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Spring 2008 TEACHable Moment DO NOT LET GOD CLOSE THE DOOR BECAUSE OF YOU At first I had no idea why it was taking me so long to write the first A TEACHable Moment. I would write about fruit. I would review what we learned at the 2007 T.E.A.C.H. Ministries Conference. But, I was not at peace with the words on the paper. So I would start again and again. The writing would take so long that I became discouraged. I began to question as to whether I had heard from God to write A TEACHable Moment on a monthly basis. But then one night as I was traveling, God reminded me of something. That is A TEACHable Moment is not about reviewing what we did at the conference, but it is about taking us further in our study in “bearing fruit”. In other words, we must go BEYOND what we learned at the conference. God spoke to me through His Word in Psalm 111:1-3. Praise the LORD! The writer of this psalm lets us know that great are the works of the Lord and that they are studied by all who delight in them. We delight in the great works of the Lord and we must study them. When I read this psalm, I got a renewed excitement about A TEACHable Moment. Welcome to the first A TEACHable Moment – “Don’t Let God Close the Door Because of You”. For the first issue of A TEACHable Moment we will focus on the scripture Hosea 1:3 – 4. I am sure you are asking yourself. “What does this scripture have to do with an open door?” Let’s look at a summary of what is happening in these verses. Hosea’s message is to the nation of Israel, exposing their sins and warning them of coming judgment. There is also a message of hope for the future. But the unique thing about his message is that he had to live it himself before he could preach it to the people. The prophet had to experience deep agony in his own marriage because of the sins of his wife, but all of this was a divinely sent lesson to him and his people. God had opened a door for Hosea to preach to the people of Israel. We know that God opened this door because the Lord Himself told Hosea to go and take a wife of adultery (Hosea 1:2). Can you imagine how Hosea must have felt knowing that this woman he was going to marry was going to break his heart? Hosea’s wife bore him three children, then she left him to live with other men. Hosea’s heart was broken over her sin. Then God commanded the prophet to go find his wayward wife (Hosea 3:1–2). He had to buy his own wife back, bring her home, and assure her of his forgiveness and love. What if God opens this same type of door for you to walk through for ministry? Hosea had to live a message of spiritual adultery before he could preach it. Are we willing to live a message to the extent that Hosea did? Are we willing to let our life’s issues become our ministry? Are we willing to let the things that hurt us the most be those things that minister to others? So many times we wonder why we are in certain situations. There have been many times where I asked God “why?” But for each time I’ve asked, I never got an answer. It was not until I was through the situation and was ministering to someone else that I realized God’s purpose for my “going through” situation. Did I like all the rough situations I was in? Did I count it all joy to be in a trial that was testing my faith (James 1:2-3)? Did I enjoy “going through”? Of course not. No one really does. But each time, I learned to depend on God and my faith increased more and more. The walk to spiritual maturity is not an easy one. But the process is necessary to be able to walk through the open doors of ministry that God has for us. I learned that there is a reason for the issues in my life. So now when I am in the midst of “going through” I have learned that it is all a part of my walk to the open door He has prepared for me. Remember, our trials are really a blessing for someone else! Yes, the trial blesses us because it deepens our relationship with God. But when our trial becomes a testimony to minister to others, then the blessing goes BEYOND ourselves. As you minister to others remember that the best way for hurt people to be healed is for people who have been hurt to help heal them. God will open a door before us for effective service, but there are many who would not want us to walk through that door (1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12). We must not let ourselves be our own adversary. In the midst of our trials, we must know that our trials are for ministry. We must not get caught up in the trials of “going through”. But we must be able to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3-4). I will close with the question I asked earlier. That is, are we willing to let our life’s issues become our ministry? These life issues and our “going through” will help us to bear the fruit that God requires of us. They are also part of our preparation for walking through that open door!
STUDY TO SHOW OURSELVES APPROVED Write or type out each of these 17 verses. For each verse write what God is speaking to you through the scripture. As we are diligently seeking God through these verses, God will speak to us about our own current trials and tribulations.
REFLECTING ON OUR PERSONAL OPEN DOOR
THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART . . . Scripture Memory Verse
Each day allow God to take you BEYOND where you are today! |
