I am also doing a Bible study for the second time called Experiencing God. As I wrote several posts back, God is working in the earth and we can join Him in His endeavors if we make ourselves available. It takes a quiet heart to hear and a keen eye to see God moving amongst His people. It takes many years of preparation to be ready when the right time comes about. Henry Blackaby, the author of the study, breaks it down like this: there are "Seven Realities of Experiencing God": (1) God is always at work around you; (2) God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal; (3) God invites you to become involved with Him in His work; (4) God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways; (5) God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a "crisis of belief" that requires faith and action; (6) You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing; and (7) You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.
My heart is to be be a pioneer in the "faith sense." God has a trail for me to blaze. I want to be available to Him as a co-worker in His Kingdom. I accept His invitation to do new things and to take chances. As Lewis and Clark did two hundred and seven years ago, I take the challenge to go where no man has gone before. It may sound corny, but I mean it with all my heart.
As I speak about Lewis and Clark, I want to recommend one of the greatest books that I have ever read: Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. It is a book about the preparation, journey and the aftermath of the Corp of Discovery. It has a sad ending with regard to Meriwether Lewis. He died and is buried less than an hour's drive from my home here in middle Tennessee. Regardless of the ending, it is a wonderful story of a group of men who had the same goal, reached it, and lived to tell about it, albeit in a limited way. Lewis never finished his writing about the journey before his life was tragically cut short on the Natchez Trace in October of 1809.
My wife and I loved that book as well. We have been to many of the places mentioned in the book, and plan to take a trip this summer that will follow close to the path of the Corps of Discovery. It is amazing what we learn after History with Dr. Hinson, huh?
ReplyDeleteIf you have Netflix, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery(1997) a PBS special is available in "Instant Play", and well worth the watch.
Stephen Ambrose is one of the commentators on the documentary, actually. They did the best job of documenting the story for television that I've seen, and I did see the History Channel's version as well.
You do raise a good point regarding "pioneers of faith." It can be a journey full of criticism, mockery, and constant obstacles. Such opposition can be relentless, and can beg for us to answer "why", and "Are you sure" for years of our lives.
This is because where God takes us, or leads us may not always be what others think to be in keeping with "God's Will" in the general (stereotypical) sense.
God's non-traditional placement of his people, I have found, does not always meet with the stereotypes we place on his ability, or the limitations on his strength to sustain us for His purposes.
I remember Dr. Tobias asking us the question in class, "If God is all powerful, can he make a rock so big that even he can't pick it up?" After answers of both yes and no from the class, he told us, "Yes, God can make a rock so big that even He couldn't pick it up...but He would pick it up anyway. Because God is as powerful as he has to be."
No matter where we a planted, nor how small our role may seem, the call is still the same, "Be sober, be vigilant," and "Watch." I don't always know the answers to "why" or "how," but I've lived long enough know from experience, now, that God has never left me, or forsaken me in my personal journey.
All the best, always...
~Stephen...=)