Some things are left as mysteries...

One thing about being a pastor is you get to be with people on their most joyful events. Weddings, births of babies, salvation's, healings etc. These are all times that are wonderful to share with people. Moments that impact you and they give such a sense of fulfilment like none other.

When Mrs. Dodie Osteen was at our church a few months ago she used this scripture...

The secret things belong to the Lord

Deut. 29:29

It so stood out to me. Why for some reason we as christians we feel as though we have to have the reasons of why behind everything that happens. It is as though that now that we are believers that we can now tell anyone and everything why things are happening in their life. No one ever calls for counseling to ask why they are falling in love and getting married. No one calls for counsel when the experience the joy of a new baby in their arms. The good things in life we never question. We grab hold of them as though they were always meant to be part of us.

Then there are the parts in life that just make no sense. Let me prelude this with I don't want to hear your "doctrine" or your "theology". If we all got real real we would say there are things that happen in life that don't make sense. They cut us to the very core of our being. We can't wrap our mind around the why and the why not.

These are the challenging parts of being a pastor. When the bad things in life happen the first question is always "why them" or "why me?" This my friends is hard. If all of us got real real in the world we would all say we have been that person on multiple occasions.

Today I found myself going about my daily life when I got some bad news about someone I knew. They were in a life or death situation. Tonight we found out that the outcome to that wasn't good. Everything in me darkened. Sadness loomed where I was. All of a sudden now the breaths I was taken were worth more money then what I have. I all of a sudden had so many questions of why.

Then in a moment I heard Mrs. Dodie Osteen say..."The secret things belong to the Lord. Sometimes we don't have the answers, and we don't have to. We just have to trust God and know one day we will understand."

How faithful God is to give me a word like that months ago that I can now draw upon while I sit on my couch and think about this person's life. That word is life to me right now. I know in the next few days we will be asked a lot of questions as to why this happened. What relief from pressure to know I am not required to give the answer. It isn't because God needed another angel (He has plenty after all He is God). It isn't because this person sinned (we all do don't we). I can just reply that the secret things really do belong to the Lord. This is one of those secret things.....

In a world that always has to have an answer to everything. It is nice to know that to somethings there are no answers. There are no words. There are no explinations. With that I can hang my heart my trust and my whole being upon the Lord and know that He knows the answers in this. I don't have to.

I hope this blessed you. It did me....

Chosen

Have you ever taken a moment to think that of all the people all across the world that could be doing what you are doing that God chose you? Maybe you are not like me, but many people didn't pick me. So often I was the one looked over but in Ephesians 1:4 (amp) says that God actually handpicked me out. I am the one that He picked. I didn't choose Him I was just responding to something that He had already done. I was just catching up to the place where He had been waiting for me all that time. I don't ever want to cease to be amazed that God wanted me. That He loves me right where I am and chose to put a label on me that says...Chosen. That means I am no suprise to God! He knew what he was getting and chose me anyway. That is something that will give you a confidence you have never known.

Every person in the Bible that did anything great for God first had to realize that they had been chosen. Joseph in a dream. David out in a field keeping some sheep. Abraham in a tent. Joshua out where no one even knew where they were God knew and showed up to let him know he was chosen. Rahab in her house before a city was destroyed. Mary at her house laying asleep in her bed when an angel showed up. Saul on the road going to murder some people. God has a way of showing up and putting a label on you of chosen. The moment that you realize that you are chosen is the moment that changes everything from that point forward. Ohhh if the world could only get that they are indeed chosen. That their life is so much more than the 8-5 work schedule. If you could grab hold of a vision that is larger than life that is bigger than where you are that vision would change everything that is now written of you from this point forward.

You see when God shows up you can't stay the same. When He marks you now all of a sudden the life that once seemed boring and just another day, becomes a day of unexplored potential.

Click here to find out how you are chosen