Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
How is your vision? By that, I am not referring to how well you see, but rather from what perspective you see things. Some people see the glass half-full, others see it half-empty.
Last Sunday we examined the ancient Church at Philadelphia and the message Christ had for it. In His message, Christ assured them that what He opens, no one can shut. Furthermore, He had placed an open door before this church. It was a door for ministry, specifically evangelism. Yet this was a church with “little strength”and they faced severe opposition. So, Christ wanted to encourage them to walk through this door, for He had opened it and no one could shut it. In other words, they did not have to be discouraged by their lack of strength or intimidated by their opponents.
It all came down to their vision, their perspective, their way of seeing things. They could see this opportunity from a strictly human perspective – their weakness and the strength of their opponents – or they could see it from the perspective of Christ, who has all authority and had opened this door for them.
How do you see the opportunities God places before you? They may be opportunities to share your faith, or teach Sunday School, or help with worship, or lead a Home Group, or reach out to someone in need, etc. Sometimes we look at the task and conclude we don’t have what it takes. And we may very well be right! But that is not an excuse, at least not if Christ has opened this door for us. As Christ said to the Apostle Paul (II Corinthians 12:9), “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
God will always call us to do things that are too big, too difficult, too challenging for us. But God doesn’t expect us to do this in our own strength or wisdom or ability. He wants us to rely on Him, for as we do, His power works through us to accomplish His work.
So how is your vision? Let us all try to see things from the perspective of the Risen Christ, who has all authority and opens doors no one can shut. And then, with confidence in Him, let us embrace all the opportunities He sets before us. For His glory!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob