Something I have discovered during the time Sandra has been in a wheelchair is how to become a good door keeper. Holding the door open and pushing her through simultaneously is an art form. It requires one hand on the door and one on the wheelchair with a certain amount of body English thrown in for good measure. It’s easier now that we have a power chair; however it’s still a challenge when there are two sets of doors. It isn’t a prestigious position , many don’t consider holding the door open for those that follow, being caught up in their own world, more concerned with where their going than those who follow them.
Psalms 84:10 I’d rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than (as the Living bible puts it) live the good life. This is coming from a pretty sharp guy. Being a doorkeeper is a place few seek after and certainly not glamorous, but is very rewarding. It means holding the door open for the generation that’s following us. It allows them to enter into places of revelation, maturity, and wisdom, places we’ve already been. Allowing the generation that follows us to pass before us as we hold the door open is the most powerful, needed ministry today. For those who are literally and spiritually doorkeepers, Isaiah 45:1 says I say to Cyrus (and you) whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him and loose armor of kings and open double doors, so that the gates will not be shut. Just as you have given yourself sacrificially to the next generation, the reward is amazing. God himself is going before you with the purpose of opening double doors for you that in some cases have long been closed. God has seen your heart in letting others pass before you and now it’s your turn to go to the head of the line and guess who’s giving you cuts, God himself. It began a year ago…as I planted a new section of lawn, using seed instead of the roll out sod. I went to the local store and bought the ‘fall mix’; planting it in the freshly spread topsoil. Sure enough, a few days later the seed sprouts, but right away I notice it doesn’t look right. It looks more like bristly hay than lush grass. It also was very sparse. Not to worry, come spring it will fill in and look better. But as spring passed and the heat of summer came, my new lawn became more desolate. Friends looked at my desolate lawn and suggested I rota-till it under and start over again. The thought came, “just try new seed”; so I did, sowing new seed into the dry sparse areas as well as updating my watering regime. Now lush new grass is pushing through the old hay-looking stubble. There’s only a small remnant of the old and even there, the new is quickly taking over. Seated on my deck, coffee in hand, admiring how good it was looking, I sensed the Holy Spirit say that my lawn was a picture of what many are going through now. And they weren’t to stop sowing seed through their hard, dry, desolate times. Continue sowing into your children’s lives, friends, your church, and your marriage…seeds of kindness, words of encouragement, a word in season to the weary, and financial seeds into your church or favorite ministry. Its imperative we understand the power of one seed to multiply and reproduce. One apple seed produces a tree, which produces countless bushels of apples over the one-hundred-year span of the apple tree. Amazing! Every seed has the power within it to create and reproduce life. Genisis 47:19 “Give us seed that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate”. In a season of famine (extreme scarcity of any kind) these people knew the value of seed. They didn’t ask for more health-care benefits, better retirement plan, etc., but just give us seed and we’ll be o.k. Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again, with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. Why the weeping and why was the seed precious? It was all they had and if it didn’t produce they were toast! Should I sow or keep the little I have left? When we keep our seed it’s the most we will ever have. It went from seed to sheaves, which is harvested grain bound together in a bundle. I believe the key to your future is held in the seed we possess. Zechariah 8:11-13 “but now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew. I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these”. It’s not the time to turn your dreams under but sow some new seed. May the blessings of our God that makes one rich and adds no sorrow be seen in your lives. It is a great joy for me to hang out with my nephew Gregg and his wife, Robbie, as they seek to find and apply the full extent of power located in their 3500-plus horse power nitro-burning dragster; it’s ground shaking, chest pounding.
Power is not for everyone. Many onlookers love to watch and hear the volume of power (yes you can hear the power as it is run in the pit area), but Gregg and Robbie are not onlookers. Seeking (between every race) to unlock the full potential of their fire-breathing car, using their computerized tracking systems and their years of experience, they seek more power…knowing it’s there. Though Gregg is frustrated when things don’t go well, it seems to me, the seeking for the power between races is just about as rewarding as winning the race. He knows he won’t win any races without seeking the power. His enthusiasm is contagious as he searches every possibility, speaking to experts, (but wait now they are speaking to him) he and his crew pouring over every bit of information, for the purpose of finding and applying this huge source of power. The book of Habakkuk starts off in chapter one with Habakkuk’s total discontentment and of how everything is going wrong. Vs. 4 - “the law is powerless (where’s the power?) and justice never goes forth”, etc. That’s all he saw…and then God responds, vs. 5 - “Look among the nations and watch and be utterly astounded for I will work a work a work in your days which you would not believe though it were told you.” In chapter 3:4 - Habakkuk taps into the God perspective – “His brightness was like the light, He had rays flashing from His hand and there His power was hidden.” There it is, hidden power, waiting to be found! Where? In Him! Once you have experience His power you’re no good for anything else! You will seek for the power… just one more time in His presence, I know it’s there, I’ve experienced it before. Ephesians 3:20 “God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you can think or ask according to the power that works in us.” I encourage you to leave the crowd of onlookers (who only watch what others seek for)…find that one experience of power is worth more than a lifetime of watching. Some of you are in the pits already so why not roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty? The power is there for you to live a powerful life. Like Gregg, I’ve experienced it, so what are you waiting for? |