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Topic: The Now Thing (PT 1&2) by James Ryle
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Author
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Julie Gilbert
Senior Member
Joined: 07/29/2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2593
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Posted: 01/10/2009 at 4:41pm
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IP Logged
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Thursday, January 08, 2009
.
"Behold,
I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19).
The
pace of our lives seems to be increasing faster and faster. We are in
such a rush from here to there that we really aren't even here at all.
Our conversations are marked with vacant stares as our minds race ahead
to what's next. The next blockbuster movie, the next American Idol, the
next American President, the next world crisis, the next scientific
breakthrough, the next natural catastrophe, the next scandalous
preacher -- and so on and so on and so on.
"What's the next big thing that God will do?" a friend recently asked me.
The
question reveals our predisposition to a faith that is defined by
events, rather than by relationship. We are not completely at fault in
this, because God certainly does eventful things in our lives, as in
all the world. So the conditioning toward this is understandable.
However, we must guard against looking for the next thing so much that we miss out on the now thing.
And I will tell you what that is tomorrow!
Friday, January 09, 2009
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"Now
then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by
us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2Corinthians 5:20).
Did you catch that? NOW
then we are ambassadors for Christ. That's a NOW thing. It's not
something you are going to be -- it is what you are right now. Whatever
else God may do, and whenever, or wherever else He may decide to do it
-- THIS is one thing that He is always doing NOW.
And
exactly what is it? Using men and women just like us, unseen and often
unappreciated, to become expressions of His light and love in a world
overcrowded with darkness and dejection.
Imagine an underground
river that flows incessantly in its course, unseen and unappreciated,
but nevertheless supplying life and power to all within its sphere of
influence. Such is the Kingdom of God in today's desert world.
Now
imagine that on occasion, unpredictable and unexpected, the pressure of
the water -- silent in its underground channels -- suddenly bursts
forth above ground in a spectacular geyser that douses everybody in a
downpour. The Kingdom of God is also like that.
But while the
geysers come and go, the river continues steady and unceasing in its
underground flow. We would be foolish to camp by the geyser hole,
waiting for another eruption, and miss out on the constancy of the
river -- which is forever the Now Thing that God is doing.
Yes,
we rightly rejoice in what God has done, and we certainly fix our hope
upon what God will do. But Jesus said, "I only do what I see the Father
doing."
That's the key to living in the Kingdom right NOW.
__________________
See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing
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