Inside Perspective - November 2014
My Dear Family in Christ,
Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ!
Ronald Reagan once said: “Status quo, you know, that
is Latin for “the mess we’re in.“ The things that we do day in and day out
become very comfortable to us; we settle in to a routine quite unconsciously and
it becomes our norm. Once a pattern has developed it is often very hard to pry
ourselves out of it.
It is very easy and takes no effort to stay within the
status quo. I recall when I was first hired at the Greenhouse, we were given the
responsibility over a certain area of the grounds; indeed we were told by the
powers that be, "Stay in your area." The men that had been working there were
content with that; but I was not. Five men were already there and four of them
quite happily did nothing. I personally set about in my heart to make "our area"
as beautiful as possible. Over the next couple of years the Lord blessed
abundantly and "our area" was looking noticeably different. I thought, "To get
more area, I must first be faithful with the area that I have."
So, I took wood planks which I scavenged from the
dumpster, cut them accordingly, painted them and put them as borders around all
the beams and flower beds to give everything a more orderly look. It's funny
though, all the time I was working I was always looking out beyond "our area." I
found myself scouting new ground in a day-dreamy kind of way while I worked. I'd
think to myself, "Oh, look at that, I could put morning glories on that fence
and they would do great there. Then, I could split all the hostas and fill in
that area over there with them and their bloom would compliment the early bloom
of the Shasta daisies." It was my mindset and it continues to this day.
The mindset of my expansion plan is akin to the
doctrine of “Manifest Destiny”, which was a belief that it was the destiny of
the U.S. to expand its territory over the whole of North America, from “sea to
shining sea”. Of course, in my case, I have to bring the police in line with my
inclination because without their permission, I'm not going anywhere! So as soon
as I can get them in my camp, with their permission, I move to the next area. I
try to stay three areas ahead of them. While they are approving the newest one,
I am scouting out the next one ?. God has given me favor with custody, so that
no sooner do I have an area the way I want it, then I am on to the next one!
Here at the Greenhouse we name each area, so that when
we are talking over the daily chores that need to be done, we know which area we
are referring to. For instance, we started out with "Highway 51" and the
"British square." Then, we added the "Back-forty", which I filled with mums.
Next added was "Death-row," aptly named because that's where our resident hawk
kills all his pigeons. Every morning when we get to work it is full of bloody
feathers. The next addition was the "Shipyard", named after the pilings jutting
out of the ground there. I could go on and on about the "Ponderosa," the
"Band-room," the "Chapel," etc., but you get the picture. I am conquering the
prison one small flower bed at a time! I'm making a dark place beautiful a
little bit at a time, all by the grace of God.
It is written, "But ye shall receive power
when the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses unto Me both
in Jerusalem, and in Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the
earth" (Acts 1:8).
As believers in the Lord, it is also very easy to stay
within the status quo. The things that we do day in and day out become very
comfortable to us; we settle into them and they become our norm. Once a pattern
has been developed it is very hard to pry us out of it, but prying out is
exactly what we need. It is written, "Break up your fallow ground"
(Jer.4:3).
You have an area that God has put you in charge of.
It's your area. The devil wants you to "stay in your area" but God wants you to
make dark places beautiful. Adorn that which He has given you with the fragrance
of The Rose of Sharon and He will give you more. Once you have planted the
flowers of Heaven's gospel in the heart of one, move on to the next. God will
give you the increase.
Just because some people in your church may be
operating within the status quo does not mean that God will not bless your
effort. It's all about the mindset of the Christian's "Manifest Destiny" as he
works from "soul to shining soul." Always under the Holy Spirit's unction and in
His power you will see that your areas have names too. Move from your family, to
Sally and on to Joseph next door. Then, expand from the Johnson family to the
uttermost ends of your neighborhood! While you are sharing with Sally you should
already be scouting out Joseph in prayer.
Beloved, get out of your rut! Change your habits! Go
to a different supermarket, gas station, etc. Introduce yourself to people and
tell them about the living Christ, who they called a Friend of sinners.
We are coming upon a new year. Are you really aware of
the signs of the times? I hope so. Stand fast soldier, look up for your
redemption draws nigh. Extol the glories of the resurrection. Stay unspotted
from the world because God is looking for faithful men and women that He may
use.
Beloved, when Christ comes...
"WHAT WILL 'YOUR AREA' LOOK LIKE?"
JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP