I just returned from one of many beautiful walks along the lake with my very best friend. Tracy and I are blessed to live right next to Lake George, and today the water was like glass as it almost perfectly mirrored the abundance of Fall colors. The lush green pines and cedars, stunning yellow, orange and red maples, brown and rust colored oaks, bright green birch and aspens with their distinctive white bark. Once again, I am so amazed at our magnificent God and his extraordinary artistry skills.
Walking hand-in-hand down the winding path listening to the birds and the leaves crunching beneath our feet, we slipped off our shoes and wadded down the clean sand-rippled shoreline. The water was delightful. We saw fish jumping, seagulls, ducks, and geese, and even a bald eagle as it soared just above us at three top level. I’m seriously not making this stuff up ya-all, it was so awesome! Our God is so amazing! Yet, as much as I love to enjoy and take-in His astounding creation, I realized again today that I often take it for granted. Nature, after-all is God’s creation. What a wonderful reflection of His glory.
The last several months have come with huge changes in our lives. Exempting no one, our thoughts and conversations are flooded with topics such as: COVID, quarantine, masks, social distancing, social injustice, rioting, and more. As well, the political mudslinging is about to kick into high gear. How many of you have said, or at least thought “I just want things to get back to normal?” Yeah, I get it…I just want these negative experiences to go away too, but I wonder…what exactly is normal anyway?
If and when we do get back to “normal,” I wonder if we will have learned anything from these situations? One area I think we all can benefit from, is to observe our own negative words and attitudes. Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into the same stinking thinking rather than to reflect the nature of God. As with the beautiful scene Tracy and I experienced today, could it be that sometimes we take God’s blessings for granted? In II Cor. 2:15 the Bible says, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” What does that mean? It means we ought to smell like Jesus wherever we go, and whatever we are doing. Not just when we are in church or doing “spiritual things,” it means bringing that fragrance into our everyday activities to those who are being saved and those who are not.
There is no doubt some shaking going on all around us these days. Perhaps one of the biggest issues that is being shaken is racial injustice. More recently we have experienced killings, rioting, and public protesting. Racism is a problem we cannot ignore or run away from—we have to deal with it. Do I like the shaking? Of course not. But the truth is, that no matter where you live, and however you were raised, we are all susceptible to racism. If and when we have any form of it in our hearts, we cannot truly represent or become the fragrance of Jesus. Yes, we have come a long way from the days of slavery in our Nation, but we still have a very long way to go. It’s easy to say, “just get over it,” when you don’t even live and work in other people’s shoes.
Racism is a really big deal to God. The Bible clearly denounces it (see Duet 10:17-19, Acts 10:34-35, 1 Cor 12:13, James 2:9, Rev 7:9-10, Eph 2:14-18, Gal 3:28). In fact, racism was very prevalent between Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles when Jesus walked the earth. Racism was never God’s plan, in fact Jesus went out of His way to break down racial barriers. Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
Sometimes as Christians we can make a dirty list of sins (and I’m not excusing any of them), but I believe that what truly hurts the heart of God most is when we don’t reflect Jesus by loving our neighbor. When in fact, our neighbor may have a totally different skin color, they may not even speak our language. In fact, we might live next door to a Muslim or a Hindu or an Atheist…Jesus said, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31. And this was the second most important thing to understand about life…only second to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” 12:30. Friends, I don’t like what is going on in our country any more than you. I am a proud veteran who highly values honor and respect, but I also see the need to be shaken now more than ever…shaken to love people…even when they don’t look, act, or agree with us.
I believe with all my heart that God is desiring to pour out His Spirit upon our land in amazing proportions. Scripture is very clear that there is a river of God that flows from His throne, and that He truly desires to pour His blessings out from this river (see Ezekiel 47:1-12, Revelation 22:1-5). Scripture is also very clear that God wants to heal our land (see Joel 2:28, Isaiah 44:3, Acts 2:17). But friends, these blessings are also conditional. Conditional upon us…if and when we humble ourselves and seek His face (see 2 Chronicles 7:14, Acts 2:17). So where are we right now in the midst of this shaking? We are in the “if.” If we (Gods people) humble ourselves and truly seek Him. Let’s remember, God is after all ultimately after our hearts.
God spoke to me years ago about racism in our country. In a series of visions, He gave me a visual representation of which included the issue of racism. Racial discrimination was one of many boulders that have been damming-up the flow of God’s river of blessing unto us. These visions also revealed the largest lake that one could ever imagine which has formed as the result of the damming-up of Gods River. This is obviously unfortunate. But let me encourage you today. If we humble ourselves and turn to God—seeking His face and not His hand—we will be able to remove these boulders. Yes, and when we do, the flow of Gods Spirit will flow into our lives, our families, our churches, and into our land. I saw this in the Spirit. Imagine with me, the immense force that is currently being held back by this boulder dam and keeping us from this Lake of Blessing. To date we have only experienced times or periods of Gods outpouring. But if and when we turn to God there is coming an outpouring of Gods loving Spirit that is colossal and unprecedented!
God has given us all the freedom of choice. What do you say…are you in? Shall we together turn to Him, shall we humble ourselves and seek His face? If so, I believe we will begin to see the River of God very, very soon. Let’s remind ourselves of the goodness of God and His blessings. Let’s seek Him together and watch with excitement and expectation of the glorious days to come.
Blessed by the Best,
Mark
See You in the River 