My wife and I got to spend time with our family again this past week and weekend and it is sad to see them go back home. It was a great comfort to my wife to be around loved ones and it was a huge help to me. I needed some rest after working so long and hard on the website and video while dealing with my ailing wife and the dangerous times of her coming to the very brink of going to heaven. They cooked, cleaned dishes, washed clothes, ran errands, and so forth while I laid on the couch and slept.
So today I’m much more rested and refreshed and ready to begin anew to enter yet another battle with satan. Over the weekend I received some encouragement from a pastor friend in Africa concerning the new Jesus Alliance website and video. He talked about how the people in his church service Sunday sat “dazed” as they received grace from the Holy Spirit as they viewed the site and its various videos and how many of them signed up for the Jesus Alliance right then and there. Then he wrote:
“After watching it from the screen, I shared a short word on ‘receiving double grace from JESUS’. After, we spent some time to pray and the room was charged with the Sprit and grace of Jesus, and to GOD BE ALL THE GLORY.
Several people gave their lives to Christ today. TO JESUS BE ALL THE GLORY
Love you from Ghana
Daniel”
Hmmm . . . Several people on this side of the pond have remarked how long the video is, that it is too general in nature, that it is boring, it doesn’t have a “hook”, its purpose was unclear, it doesn’t address this and that, and there were even predictions that no one would watch future videos. It was fairly discouraging and even though I’m a great believer in constructive criticism and I think things get better because of it, some of the sniping began to grate on my nerves a little.
Fortunately I’m also a believer in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Having written Words for the Day for nearly 17 years now I’m used to both the cheerleaders and boo birds. I think people are sincere in both. One day I’ll write something that greatly appeals to one person and they will write and tell me that whatever I happened to write about that day was just what they needed to hear, and the next person will write and tell me that the very same entry was garbage. The next day the reverse will occur.
I’ve come to believe that it truly is impossible to make all the people happy all of the time. Personally I think the best approach is to try our utmost to make God happy all of the time and not worry about individuals. He is the reason that I labor and it is He that I hope to please with my hard work. I’m not interested in trying to stroke my ego and I definitely am not being paid to serve the Lord. I serve at His pleasure because I love Jesus and I have a burden for those who don’t know Him. I know that unless they receive Him they will never be capable of enjoying His peace, joy, and love.
I realize that satan will try to discourage me with various naysayers, but hearing that there are those moved by the Holy Spirit in part because I helped to plant a seed is enough encouragement for me to weather any attacks.
I urge you not to be discouraged if you attempt to do something for the Lord. Yes by all means try to keep improving and looking for ways to reach more and more people with better and better, more powerful, evocative messages of God’s love, but if the attendance is low, participation is all but non-existent, and you want to throw up your hands and say, “What’s the use?” Just remember that if even one person receives Jesus and escapes an eternity filled with separation from God, it shall have all been worth it.
It is said that Noah preached for 120 years without a single convert. He was a man of great faith, but he was human and I have no doubt that he was discouraged that none of his counterparts listened. Nonetheless he kept building the ark all the while they made fun of him. He listened to God instead of the naysayers and just imagine where we would all be if he would have given up and quit.
Selah
Hebrew 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us
September 7, 2015 – Click here to listen