April 16
Josh 13:1-14:15 | PS 85:1-13 | Prov 13:7-8 | Luke 18:1-17
How we view this world and our place in this world determines how each day is approached. If we see this sea of godlessness that now surrounds us and how it seeks to change everything that we had planned for ourselves, despondency can easily set in. But if we see this same sea as lives that need to be conquered in the name of Jesus Christ then no matter our age, our life is filled with purpose and doesn't end until we breathe our last and get to be with Him. I consider myself blessed to be under the guidance of my pastor, Lloyd Pulley. I've only been a member of my church (Calvary Chapel Old Bridge) for a little over twelve years. The church has now been together for over 35 years. During this season it has grown tremendously. But rather than look to the past, he continues to look forward. It is not only about those lives that have been reached but about the lives that still need to be reached. So, the radio ministry has been extended to reach NYC. The Bridge Women's Center was launched to reach women who are contemplating abortion. Bridge Bible Talk, an interactive show, was begun in the middle of the shutdowns due to the virus. Though he is around my age, in our early sixties, it is not about what has been accomplished (past tense), but about looking forward to lives still need to be reached. Even one life reached in the name of Jesus Christ makes a mission worthwhile. We read in John 3:29, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. (NKJV)" It is never really about us, the bride, the friend of the bridegroom, but about Him, the Bridegroom. We are surrounded by so many that have yet to enter into a relationship with Him.
We read of two aging leaders in Israel, Joshua and Caleb. They had accomplished so much already, as they moved forward under the leadership of God. Certainly, this would seem like a time to kick up their feet and take it easy after a job well done. But the words in Matthew 25:21, "Well done, good and faithful servant", are not heard on earth, but in heaven when we are done. These men were still not done. We read in Joshua 13:1,6,: When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered...“I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you." Joshua was told there was still much for him to do. But he was told not to fear that, just as in the past, it would be God who was working through him. Caleb was a faithful spy back in Numbers 13. He was faithful all of those years from then until now. Rather than reminiscing about all that he had done, we read in Joshua 14:10-12, " “Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”
If we are in Christ, we all have a mission field and a ministry, no matter our age or position, whether we realize it or not. There is so much land that has yet to be conquered in the name of Jesus Christ. So many souls surround us, completely lost in this sea of godlessness. It is never about us, but about Him. We often will never know about that life that was reached, but again, that is okay, because it is not about us. Over seven years ago, this ministry, the One Year Bible Challenge/Plan began. Every day, I have the privilege of putting forth whatever it is that God gives me to say. I really have no idea who or how many have been reached or will be reached for Jesus. But that information is not necessary, for if even one life is reached that is more land conquered for Him. The same is true at work. For many years I have considered my role as a physician more of a ministry. I present the gospel message and share God's love to many of my patients, employees, and co-workers. In these short discussions I have no idea how many have taken to heart those seeds that I have planted. But again, it is not necessary for me to know, for even if only one life has been reached, it is worth it. How about you? It doesn't matter if you are young and still in school, middle-aged like Joshua and Caleb were when they started their journey out of Egypt, or older as these two men were in the story today. There is much land still to be conquered in the name of Jesus Christ. and we need to be faithful to move forward, knowing that it is God who empowers us.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: