Called Out

As a part of the 10-4-10 Challenge at Indian Creek Community Church, I'm re-entering the world of the blog (hopefully to stay). I'm going to share what it is that God is teaching me and how He's stretching me.

This past weekend I shared how God has a life of spiritual adventure for each of us. I spent quite a bit of time unpacking the adventure filled life of Joseph found in Genesis 37-45. I told the story and then made a couple of observations.

The first observation that I made was: Joseph Never Gave Up.

Honestly, I'm pretty astounded by this. By all rights, Joseph should have given up. Seriously, the dude couldn't catch a break! First, his brothers hated him. Then, they beat him and sold him into slavery. Then, Potiphar's wife fabricated a story against him resulted in an extended stay in jail. And just when it seemed as though a trip out of jail was in order, the cupbearer completely forgot about the guy who had his back.

Have you ever met someone that just couldn't catch a break? That was Joseph.

But, Joseph didn't throw up his hands and quit at the first sign of adversity. (Or the second. Or the third, for that matter.) He TOTALLY could have, but he didn't. He could have quit. He could have turned to God and said, "Forget you! I'm taking matters into my own hands! Following you has NOT gotten me what I wanted!"

But, I got to thinking, in the end, things turned out just like God had promised him. The dream that Joseph had as a kid came to be, just not like he thought it would be.

What if the only path to the dream that God has for you is one filled with challenges and trials to go along with the thrills and celebrations?

I think we have a tendency to want to give up when things get hard. We dream of a life where things only succeed, where it all goes up and to the right. But, that's not really how it goes is it?

Sometimes, we have tremendous dreams about what could be. And sometimes those dreams are about things that would give honor and glory to God. And sometimes, those dreams don't turn out like we thought they would.

You know, just because it hasn't gone like you thought it would go, does NOT mean that you are a failure!

Once upon a time, God gave you a dream. It may not be going like you planned for it to go . . . don't give up.

Don't lose hope! Don't settle for a lesser dream! Don't jump overboard when things get rough.

Sometimes, the only way to that peak is through the valley.

Can I be honest for a moment?

Those words aren't just for you, they're also for me.

In April, we launched the Gardner Campus of Indian Creek Community Church. And within me was a dream. A dream to see a movement of grace and compassion explode in front of us. A dream to see hundreds of people find their way back to God. I believe God gave me the dream.

Here we sit, a couple of months later, and it hasn't happend like that . . . yet.

But, the dream . . . the dream is still alive. I believe as much today as I have ever believed that the passionate desire of God is to unleash a movement of grace and compassion. I believe with all of my heart that He is working in silent and mysterious ways. I believe countless seeds of love are being sown deep within the heart.

When I prepared those words to share this past weekend, God simply reached down and tapped me on the shoulder.

Ben, those words are for you. Don't give up. I am still very much at work here.

This morning, I heard those comforting words again as I spent some time in the book of Romans. Take a look at the words of Romans 8:31-39

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us
right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have
trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say,

“For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.