There is More!

(06/28/17)

By Rev. Troy White

Dear brothers and sisters,

Do you remember your childhood dreams? We all had them. Don’t laugh, but I wanted to be a mountain man like Robert Redford in “Jeremiah Johnston”. Perhaps you wanted to be a famous actress and star in a movie? Or maybe a race car driver, out running your competition at the brickyard in Indy. Many of us wanted to be like our heroes, a courageous firefighter or police officer. Or it could have been a simple dream; to be like our tender grandmother or strong fathers. To be loving like our mothers. To raise a joy filled family in a white picket fenced house. We all had our childhood dreams.

I wonder what happened between then and now? Some of us actually achieved our dreams, or at least part of them. While a few of us never came close, as the Rocky Mountains were a bit too cold for me…. It does not matter where we currently stand. What’s important is that we now take a moment and hit the “pause” button of life. We should look around at our life. Take a critical inventory of the life we have at this moment of time. How much Love is surrounding us right now? Do we see the fruit of the Holy Spirit being displayed; Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

We should look beyond what is happening. Look beyond life’s mundane. Look beyond the jobs and child care. Look beyond the debt and bills. Look beyond the struggles and hardships. Look beyond our aging bodies and perhaps slowing minds. Do you see God’s Love, joy, and peace in the heart of your life?

These lives we get to live is the greatest of gifts. Second only to the eternal life to come with God himself. Yes, there is so much more to come in the future! But, there is also so much more to this precious gift of life from God. If we can look past the outside wrappings and reach deep down into this box of life, there is so much more to be had.

I know a secret, one that has been passed down from one Christian generation to the next. Have you ever heard a truth that is so simple that you consciously or subconsciously dismiss it? That you give it no weight at all. I believe that is what happens when the world hears the secret of surrendering to Jesus. Not just believing in Him, but living this most precious gift of life in a surrendering way that explores the possibility of MORE.

This gift of our life can be viewed as our chance of building a temple for God to dwell. That our living life itself is that Holy Ground. That our life is the place where we experience God. Not just church. It’s much more than that. Not just during our prayer times. It’s much more than that. Not just our mission trips or hospital visits. It’s much more than that. Not just the miracles and healing graces of God. It’s much more than that. This amazing gift of life is a simple culmination of all these things and so much more. It’s our life that we live that is the living body of Christ in action. The secret of course is love. Do we love Jesus enough to explore the possibility of MORE? Do we live a life to push the boundaries? Are we reaching deep down into the box of Life and embracing the truly amazing gift that God gave us?

You see, this life we have, the beautiful gift from God, is rarely unwrapped – even by true believers. We carry it on our shoulders like a heavy weight. Struggling through the sands of time, waiting for the glory days of heaven to come. But there is so much more to life than what we can ever imagine. The depth and richness of God’s love is waiting inside. Do we look at our life as a gift from God or a burden to drag around? Let’s take a deep breath, set the package down and open it. Within we will find peace, joy and Love. There will be a stronger faith calling out to us. We should give some serious thought to surrendering to God more and devoting our life to reaching deep within His precious gift.

Dear Lord, my heart craves more. So much more. I want to look past the things in my life and see the true gift you gave each of us. The true gift of life you gave to the Body of Christ. Please bless us to see past the surface and explore the depth of your Gracious and Holy gift of life. Please give us the strength to explore the possibility of MORE. Amen.