"I WONDER WHAT THE LORD IS GOING TO DO NEXT!"

 

Favorite Scriptures Day #11

I just can't explain how excited I am about WHERE I am, WHAT I am doing, and WHO I am in this stage of my life. God has been so good! I love my mornings and the time that I have to reflect with God. LOOK at what GOD has done in my life and the life of my family. Stephanie and I are a week away from 47 years, it doesn't get any better than that. I am coming up on four months at SM and the greatest blessings have been the people and this loving community. I can sense God's presence in sermon writing and the every day routines of being a pastor. (It might be most amazing when I can even say that I AM A PASTOR!) Those thoughts lead me to my NEXT FAVORITE SCRIPTURE:

"I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator and King. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses, I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. 

BUT FORGET ALL THAT -- IT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT I AM GOING TO DO. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." (Isaiah 43:15-19, NLT, emphasis added)

While I can get excited about all that HAS happened throughout my life and certainly in the past 7 months, I am even MORE EXCITED about what is to come! One of my favorite lines, of all time, in scripture is. 

"But forget all that -- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do!" 

If you can't get excited after you read that, you might want to call 911 and get someone out to restart your heart!

Do you sense God's activity in your life? Do you feel his presence working? I have seen answered prayers. I have seen lives change, but I get the feeling God is saying, "YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!" 

And I want to be clear, this is NOT ABOUT ME. Moses might have stood with his hands outstretched wide, holding his staff, when the waters parted, but it wasn't him! The walls of Jericho came crashing down after the army marched around the city, but the VICTORY was because of the power of the ALMIGHTY GOD! I see excitement in the church. I have had so many positive comments about what is happening in our small little congregation. It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with the dedicated loving people of our congregation, or great worship. IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE POWER OF THE GOD WE SERVE!

AND as exciting as it is, GOD is doing something NEW and he wants us to forget the past and LOOK to the FUTURE and ALL that he has in store for us. 

AS I am writing this, I realize some of you aren't in such a place of joy and anticipation. But, I can guarantee, with no hesitation, if you completely dedicate yourself to the Lord, if you seek him, obey him, and forsake the sins of life, you will also be able to live with glorious joy and anticipation always asking, 

"I WONDER WHAT THE LORD IS GOING TO DO NEXT!"

GIVE YOUR LIFE TO HIM!