(a chapter from my book, Facing Change)
Dear Friend,
Please permit me to write to you as a friend, speaking to someone facing change or significant decisions in life, not knowing what is looming ahead in the near or far future. Fear not. Embrace it. Anyone who intends to come with Jesus has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; Jesus is. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Jesus and He’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, His way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?” [Matthew 16:24-26 MSG] Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT teaches that there are seasons for everything and God is the overseer of each of these seasons.
Further, Ecclesiastes 3:12 NLT teaches us that “there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.”
What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So there is nothing better than being happy and enjoying ourselves as long as possible. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labour, for these are God-given gifts. [Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 NLT]
I have chosen to travel the higher road in life. It is a less-travelled road that leads to a spacious place. It is a more challenging road but infinitely more rewarding. Your journey is going to look different from mine in the details. Everyone can do it. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ calls us to do this.
In the big picture, we might share the major milestones. We are all called to be saved. We are all called to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be ourselves, no more and no less. We are who we are. We are not what we do. We are not what we have. “When we are truly ourselves, we will find everything that cannot be bought.” [Matthew 5:5 MSG] “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” [Matthew 16:26 NLT] Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?” [Matthew 16:24-26 MSG]
We are all called … but only some answer yes. Only some people are willing. It is a matter of choice.
I know that we all want what is financially rewarding. Life is so much easier when we have enough money. We don’t all start with the money, but we can all end up with abundance. A favourite preacher, Paul De Jong, has a CD series called Attracting Abundance. The gist of his teaching is that who we are attracts abundance rather than what we do.
Another reason people are not willing to travel on the higher road is that they like to choose the most comfortable way. There is a limit to what we can see if we only rely on our own natural eyes. Ask God to give you supernatural sight and to lead you where He wants you to go instead.
Sometimes, when looking for future direction, we don’t seem to see the obvious—what is already under our noses. Pastor Brian Houston would have said, “What have you already got in your hand?” Use what you already have in your hand. God can do a miracle with what you already have in your hand. With Moses’ shepherd staff, God parted the Red Sea.
I am not called to be a famous personality. I don’t need to be popular. On the contrary, I am called to go against the prevalent culture of the day if it is wrong, deadly, and destructive. I am called to lead by following the leadership of Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t teach you how to destroy yourselves.
I don’t have to spell out what is destructive. God will let you experience it for yourselves. Or we can learn from the Bible.
Dr John C. Maxwell would have said, “The wise learn from their own mistakes. The wiser learn from other people’s mistakes.”
There is a common misconception. Leadership is not an elite domain for the select few. The Lord Jesus Christ calls everyone to leadership. Each one of us can lead in at least one area, which is gifting, talent, and strength. For some of us, there might be a few. Then God can add to us, one on top of the other. For me, all roads come from the Lord Jesus Christ and lead back to Him.
John C. Maxwell (from the Maxwell Leadership Bible) taught me that you will lose both if you chase two rabbits. It is a question of focus.
May the grace, favour, and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
Seasons
Seasons come and seasons pass
Rain makes the day cool
Sun makes the day warm
Snow lets the soil rest
A season for everything
The LORD is Lord of the seasons
In the good times
In the tough times
Whatever the season
This too shall pass
The LORD is the Lord of the harvest
Sow in tears
Reap in joy
Whatever the reason
We will praise Him
These are the cycles of life
Every season
For a reason
We shall not be moved
Put our trust in Him
We will keep moving forward
Always onward
Always upward
Into the call of God
Until we finish the race
Bible References: [Proverbs 15:24 NKJV, Isaiah 43:18 NIV, Philippians 3:13-14 NLT]
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.