Minister-at-large
Good Morning Friends,
This morning at Moorings we have a guest Minister, Dr. John Huffman. He has witnesses a lot of changes in his 75 years and met a lot of interesting people. Following his service in several local churches he has taken on a worthy goal and now serves wherever he might be with the skills developed over many years. He, as I understand it, works outside the box of the local church and seeks to do the will of God daily wherever he might be. He is on an ongoing missionary journey following Christ so I imagine he might preach on scripture like that below that mirrors so much of our lives but also his. He lists his position as Minister-at-large
Scripture: Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:7-14 (NRSV)
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Psalm 23 (NRSV)
Message: Friends, there is a process at work reflected in today’s scripture that is worthy of your consideration. Dr. Huffman pointed them out last Sunday at First Church Bonita Springs. He first noted that Paul admits that he is not perfect and we need to as well. There is a sickness in thinking ourselves weak but also one in thinking ourselves strong. Secondly he points out that we are to learn to live life forward forgetting the past by remembering it and prioritizing it and getting rid of the baggage at the foot of the Cross. Here at the foot of the cross we are to embrace the grace of God. Thirdly we are to have a worthy life goal and be guided by God following it with great faith. Finally once we have gone through this process we are to go for broke believing that goodness and mercy will follow if we are on the right paths…believing that in Christ we can rejoice in all things.
Pray we are forgiven of our prayers that do not honor God. Pray we seize the moment and live life to its fullest. Pray we do whatever we can wherever we are. Pray we set spiritual goals. Pray we not settle for less than the best. Pray we know more satisfaction with the Shepherd than anything else in life. Pray our desire to exploit life is turned into something of worth by God. Pray we have the right goals.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 