Near our home is a vast cemetery. From our backyard we can look out upon its rolling green hills. From a distance it looks like a magnificent park. Perfectly landscaped. SPACIOUS and SPRAWLING. Trees and shrubs gracefully CASCADE across the slopes. Truly a façade. People are surprised when I point out that what they are seeing is actually a graveyard. The other day while I was hiking past the cemetery, I noticed that eerily daunting machines were traversing across the span of EMPTY lawns. The biggest and best tractor/lawnmowers I had ever seen. I stopped to WATCH. I took the time to see what was ACTUALLY going on. I was amazed how accurately the massive lawn mowers maneuvered around each tiny gravestone. The driver was so careful that each gravestone was METICULOUSLY groomed. PATIENT and PRACTICED, he didn’t IGNORE even ONE gravestone. The cemetery has a full time grounds staff. The crew never stops. Every day dedicated workers are out there, uprooting, digging new graves, transplanting, performing their duties. Painstaking, thankless, laborious care. No one really SEES them or NOTICES them. The visitors and loved ones here are too consumed with grief.
Forgive us God, as We the Church, have focused on the church size/building/facility to define the biggest and best landscaping of Christianity, yet typically when the unsaved/unlovely come in, they experience a vast cemetery of EMPTY welcomes.
Forgive us God, as We the Church have forgotten that spiritually dead people that don’t know Jesus are walking all around us. And sometimes We act like an eerily daunting machine that maneuvers around their groomed lives. We forget that they stop to WATCH US.
Forgive us God, as We the Church, become IMPATIENT with each other. So we don’t PRACTICE what we preach. And we end up IGNORING the ONE reason that we are together as a body… Jesus
Maybe from a distance your life looks like a MAGNIFICENT park. Perfectly landscaped. And you fear that if someone gets too close, they will see that your life is truly a façade.
Maybe you have opened up to other Christians about your sin/pain. And they are surprised. But they never actually took the time to see what ACTUALLY was going on. So they hiked away from you. And now you feel betrayed and alone.
Maybe your life’s responsibilities are full time. It never stops. You are dedicated.
You are out there. Painstaking, thankless, labor. No sees what you do. No one notices you.
You have a full time staff in your life. It’s called the Holy Spirit.
He doesn’t just want to be a visitor.
He is consumed by grief when you forget He is there. Ephesians 4:20
He sees you. He notices you.
You are His loved one.
He uproots your facades and gives you the reflection of Jesus.
He digs new graves for you to bury, cover and heal your sin/pain.
He transplants your hard labor for His glory.
He performs these duties. And much more.
Once you ask.
Let Him help transform you, into what He already SEES in you.
His Grace cascades down and covers EVERY slope of your life.
So that…
Your life submitted reflects His MAGNIFICENT glory.
Your mess surrendered is wiped clean by His SPACIOUS and SPRAWLING majesty.
Your sins forgiven are consumed by His VAST love.
And everyone WILL SEE and everyone WILL NOTICE…
…..HIM….. in you. 1 John 4:9
PRAISE: We have added several new staff to our business! Thank you for your prayers. We are still looking for more positions to fill, please pray for the right employees.
PRAY: We have a project that is requiring us to travel to Alaska. Please pray for supernatural success with this client. As this project becomes successful, it will open the doors of new business. (which we need)
PRAY: As we are aware of the upcoming election cycle for 2014, pray for the potential candidates to be representatives of Gods word and His people. This state and country need a massive influx of righteousness into a corrupt system of wickedness.
PRAY: For pastors and leaders here in LA County to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Pray against the spirit of division that continues to infect our churches.
Questions/comments? Please reply to shellynotw@gmail.com