I have to be up in just a few hours to go to work, but I knew I needed to get this out there as soon as possible. It's detrimental to the advancement of said word, Bravery…AKA Courage.
Who needs courage?
We all do! This is an overwhelming process to say the least! I'm expected to raise HOW MUCH MONEY in HOW MUCH TIME?!?!
A task that seems unsurmountable…unobtainable…unreachable.
A task that overwhelms us with the reality that money is slim, but also that God is still in control and money is no object to Him.
But is it just about the money??
No way! It's about my faith as well.
It's shaken, not stirred. James Bond may prefer his martins this way, but I prefer straight up..No shaking or stirring…No ice…No chaser…I just need my faith to be served straight up!
You see the problem I've been having lately is that the wine has run out.
But Chuck…What does this mean????
Let's take a glimpse back at Jesus' first miracle.
SETTING: Back in the day at the wedding feast in Cana.
CHARACTERS: JESUS, MARY, SUSAN(Bride), Jared(Groom), NANCY(Groom's Mother-in-law), ANDREW, BARTHOLEMEW, JAMES 1, JAMES 2, JOHN, JUDAS, JUDE, MATTHEW, PETER, PHILLIP, SIMON, THOMAS
I see it going down like this…
*******(Music blaring) Party Rock is in the house tonight! Everybody just have a good time!*******
JUDAS: "Hey guys! I hate to interupt the party, but the wine is out!"
JAMES 1, JAMES 2: "WHAT?!"
ANDREW, JUDE, MATTHEW, PETER, PHILLIP, SIMON, THOMAS: **Whispering to each other that this is not good at all.**
BARTHOLEMEW: "Oh SNAP! Here she comes!"
NANCY(Groom's Mother-in-law): "JARED!!! HOW ON EARTH COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?! THE WINE IS OUT?!?!?! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!?!"
JARED(Groom): "I'm so sorry Nancy…erm…Mom."
SUSAN(Bride): "Momma, please don't start this…"
JARED: "I just knew I planned for enough people. I blame Judas! He's had far too much!"
MARY: "Jesus, please do something before this gets out of control."
JESUS: "But Mom…I'm just a guest. I have bigger fish to fry."
MARY: "Pretty please son. This is a catastrophe! The wine has run out!"
JESUS: "Okay…I'll do it. But just this once."
MARY: "Servants, please do as He says."
JESUS: "Take these six stone jars and fill them to the brim with water. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. I know what I'm doing."
***The servants took the stone jars, filled them with water and brought them to Jesus.***
JESUS: "Now fill up a glass and take it to the master of ceremonies."
***The servants did as they were asked and the master of ceremonies was astonished as was everyone else. The water had turned to wine!***
Wine was vital to celebrate this momentous occassion and was a symbol of God's blessing on their marriage. When the wine ran out, the party screeched to a halt. The DJ stopped the music, the guests stopped dancing, the wedding planner passed out…It was sheer pandamonium! Had God's blessing not been for this couple to be married?? Jesus had to step in and right this party foul that had gone so horribly wrong.
After having the servants gather the water, there were no magic tricks or magic words that turned the water into wine…it was simply the servants willingness to obey Jesus' commands to take some and serve it to the master of ceremonies. Willingness.
How often are we unwilling to trust God's commands and timing for our lives??
Maybe this is why the wine has run out and our lives come screeching to a halt as we suffer and moan with the feeling that God's blessings are no longer on our lives!!!!
Are your relationships not running as smoothly as they once did? The wine has run out!
Has your job become mundane and you feel worthless in your workplace? The wine has run out!!
Do you feel like no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to find pleasure in reading God's word or spending time in communication with God??? THE WINE HAS RUN OUT!!!
It's time to do something radical to change that! It's time for a human sacrifice!!!
DO WHAT?!?! Has Chuck lost his mind?!?!?
Not at all. We have to sacrifice our lives for Him. Our time, our talents, our families, our friends, our jobs, our EVERYTHING!!
If that means commiting to raising $15,500, getting a dozen needles jabbed into your arm for vaccines you can't even pronounce, living out of a backpack for almost an entire year, and living with complete strangers from completely different backgrounds with completely different personalities, then so be it!!!
The water for me has been sitting stagnant. It's starting to smell like the water that sits in a vase for months, with flowers that have not only shriveled up and died, but have mildewed and rot to the point that they are all mush and a concoction that resembles a mixture of vomit, feces, urine, and every kind of mold in the world is all but crawling out of the vase.
I need my water to be purified, purified again, and turned to wine again, before I lose it…
I need The World Race! I NEED to see that God can put $15,500 into my account when I feel it's far too big of a task! I NEED to have needles stuck in my arm so I can minister in these countries without fear of sickness! I NEED to live out of a backpack to learn to live with less so I can serve Him with more! I NEED to live with these "strangers" so we don't have to be strangers anymore and can learn to glorify God using all of our combined efforts and talents! I NEED IT ALL!!!
God has already begun the water purification process. I've seen Hime do it in others' lives, and even in my own life. I've just allowed myself to sit stagnant for far too long now and it's time for renewal again.
The World Race is God's way to turn my water into wine. I am more than willing to go where You send me. To say what You would have me to say. To grow how You would have me to grow.
All for His Glory!! Not mine!!!!
Has your wine run out??
If so….
What will you do to have your water turned into wine?
——————————————————SCRIPTURE REFERENCE————————————————————
John 2
Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
