a drop of water

A Message by Jamie Wilson @ Coast Vineyard on September 7, 2008 from Revelation 3:7-13 (To the Church in Philadelphia)

Jamie gave some background at the church in Philadelphia, that it was a community that was worn out and tired and in need of encouragement.  Located in modern day Turkey, on the road from Rome to India, they knew what it was like to experience rejection.  As Rome increased their persecution of Christians, the Jews began to shun and kick out the Christians from their synagogues in an effort to differentiate themselves from the Roman targets).  Despite their perseverance and patience, the community in Philadelphia had little success to hold onto.

Jamie went on to elaborate the visual idea of God opening doors of opportunity in our lives.  Two points stood out to me, 1. An open door doesn’t mean there won’t be opposition, obstacles and challenges to overcome; we should not be surprised but should expect that stepping into a God-opportunity will include a need for his supernatural help to get through it, and 2. We discover more of our identity as we step into God’s invitation.

These two ideas are very encouraging (to put in courage) to me.  So many times I filter out all the opportunities in front of me in my search for the opportunity that God wants me to move towards by looking at only those which seemingly have little to no obstacle, challenge, etc.  I associate the easy path with the opportunity that God has for me.  When there is no easy path (more often than not), I interpret that as God not giving me any opportunities.  But that is not the truth.  The truth is that God will often call me into an opportunity that he has provided for me with obstacles and challenges that will shape, mold and grow me into someone he can better use to others.

Regarding the second point, so many times I want to be given my identity, my calling, my destination before I take any steps in any direction.  I want to know all the test questions upfront so I can study for them before I take the actual test.  I guess its part of my need for control, to know not only where I am headed, but the final destination per se, before I leave.  But the biblical picture is of God calling us to take steps towards him, in failure and success, all the while unfolding our God given identities and callings.