“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11-12
My Clusia Rosea hedge needs tamed! And I mean more like a crew-cut than a trim! We planted these things years ago and had NO idea how big they can get. Trimming them yearly, they STILL have expanded to over 10’ tall and 7’ wide. I was not looking forward to the month long process of hand trimming and filling at least 40 garbage cans! Then my son-in-law pulled up!
While I have a lot of STUFF… Todd has a lot more COOLER stuff! In his truck he had a gas powered pole saw that extended to about 87 feet! OK… maybe 18’ And even cooler than THAT is, he offered to LEND it to me! So yesterday… I fired her up! Talk about an experience! As clouds parted and golden sunlight created a holy glow, I SWEAR I could hear angels….sing!
What USED to take me HOURS to cut, I literally cut in minutes! My eyes were wide in amazement as I NEVER have experienced a single tool to SOOO exceed my expectations. I filled up 10 cans in about 1 ½ hours! There is only ONE thing that could have made the experience better… if Todd would have been WITH me to do it! THAT THING IS HEAVY!!! Now (transition time!) think CHURCH!
The Bible tells us that Jesus is ‘now’ in heaven ‘making intercession’ for us to his Father (Hebrews 7:25). Does that surprise you? Maybe even MORE shocking is the absolute truth that WE live in a world and environment where HE HAS TOO! Face it… it’s tough down here. I don’t know of ANYONE who isn’t going through SOMETHING! And aren’t those moments of bliss few and far between? Friends, I need a personal touch!
It is AWESOME to know that Jesus is interceding for me on a regular basis. But honestly, I walk by FAITH. Which means I don’t actually see WHAT or HOW He is doing it! And when I hear someone say, “I’ll pray for you,” that doesn’t really make me giddy! “O.K. thanks,” is my usual reply. But when I am at church, when the doors open up, and one by one my sheepy brothers and sisters walk in. I DO get a joy that is REAL. ‘The TEAM’ is HERE!
Paul knew and wrote about it! Spiritual gifts presented through real people makes us STRONG in the face of a hostile world. There is NOTHING like the encouragement of a touch or listening ear, from someone who lives by faith, to set things in proper order. Each member brings something essential to the life of us all. Even if I wasn’t the pastor… I wouldn’t miss church for the world!! LITERALLY!
What cool tool will YOU be willing to share with your sheepy family?
