Friday, February 17, 2006

I wonder.....


I was reading in Matthew the other day, and pondering on the man Joseph who built Jesus tomb. My thoughts just kind of got away from me when I read this part,"and he placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock" Matt 27:60 I think that the reason it struck me so deeply is because I have been reading the recent Max Lucado book, Cure For the Common Life. In this book it states that we are all created for a special purpose, given gifts, and talents for a unique task, and that when we find out what that is we find our "sweet spot" in life. Nothing really new that I didn't already know in this book but awesome stories of how some people have come to find out what that sweet spot is.
Well, anyway back to Matthew. As I was reading this verse I was thinking,' I wonder when Joseph was cutting away at this rock , day after day, coming home with bloody knuckles, I wonder if he ever thought in a million years that this stone would hold humanities most precious gift and witness the greatest miracle of all time'. The bible says that Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus, rich, prominent member of council, waiting for the kingdom of God, bold, a good and upright man, a friend to Nicodemus, and that he didn't concent to crucify Christ. That is all the bible states about this man. So I am sure that as he worked on this stone he was thinking that it would make a suitable place for his body and maybe that of his loved ones, but I know he never imagined that thousands of years later people would travel from all over to come and see his workmanship.
Another story that I would like to share is from the Max Lucado book , a riveting story from a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, "As the waters rose around his house , this New Orleanian swam out a window. With two children clinging to his back, the man found safe refuge atop the tallest building in the neighborhood. Other people joined him on the roof. Soon a small circle of people huddled together on what would be their home for three days until they were rescued. After an hour on the building, the man realized he was on a church. He patted the rooftop and announced to the others, "We are on holy ground." His news jogged the memory of another roof dweller. She looked around at the area, crawled over to the steeple, hugged it, and proclaimed, "My grandfather and grandmother helped build this church!"
Do you think those grandparents ever imagined God would use thier work to save thier granddaughter?? They surely prayed for God to use that building to save souls... but they couldn't have imagined he would use it to save thier grandchild from a hurricane. They had no idea how God would use the work of thier hands. Nor do you. "
I am encouraged to know that no matter how small or large the task at hand God has designed each of us for a special purpose. Do you wonder if your work makes a difference? If your life is making a difference??
One final encouraging note from this book "God inhabits the tiny seed, empowers the tiny deed. He cures the common life by giving no common life, by offering no common gifts. "
What a treasure that lies within each of us when we are willing to just be a vessel for God to accomplish His plans and purposes in and through.
I wonder if you all know that God is moving in and through you. I wonder if you know that we serve the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

4 comments:

digapigmy said...

what a great post. it's funny how little things can make different people's minds wander a bit. very encouraging stuff.

Dennis Clifton said...

...it seems we're always running too fast through this life, never stopping for a moment to consider the effects of what we're saying or doing right now, and how our words/deeds reach out beyond us into our children's (and other's) lives. thank you noel for sharing this...

digapigmy said...

that's exactly why i'm always the last one back on sunday, den. i don't believe in running too fast . . .
:)

sabu said...

thank-you, noel

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