A Time for Building Up

A Time for Building Up

Good Morning Friends,

Never underestimate the power of small acts of love …of small acts of kindness. There is power in the plan of God whether we understand it or not. And in this Spirit we learn that God has begun a good work in us and will complete it. We will experience new changes, new challenges and the birth in us of God’s season. With this in mind we can find the hope of transformation and the happiness in A Time for Building Up.

Scripture: “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”

Zechariah 4:10 (NIV)

 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 
a time to be born and a time to die, 
a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
a time to kill and a time to heal, 
a time to tear down and a time to build, 
a time to weep and a time to laugh, 
a time to mourn and a time to dance, 
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 
a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 
a time to search and a time to give up, 
a time to keep and a time to throw away, 
a time to tear and a time to mend, 
a time to be silent and a time to speak, 
a time to love and a time to hate, 
a time for war and a time for peace. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

Message: Occasionally we all wonder if our efforts are making a difference. It is easy to grow discouraged thinking that our acts of kindness are insignificant. Many Americans suffer because they do not get a sense of the significance from their lives. People need to know that what they are doing counts. Pope Francis took a startling step forward this month to close the 500-year rift between Catholics and Protestants that was no small step and though our response to it might seem insignificant I do not think it is.

He made a spontaneous video for an old friend of his, Bishop Tony Palmer of the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches (CEEC). It was first shown to a large gathering of Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians in the United States. Yet not being Pentecostal nor Catholic I find myself caught up in the beauty of it. First of all it was a highly unusual thing to do. The Pope did something new for a friend…a brother in the faith. In the video, shown at a Kenneth Copeland conference in Fort Worth, Texas, the pope calls for unity between Catholics and Protestants. The pope told the American Protestants in Italian:

 “I am yearning that this separation comes to an end and gives us communion.

 “And let us pray to the Lord that He unites us all. Come on, we are brothers. Let’s give each other a spiritual hug and let God complete the work that he has begun. And this is a miracle; the miracle of unity has begun.”

Here is the link to the video:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B96TpbhG4vOhS1dOMU54SllMMFE/edit

Pray we realize that one of the main tasks of being Christian is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal. Pray that what we think is small may become great. Pray we serve a God of seasons measured through truth and revelation a fresh Word of His ways. Pray that we be one.
Pray that our faith give meaning to small acts of service. Pray that our faithfulness in small things leads to greater opportunities to glorify God. Pray that our service leads to more blessings that grow. Pray that we never underestimate the power of just one individual who God picked up and carried out of captivity…or just one individual who apart from God could do nothing but with God’s grace is more than adequate. Pray that God multiples the little….one child… one neighbor …one family… one church… one community at a time…one by one accomplishing His purposes. Pray we realize that beauty is diversity in unity.

Blessings,

John Lawson