Today is my birthday. I’m 39, and no, I’m not holding. I’m proud of each year’s milestone.
This was the view when I walked out of the house:
Not a cloud in the sky…such a difference from the last three days of dark, rainy gloom.
Although it’s a chilly 63 degrees, I couldn’t help but be filled with the joy that is supposed to be a part of “my” day.
Chicky and I went to church. There were quite a few empty seats because of Spring Break. There were people missing from the praise team as well. However, the worship leader was one of my favorites. He did a fantastic job! God was surely in that place as we lifted our voices to Him.
The songs were especially meaningful to me given the rough few days I had last week. Here’s one of the songs we sang:
Aaron Shust – My Savior My God
From the album Anything Worth Saying
I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior
I take Him at His word and deed
Christ died to save me; this I read
And in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my savior
That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior
Chorus
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior’s always there for me
My God: He was, my God; He is
My God is always gonna be
Yes, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring;
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior
That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior
Chorus:
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
The sermon that followed was quite powerful. It was taken from 1 Corinthians 20-31 and focused on how God uses the weak to serve Him. My pastor used the example of David and Goliath to illustrate his point. Most people have heard the story, but if you haven’t, I invite you to open a Bible and read about it in 1 Samuel 17. The pastor also told a story about a young man at a college who was moved to repentance…not by an Olympic weight lifter who won the gold medal who was serving the Lord, but by a man, crippled during the Vietnam War and wheelchair-bound, whose face reflected a peace in his knowledge of God.
The weak, not the strong, was used to move the young man to repentance.
I often feel like the weaker person when gathered with others. I lack confidence in social situations and now, with my uncertain employment, am beginning to doubt myself there as well. Even in my weakness, God will use me to glorify Him. There is such joy in that.
One of the most inspiring moments during the sermon came when this gentleman…certainly not a spring chicken…declared that each morning when he gets up, he is excited and curious about how God will use him that day. I wonder…do I wake up with that attitude? To be an instrument of God, one only needs to be clean (Jesus washes away our sins) and available. Perhaps my job loss is making me available to hear God’s voice…His will for my life.
Things to ponder…
Rooster called me after I had gotten home from church. He’s away with the church youth group…on a mission to fix up the facility where they will go for summer camp. The group is going to Atlanta tomorrow (Monday) to play WhirlyBall. Just the fact that he remembered to call me meant the world to me.
I don’t know what I’m doing the rest of the day…taking it easy, working on the sock that hasn’t seen any action since early last week (understandable but still sad).
Another year older. I’d like to think another year wiser, but I’m not so sure. Perhaps just another year as thankful. Thankful for last year’s blessings. Thankful for each new day and the potential to be used by God.
Filed under: Christian | Tagged: Aaron Shust, Christianity, church, My Savior My God | 4 Comments »
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