Behind the protection of two "good knights."


This morning, I am leaving for Hays, Kansas. I have the privilege of sharing at Ft Hays State University. First I will be with their leadership, and will share with them privately for a time. Then I will speak to their body of students.

I am so thankful to be able to meet with them.

In gearing up for this trip, I have been reminded how many times Jesus did the same thing with his disciples. He got alone with them to teach or train in private. He poured into them knowing His time was short, and the Salvation of the world was at stake.

Yes, the plan formed was to place ministry in the hands of these untrained followers. They were a ragtag bunch of fishermen, a tax collector, and others that it would have been hard for us to believe in.

Jesus spoke to them privately, frequently, trying to train them for the task before them. He would send them out in pairs early on, to help them see what was ahead.

He would share Truth and tell them they would understand more after the Comforter came. They often seemed confused. They would ask after a series of events, "What did you mean when you said...?"

I often wonder if Jesus grew frustrated, knowing He had chosen the lowest of men to carry on His ministry. I try to imagine following Captain Sig from "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. I don't think I could do it. I imagine, following a bunch of guys who were outspoken (as Sig is) but seemed to lack wisdom in the areas of life other than fishing, would have been a bit crazy. After all, there were plenty of trained 'religious leaders' about who could help if religion was what we wanted.

And that is the deal is it not? We do not want religion. We want a relationship! It did not matter that these men were nobodies. What mattered was that Jesus poured into these guys. The Salvation of the world was going to rest in their hands after Jesus ascended.

While the plan seems ill conceived, it reflects that Jesus trusts us, the untrained followers that come to Him like little children, with a seed of faith. He can do so much through the untrained, to bring His truth to the world that is in such need.

Moments alone with Christ go a long way toward bringing others to an understanding of Him. The disciples had that opportunity, and afterword, the anointing of the Holy Spirit rested upon them and empowered them to go forth and serve.

That same Spirit will utilize our nothing to bring Jesus to those whom the Father draws. The key is, we need to be alone with Him. We need that time in His presence where He shows us things that don't make sense at first, but when we get it, He emboldens us to teach it to others.

When we surrender our foolishness, He replaces it with His wisdom, and prepares places for us to go and share it. We need to be willing. If we aren't willing, nothing happens...not in our own lives, or the lives of those He wants us to pour into.

What He gives us is not meant to be kept to ourselves. We are like buckets. Buckets fill a purpose, they are containers that hold or store liquid for a time, but then are used to pour it out.

What He pours into us, He does not intend for us to forever hold onto. That which He gives us may be stored for a time, at least until we understand it, then we need to pass it on. Liquid in a bucket that is not passed on will either spoil, evaporate, or ultimatley rust through and be lost in a manner of no account.

What is He shows us is of great importance, and His desire is that we pass it along. All of us are intended to be vessels that pass information along. The more working vessels that are deployed, the greater amount of information gets disseminated.

If we sit back and expect paid, trained professional to do it, we miss out on significant blessing, and far smaller amounts of info get passed. People want to hear from people who are real. They want to hear from those who live in the trenches where they live, who suffer as they suffer.

Its hard to relate to someone who is perfect. Its easy to understand someone who is broken. That is a place we've been.

Your brokenness will result in far greater glory for the King of Kings than putting on an air of perfection that most see through anyway.

Lets be real for Jesus.

We are buckets, lets stop hoarding what has been poured into us. The more we spill, the more we can get refilled!

Blessings,

dad