Coffee With The Lord

It was obvious that my dear friend had something on his mind – something important he wanted to say to me… “Got a minute? We need to talk!” He said. And what followed stung a little… but the medicine was delivered with love… And it helped… I’m the better for it! It made me a better person! It really ended up deepening, not damaging, our relationship.

Who do you have like that who has spoken somewhere, somehow, something significant into your life… even if it hurt for awhile? Ever told them how much it helped? How much you appreciate them taking the risk?

That scene and situation came to mind this morning as I read these wonderful words from Proverbs…

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy… Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (from Proverbs 27:5–9 ESV)

Sometimes the words of a great worship song and what a passage of Scripture says just come together when you’re having devotions… That happened for me today…
I was reading the account of God’s covenant blessing upon King David… David had expressed a desire to “build a house” (a beautiful temple) for the Lord. The Lord had responded to the prophet, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you will build me a house to dwell in… I declare unto you that the Lord will build you a house!” (1 Chronicles 17:4 & 10) And between those two statements is a wonderful, awesome description of God’s covenant blessing, love and grace! (You really should read it in your Bible – It’s awesome!)
David’s response?
“And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant! … There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears! … And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken.” (from 1 Chronicles 17:16-27) David was blown away by God’s grace and goodness! He just sat down and offered prayer and praise!
I felt that way this morning when I thought about God’s blessing, grace and mercy upon my life! Oh yeah, the worship song that came to mind? Hillsong worship…
“When I Think about the Lord,
How He saved me, how He raised me,
How He filled me, with the Holy Ghost.
How He healed me, to the uttermost.
When I Think about the Lord,
How He picked me up and turned me around,
How He placed my feet on solid ground
It makes me wanna shout,
Hallelujah,
Thank you JESUS,
LORD, your worthy, of all the glory, and all the honor,
And all the praise…”

I have the privilege of attending a thriving church that is exploding with growth! The pastor is one of the finest preachers to be found anywhere, his wife is a sparkplug of energy and innovation, and each member of the pastoral staff is a gifted, deeply dedicated, contributor to the mission, vision and values of the ministry! Good eh?

But yesterday, walking into the auditorium filled with people for worship, I again was reminded of another big reason WHY the church that I attend is growing… Charles and Barbara, Gary and George, Don, Jim, Albert, Tom, Fred and Brenda, and many, many others, to numerous to mention (all three weekend services – serving all over the campus) that were greeting people and ministering in practical ways to make the church I attend a warm, caring, place of ministry to others… (and here’s a big part of the church’s success… they don’t just do it on Sunday – they do it for the Lord on other days of the week and in other places as well)! Kudos to them… I hold them all in high honor… don’t know what we’d do without them!! They’re as important to the ongoing growth of our church as… You guessed it – The pastor (and he’d tell you that)!

In fact, I read about that very principle and dynamic at work in the “Early Church” this morning in my devotions…

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem.” (Acts 6:1–7 ESV)