When the Stakes Are Highest

Fellow Labourers-

As I read today's article, I did so with pain and joy. Pain because it brought back some painful memories of suffering observed, and joy because in it I discovered that God is not a God of coincidence, but a God of purpose and destiny.

Earlier this year I visited with my son Zachary and we had wreckered his car to a Pepboys store for service. Besides the Pepboys store was a Christian book store and they had books on sale, so I went wild. One of the books I purchased was by Warren W. Wiersbe, 'Be Decisive' - which is a study of the life of Jeremiah the prophet. In it he recall how the men of Anathoth were ready to slaughter Jeremiah like the sacrificial Lamb and Jeremiah wanted God to destroy the wicked, but God's focus was not on the wicked but on his servant Jeremiah. Mr. Wiersbe observed that Jeremiah like most of us when we are suffering asked "How can I get out of this?" instead of "What can I get out of this?" He went on to say that God's servants do not live by explanations but they live by promises. I love it when he said "Understanding explanations may satisfy our curiosity and make us smarter people, but laying hold of God's promises will build our character and make us better servants."

I have learnt that the life of godly service isn't easy and even more so now. It seems the life of service becomes harder not easier, but then the life of service gets better as we grow more and mature. Please Lord I want you to keep me secure, not to pamper me.

As I said earlier the title of the book is "BE DECISIVE", so let me end with a quote from Aneurin Bevin a British political leader," We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over."

Pax Vobiscum,

Robert A. Stewart