No matter how much or how little we watch television, almost all of us are familiar with the commercials that feature a voice blaring from the television screen telling us about some "amazing TV offer" that we simply do not want to miss. After the announcer has thoroughly explained why we simply cannot live without their product, just when we think he or she is about to close the deal, we hear the advertising phrase of the century, "But wait....There's more!!!"
God tells us in Philippians 1:6 that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." That's good news for all of us--those of us who think we've got it going on so well that we can't get any better, and those of us who are still just trying to get something (anything!) going on in the first place!
This passage reminds us that no matter what stage or season of life we find ourselves in, God is not through with us yet and will not be through until the day of Christ Jesus, that is, the day Jesus returns.
So, even if you've read the bible all the way through several times, wait...there's more! Since God's Word is alive and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, we can read the same passage many times, yet get a different or deeper illumination that will allow that Word to speak directly to us in ways we never thought possible.
If you've been pastoring or leading for many years and you feel you've done all you can do, wait...there's more! After you've done all you can do and you're ready to give up, that's when God can finally have room to do all that He can do, which is exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or imagine--and some of us have incredible imaginations!
If you've finally decided to start attending church regularly, but you still don't see a major change in yourself or your situation, wait...there's more! Sitting in a church pew does not constitute a relationship with God. It's a major first step. Visiting someone in their home is a major step toward spending time with them, but you could be sitting in someone's home everyday and not really relate to them. Build on your church attendance with daily prayer and scripture reading. Attend a bible study or Sunday school class. If we were trying to get to know someone we were attracted to and interested in, some of us would be borderline stalkers, showing up at every place we knew they would be. It's no different if we are really interested in having a relationship with God.
If you're in the middle of a storm or a difficult time in your life, just wait...there's more! There's more to the story of your life than the difficult chapter you're currently in. We have to remember not to place a period where God has placed a comma. All difficulties are followed by a comma, which means that everything that precedes the comma is only a prelude, not the grand finale.
God is the author and finisher of our faith. Whatever He begins, He finishes--and finishes well. Whatever God started in you, don't fight it, let Him finish it. And, remember, just because we think or want God to be finished with a chapter in our life doesn't mean that it is finished. So, just when we think things can't get any better or any worse, look for God to step in and say, "But wait....There's More!!!"
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
1 comment:
I needed that today. My lung cancer treatment is going well, but the damage to my voice may be permanent. That means no more preaching and probably no more teaching. But there IS more that I can and will do: people are already suggesting that I write for publication.
I particularly resonate with the piece about deriving more from Bible study. I have started to re-read the Bible, not by chapters but by pericopes, and to reflect on the meanings I see in my blog. It is liberating, too, not to have to arrive at an interpretation that is politically correct, but just let it happen as it happen!
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