God and God Alone
It is funny how God deals with you at times. There I was speeding through last week with glee. Plans are in place to do the next thing in my life – and then right out of the blue God says, “Whoa, there Murray, let’s deal with this small issue.” I didn’t think I had an issue!
Have you ever had God stop you in your tracks when you least expect it and do something that you never even expected? Now it would be nice to have him do something that “feels good” – but this time, for me, it brought up a not so good thing.
On Saturday my wife and I were driving around our community looking at stuff. That is another way for me to describe shopping. We go into one store and then another – and so on.
One store is a place where there are antiques and old stuff – just a fun place to be in. It was there that God said the “Whoa..”
A man that I have had some considerable dealings with walked in to the same place of business. He was shopping also. It has been months since I last saw him – but there he was in all his ‘realness’! This man has been a royal pain at times. He has cheated, lied and done some bad stuff – all the time acting spiritual… then he hurt someone that I know very well. Yes – he is a strong Christian too.
After one or two terrible things that he did I was so disgusted that I simply wrote him off. But I was still connected to him by a piece of machine shop equipment that he owned – and that I had promised to store in my garage for him. It has been there for over three years now – and every time I look at it reminds me again of what he did and who he hurt with his terrible attitude.
On Saturday when we ‘bumped into each other’ at the store we were in – he asked me if his equipment was still in my garage… and if he could get it now. I stammered yes – but said it would be about three months before he could get it – as I was very busy now. Then I stated that there was an issue of three years of rent on the storage space… yadda yadda yadda. He gave me his telephone number and left. What do I do now? The old frustration for this guy bounced right back to the surface. Yikes I am not healed of this stuff from the past!
As we drove back into the city we came to Home Depot. I knew that they might carry something to replace the thing that this man owned and that I had been using this thing for... for the past three years. We pulled in and made the purchase – went home and in about four hours I had extracted his machine from the garage and placed it outside. It was done – not in three months but rather about 6 hours since I spoke with him.
It was at that moment that I realized a new healing again. The old anger and frustration was evaporating and was being replaced by a peace. I was free. Today the man came to my house to see about moving his machine to his place. We smiled and shook hands and he said, “Thanks so much Murray for doing this for me.” I smiled back genuinely and meant it.
He hasn’t changed much from what I saw. That is God’s problem anyway – not mine. But I changed and that is what matters to me. I am free now of the pain in the neck and the sight of the stuff that reminded me of what had happened.
God wanted me free too. What a defining moment that has been – complete Freedom from the past. Wow!
Then tonight at church my partner, Pastor Tim Taylor, was used by God to complete the final process. We were talking about music and a special song that touched all of us. The words are copied in below.
What happened…? Through God and the words and Pastor Tim the proper perspective came to what was happening to me. It is complicated to write about but wonderful to live through.
Are you dealing with the stuff of the past? Maybe something has weighed you down too. God is great at sorting it out – give him a try. The part that is specially important – Listen for the “Whoa…”.
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
God and God Alone
God and God alone
Have you ever had God stop you in your tracks when you least expect it and do something that you never even expected? Now it would be nice to have him do something that “feels good” – but this time, for me, it brought up a not so good thing.
On Saturday my wife and I were driving around our community looking at stuff. That is another way for me to describe shopping. We go into one store and then another – and so on.
One store is a place where there are antiques and old stuff – just a fun place to be in. It was there that God said the “Whoa..”
A man that I have had some considerable dealings with walked in to the same place of business. He was shopping also. It has been months since I last saw him – but there he was in all his ‘realness’! This man has been a royal pain at times. He has cheated, lied and done some bad stuff – all the time acting spiritual… then he hurt someone that I know very well. Yes – he is a strong Christian too.
After one or two terrible things that he did I was so disgusted that I simply wrote him off. But I was still connected to him by a piece of machine shop equipment that he owned – and that I had promised to store in my garage for him. It has been there for over three years now – and every time I look at it reminds me again of what he did and who he hurt with his terrible attitude.
On Saturday when we ‘bumped into each other’ at the store we were in – he asked me if his equipment was still in my garage… and if he could get it now. I stammered yes – but said it would be about three months before he could get it – as I was very busy now. Then I stated that there was an issue of three years of rent on the storage space… yadda yadda yadda. He gave me his telephone number and left. What do I do now? The old frustration for this guy bounced right back to the surface. Yikes I am not healed of this stuff from the past!As we drove back into the city we came to Home Depot. I knew that they might carry something to replace the thing that this man owned and that I had been using this thing for... for the past three years. We pulled in and made the purchase – went home and in about four hours I had extracted his machine from the garage and placed it outside. It was done – not in three months but rather about 6 hours since I spoke with him.
It was at that moment that I realized a new healing again. The old anger and frustration was evaporating and was being replaced by a peace. I was free. Today the man came to my house to see about moving his machine to his place. We smiled and shook hands and he said, “Thanks so much Murray for doing this for me.” I smiled back genuinely and meant it.
He hasn’t changed much from what I saw. That is God’s problem anyway – not mine. But I changed and that is what matters to me. I am free now of the pain in the neck and the sight of the stuff that reminded me of what had happened.
God wanted me free too. What a defining moment that has been – complete Freedom from the past. Wow!
Then tonight at church my partner, Pastor Tim Taylor, was used by God to complete the final process. We were talking about music and a special song that touched all of us. The words are copied in below.
What happened…? Through God and the words and Pastor Tim the proper perspective came to what was happening to me. It is complicated to write about but wonderful to live through.
Are you dealing with the stuff of the past? Maybe something has weighed you down too. God is great at sorting it out – give him a try. The part that is specially important – Listen for the “Whoa…”.
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
God and God Alone
God and God alone
Created all these things we call our own
From the might to the small
The glory in them all
Is God's and God's alone
God and God alone
Reveals the truth of all we call unknown
All the best and worst of man
Can't change the master plan
It's God's and God's alone
God and God alone
Is fit to take the universe's throne
Let everything that lives
Reserve its truest praise
For God and God alone
God and God alone
Will be the joy of our eternal home
He will be our one desire
Our hearts will never tire
Of God and God alone
Chorus..
God, and God alone, it fit to take the universe's throne.
Let everything that lives reserve
its truest praise for God and God alone
Words and Music by Phill McHugh
Copyright 1984 River Oaks Music Co. (BMI)
Sung by Steve Green…
Sung by Steve Green…
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Sunday, February 18, 2007
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home