Monday, 8/5/19 – Pressing on…

Designer Undesirables

In his message yesterday morning Elder Don Longworth mentioned a poorly promoted yet surprisingly delicious cold noodle dish he had discovered at the Fredericton Northside Market. It looked like a thing of no account. There was nothing in its marketing or its appearance to cause a person to desire it. Many who did not know the dish most likely passed it by as undesirable.

Isaiah reminds us that in a similar way many pass by Jesus:

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” (Isa 53:3)

Yet Christ was not this way by misfortune, not by bad luck. No, He was this way by design. When “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), the Word carefully determined just what sort of flesh that would be… where and when He would dwell.

“…when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son…” (Gal. 4:4).

And the same is true of you! — When Paul preached to the Athenians he said God “From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” (Acts 17:26). He determined to appear among us Himself as a very ordinary man in order to do extraordinary things… and to demonstrate to us ordinary people just what God can do through you and I as well. In fact He said, “…they [you and I too] will do even greater things…” (John 14:12).

The stunning reality is this: you are who and where and when you are by God’s divine design. What remains is for you to be brave… to surrender to that still, small voice, or strengthening conviction to do the thing that God is asking you to do.

It may be a very small thing, but if God is in it it is sure to become an extraordinary thing (see Acts 5:39). You may see the extraordinary end of it, or you may not. As Don said about our prayers for revival. Whether we see revival in our day or not our prayers are like seeds and are mighty. The seed of some giant redwoods today were first dropped in the soil before the shepherds followed that mysterious star.

What extraordinary thing will you allow God to do through you this week?

More tomorrow…

To hear Don Longworth’s complete message, go to the Lincoln Baptist Church website and look under ‘Media’ for the Aug. 4 message.