Christ is Worth it all! Even the paperwork

This is the time that some of my friends that have planted churches told me to beware of. It is a time where Michelle and I fill out every piece of paperwork that church planters must fill out. Some of this is to assess if we will be successful in church planting and some of it is for funding. I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed yesterday after a day of typing and talking about church planting. However, the Lord is good to remind me that it is His plan that I am part of and that I am to be faithful to what He asking us to do. This morning I awoke with a joyful heart toward the work that needs to be done. The cool thing I have seen is that there is absolutely no guarantee that Michelle and I will go through this process without trials and troubles, but it is worth it. That is the thought I have come to this morning, all of this is worth Jesus! I hate admin stuff and would rather just go interview with people and get this over with, however Jesus is worth every bit of paperwork and time that I spend in administrative things. My quiet time was spent in Acts 19-20 this morning. Paul had to deal with trouble every time he began to preach Jesus crucified and risen, so how can I not expect my flesh to rise against the preparation to preach Jesus crucified and risen. I am battling myself on this one! Dr. John Piper puts it best when he proclaims that there is "so little war" against our flesh. I see this as putting down the old flesh and picking up the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that bigger trials are awaiting us and that this is just the beginning of a long fight, but again, Christ Jesus is worth it. Pray for my diligence and that I will continue to find joy in this process. The enemy has tried to bring the fear of being in Hawaii without any support to my mind many times. I have responded with reminding him that God is worth even my failing! In the words of the great modern poet Lecrae

      "in the times of the good, the times of the bad, or anytime that I had it all I will be glad!, I will boast in the cross, I will boast in His name, I will boast in His sunshine, boast in rain!"

Getting ready for the fight of my life!

Pastor Shawn

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