"And Jesus
answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do
not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you
say to the mountain 'be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen". (Matt. 21:21).
Hey Gang: Did
you ever read something and then have it rattle around in your head? I
have often read the Scripture verse for today and wondered if Jesus was talking
in the literal sense. One of my very favorite places on this earth is the
Teton Mountains. There are no words that can describe the awesomeness of
the Grand Teton Mountain. And, as I think of standing at the foot of that
awesome sight, there is no way I can visualize my having enough faith to say,
"mountain be gone into the sea!"
So I began to do
some research to find a profound story that would certainly qualify as a ‘moving
a mountain experience’. I believed the parting of the sea, Jonah's ride
in the whale, Elijah's confrontation and victory over the prophets of Baal
could be classified as "mountain moving experiences". But the
one that kind of caught my eye was a story of Caleb, found in Joshua
14:12. Perhaps because Caleb was 85 years old when he requested
that Joshua award him a mountain, and I am starting up that eighty decade.
He was probably the
oldest of the surviving wondering nomads of the Wilderness of Zin, yet
his faith and courage in a great God was vibrant and alive. In fact, so great was
his faith, that he asked Joshua to give him the cities of the mountains - the
great and fenced (walled cities) where the enemies lived. He was willing to lay
down his life for his fellow travelers - to be the first one to step out into
the unknown future to face the enemy head on. Truly, it was a mountain
moving experience when he said, "If so the Lord
be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said." (14:12c).
As I read this verse, and then reread it again and again, the
Lord seemed to be saying to me "Hey, hillbilly, when will the people who
have been called by My name step forward and say, "If so the Lord be with me, then I shall be able
to drive them out, as the Lord said". There is no question that the most depressing part of my day is
listening to the evening news (which I do less and less frequently). My
question is, "Where is the church? Where are God's warriors who cry out, "If so the Lord be with me, then I shall be able to drive
them out"?
Is there any doubt in your mind that Satan is in his al-out-attack
mode and making inroads into the church by convincing us the practice of
self-denial and submission is outdated and no longer needed? To
that I ask, "Is our Lord God still not greater in His children than he
that is in the world? We need to say, "be gone evil one!."
Soooo, my young
friends ,yes, the dark clouds are gathering but, we serve a mighty-awesome God
who developed His plan for His creation even before time began. And this we know, He will never leave His
children or forsake them. Are you excited this morning? If not, let
me share a fabulous piece of news - one of these days, and I believe soon,
"Heaven is going to open and a
white horse will appear and He who sits on it will be called Faithful and
True:...And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS".
Blessings,
Gramps
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