I was preaching a message on love and the two trees in the garden this morning.
As I was speaking in the flow of the Spirit, these words came out...
Who are you to judge a man before he is dead? Not even God does that.
It was a word of wisdom that struck me as it was said. I had not thought of the phrase during preparations or pondered such conclusions, it just emerged in the flow. Such moments happen often in my preaching life...stones get lunched in the fray that have been discovered in a creek hours, weeks or years before. It reminds me of when David ran to meet Goliath and he stopped at a small stream and removed from the flowing waters, 5 smooth stones for his sling.
Reading, study, prayer, worship, living, loving, writing, conversation and listening are all part of filling the stream with stones. Those stones come handy when you need a rock to fell a giant. This morning I marveled at the moment when revelation and application kissed.
So much of the stuff I read on preaching, teaching and ministering the word seems so sterile to me, I don't relate. I have never seemed to fit into the pastoral/teacher mold..I often feel like David trying to wear Saul's armor. I can't do battle in it. Just give me a stream, a stone and a Divine moment to sling it and with a little luck, it seems to hit the target once in a while. It real amazes me.
2 comments:
Sort of on topic about judging a man, I guess (just trying to be sort of relevant) didn't know if you had seen this story about President Bush:
http://upload.truthorfiction.com/rumors/v/vincent.htm
Jason,
Thanks for the link. Cool testimony. The president's faith has always seemed genuine to me. I have always felt he was sincere in his desire to embrace and spread his religious values in an appropriate governmental way.
I do question some of his conclusions on other issues of faith like: economic priorities, debt, some issues of war, care for the poor and a few others too.
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