Coming To An End!

My volunteer time at my local hospital came to an end today. Not because I wanted it to, but because I have been offered a full time job. I will be working full time Monday thru Friday. It is kind of bitter sweet for me. Praise the Lord that I have a full time job for the first time in over twenty months. I am very sad to be leaving the hospital. It had been very rewarding to me in so many ways. I have no doubt that God had me there for a reason. To shine His light among the many visitors and patients that I came in contact with. Hopefully I was a blessing to someone else. I tried my best to work hard for Jesus. Spread the Gospel, and talk about Him with others. Praise the Lord that I was able to talk about Him in public at a public place. I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)

My favorite part of volunteering there was taking the cardio-rehab patients up to the rehab center. What a joyful, fun bunch of people. They were like a family. It's only fitting that my final act as a volunteer, was to take a wheel chair up to rehab and give a patient a ride down.

I worked with the best group of people. The way that we all got along was incredible. From the older volunteers all the way down to the younger ones. Our diverse backgrounds didn't hinder our performance at all. We all got along famously. I am going to miss the people there. The camaraderie. Sharing our stories. Getting to know one another.

Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people

Clearing Your Temple!

Nehemiah 13:⁷ When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib’s evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God. ⁸ I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room. ⁹ Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God’s Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense. (NLT)

I read this verse in Nehemiah the other day and it got me to thinking. What do I need to clean out of the rooms of my storehouse? My body is God's temple, and I consider my mind as His storehouse. What did I need to clear out to make room for Jesus? All the negative thoughts and doubts obviously had to go. I wanted to start being an upbeat, positive person. Instead of tearing people down, I wanted to encourage them. All the hurts and pain that occupied my thoughts. I still remember things that were said to me back in grade school. Even middle school, that cut me deeply. I needed to remove them to make room for the love of Jesus. It is still a work in process. I don't think that it will ever really be complete until I meet Jesus face to face. Like the song says "there will be a day, no more pain, no more suffering."

2 Corinthians 5:¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!(NLT)

I am trying to shake off, get rid of old things that I used to hang on to. I want to be a new person in Jesus. I want to live for Him and not things of the world. It is hard to let go of worldly things that I have held onto for so many years. Piece by piece, Jesus is knocking these things off of me. Removing things from my mind (storehouse), making me a new creation in Christ. Here I am Jesus, use me. Fill me with more of You and less of me. Praise the LORD!!

Would We Really?

Had a challenge issued last night at church, when taken at face value I did not think that we would have a problem with. Upon deeper thought,

Would we really......

Would we really welcome those that are considered less desirable by society? You know the type, tatoo's all over their bodies. Long hair, unkept beards. Dirty or worn out clothes. Smells of b/o or worse. Would we really wrap our arms around them, embrace them and welcome them in. Would we put our best foot forward and go  up to them and introduce ourselves. Or, would we turn and go a different direction? Avoid them all together? Hmmmmm, interesting, to say the least. I would love to think that our church would welcome them with open arms. Come on in and have a seat. Great the congregation, be friendly with each other. Great to see you, glad that you are here. You are welcome anytime, this is a safe place.

I believe that GOD is working on this very thing with me right now. I never thought that I was that way, until last night. I felt very convicted of what I was like in my past. Even up to the past year or so. I believe that GOD has placed me at the hospital and at the front desk for this very reason. My job at the front desk is to great every single person that comes through that door, no matter what race, size, shape, male, female, three piece suit or holes in their clothes.All are to be greeted the same. I'll have to be honest. This really humbled me. There are people that I greet, that a year ago I would not have given the time of day to. I would have avoided them at all cost. Cross to the other side of the street. Turn around and go a different direction. GOD is teaching me by saying "How is that showing the love of Jesus?" You are supposed to be a Christian, a GODLY man. He showed me that I was being a hypocrite. OUCH!! His work is not completed in me yet, but I am much better off now than a year ago. Praise GOD!

1 John 3:¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹ Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. ²⁰ Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.
 ²¹ Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. ²² And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
 ²³ And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. ²⁴ Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. (NLT)