I’m Not Done Yet

So many things have gone on in my life in the last several days.  Seems like the devil is working overtime to try and steal my joy.  But, that is life, and it’s hard to have a message if there isn’t a mess to go through, or a testimony if there aren’t some tests along the way.  “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4  So…bring it on Satan!  I’m not done yet.  

I was saved when I was 13 years old in a little town in the southeastern part of Oklahoma.  I was raised a Missionary Baptist. I thank God for giving me parents who loved the Lord and took us to church.  I’ve lived in Missouri for 17 years, but only joined the church I am a member of about a year ago.  I struggled to find a church since we moved away from where we grew up.  I actually went without a church home for 14 years.  That’s very strange for someone who grew up in church, my father was a deacon, my papaw was a preacher himself; we were a very traditionally religious family.  Yet I couldn’t find a church.  Now part of my problem was due to some very narrow religious beliefs that I managed to develop, which turned out to be just shackles on me, but that’s a different story.  I’m not done yet.

Being saved as a young teen provides its own challenges.  Salvation doesn’t equal perfection, of the flesh anyway.  I wasn’t the most perfect Christian.  I wasn’t a brothel-owning-assassin or anything, but I had sin in my life, and I didn’t have a passion for the Lord, which to me is the biggest sin of all.  To have this amazing gift and not appreciate it.  But the Lord was patient with me because he knew that I’m not done yet.  

The years I spent without a church home were difficult.  I was unhappy. It’s so easy for Satan to lead you astray when you’re not walking hand-in-hand with Jesus. That was my time in the wilderness.  I just wandered around out there looking, but not for the right stuff.  I was so thirsty.  I wanted to have a church, although, I had just about given up, but I wasn’t done yet.  

And then I had a serious illness.  I came pretty close to death and I couldn’t work for a year.  I began to think about the way I’d lived my life.  I had regrets.  My biggest regret was that I hadn’t spent my life in service of the Lord.  I had this unbelievable gift just given to me, and I didn’t truly appreciate it.  I had not been passionate about my salvation.  I was thrilled to be alive; to have another day.  It meant a chance to try and do things right.  To do things with passion.  The Lord let me live because I’m not done yet.

I believe everything we do, we should do it with passion.  When you eat, eat with passion.  When you milk the cows, milk em with passion.  When you mow the lawn, mow it with passion.  When you brush your teeth, brush em with passion.  When you sleep, sleep with passion.  If for no other reason than for the fact that God gave you the chance to do it at all.  What a blessing!  

If you aren’t serving the Lord, you’re not living your Christian life with passion.  If you’re not serving, than you are being served.  You’re just sitting there in your church pew rattling your tea glass, waiting to be served.  There is no passion in that.  None.  Get up and get the tea yourself, or better yet, make some!  Mark 10:45 tells us that Jesus himself came not to be served, but to serve, and He did so with more passion than anyone has ever had.  Passion is found in the doing.  The very least I can do is to try and be more like Him.  I’m not done yet.

You may ask, “How do I get passion for the Lord?”  It’s so easy.  Ask.  Just ask.  Pray and ask the Lord to ignite a fire in you that will never burn out.  Pray for it, but then don’t just sit there and rattle your tea glass waiting for Him to do all the work.  Show Him you are serious.  Go find Him.  Open your bible and your heart.  Study and pray.  He wants to be near you.  He’s waiting for you.  Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.”  Allow me to use this for illustration purposes in this manner…Ask and it will be given to you = pray for passion; seek and you will find = study the bible, seek Jesus there and through a prayer life, not just calling on Him in times of trials, but a real prayer life; knock and the door will be opened = Jesus is waiting for you to truly understand your Christian identity, He’s waiting on the other side of that door.  And don’t you dare let Satan discourage you!  Believe me, as soon as you make a decision to seek Him, Satan will attack you.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8  

Since I found my home church, I’ve had such a spiritual enlightenment and revival I don’t even know how to explain it.  It has been such an absolute blessing, and I thank God so much that He let me live to experience this.  I would like to ask for your prayers to help me find ways to serve the Lord more and be a better worker for Him, and keep this fire burning in me.  I just want Him to consume me, because I’m not done yet.