasn't until he was eighty that God finally used the Egyptian prince-turned shepard. And yes, he was EIGHTY!
David: He was anointed as king over Israel while still in his teens. He didn't assume the throne until he was thirty. After he killed Goliath, he lived in fear and loneliness, hiding out in caves of Engedi from King Saul. A few of David's beloved psalms were written while in this time of obscurity. And the Judean wilderness was one of the most rugged and harsh territories of the world.
Elijah: One of the most powerful and well known prophets, after standing toe to toe with Ahab, delivering his oracle of judgement. No rain or dew fell on the kingdom for as long as it would take for them to repent. To protect His faithful prophet from the expected backlash, the Lord hid Elijah by a brook called Cherith. To Elijah's dismay, the fresh water brook dried up much like his own spiritual and emotional vitality. But God had custom-designed this brookside retreat as a place of renewal for the weary prophet.
There are many more examples of this in the Bible but these are just a few that are important. Solitude seems to be the tool most often used by the Lord to strengthen and reveal His most intimate secrets for those noble few who are willing to shut themselves out from the world and listen to His voice only. I'm convinced those sustained periods of preparation fueled the future effectiveness of each choice servant.
Saul's Desert Retreat
Galatians 1
10For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Notice the phrase "still pleased men" in verse 10. Saul of Tarsus lived with the ever-imposing drive to please people. A large part of what motivated him was the affirming nod of the Sanhedrin. I find it fascinating that Paul deliberately mentions two things he did not do. First, he didn't immediately consult with flesh and blood, that is other people. Second, he didn't rush to Jerusalem to present himself the the apostles -- the very men who had walked with and served alongside Jesus.
If he didn't consult with other Christians or their leaders in Jerusalem, where did he gain all his insight into the nature of God's call, the reality of the Gospel, and his direct commision from Christ? I'm convinced he recieved all that and much more during his period of solitude and silence when he "went away" to a place he calls Arabia. It was there, no doubt, he concluded "whatever things were gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all thing, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ" (Phillippians 3:7-8)
If anyone remembers the movie Cast Away you would see what a solitary enviroment can do to change a person completely. The plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean not far from a tiny, uninhabited island. He lived totally alone on that island for four years, one year more than Paul remained in Arabia. He finally learned to live off of the bare essentials of life. He returns to the world he used to know to find many changes, and he doesn't fit in. The changes he endured were so radical, that he returned a changed man. And so it is with Saul, he changed.
God is looking to cultivate a life changing relationship with you, if you will just take time to learn and sit silent with him. Let your words be few, don't pray, just reflect on His words and listen.
Love you all in Christ,
Matt