I read these quotes from Michael Fleming's Watermark Denver blog today, and I loved them so much that I had to share them here. No surprise here, though. Jim Elliot was a stud. Talk about a man filled with the Spirit.
“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me. “
“We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are “harmless,” and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are “sideliners” — coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!”
These quotes really speak to me right now. I'm inundated by stories of people I know drinking excessively and doing all sorts of goofy stuff and it just makes me sad. It really does. But I'm surrounded by it all the time and I freeze up and I don't ever say anything, rock the boat, or upset the status quo. And that bothers me. I see people so clearly missing the boat on Jesus and His abundant life (John 10:10), and yet I don't say anything.
I definitely do want to be someone who gets along with anyone, but I also don't want to be someone who hides the truth when others really need to hear it. My favorite verse about this is Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." Lord, let me never be a friend who is a willing party to someone's death (Proverbs 19:18) because I was unwilling to speak the Lord's wisdom into his/her life.
On a lighter note, I'm pumped that I'm feeling a little more like a Colorado resident now that I have finally purchased my first pair of ski pants. I always borrowed them before, but now I have my own! I needed them (as well as gloves and sunglasses) because a bunch of people from our Denver office are headed to Keystone for a day of skiing tomorrow morning!!! Early wake-up call (5:00am), but it's definitely worth it for a day of skiing, especially when the office is covering the cost of lift tickets! What a great idea for a "Community Meeting". See ya after I get off the slopes!
Reed
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