The God who Establishes

Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established."  When we surrender our lives to God's control He guides us in conduct and thought.  The Christian walk is not the avoidance of sin but the active doing of good.  When we are doing good we will not be sinning.  There is no neutral position.

One of the things God emphatically showed me during my trip to Australia was the need to have my family established.  To do that I personally must be established by Christ upon His Word and walk in accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.  It is God's work, but I must be willing to allow God to work in me before He can work through me.  For a ministry to be successful in your home country or the foreign mission field, the family structure must not only be intact, but established.

Before I left for OZ, a large potted tree at Calvary Chapel El Cajon tipped over.  The pot stayed firm to the ground but the tree fell over, lifting the muddy root ball out of the pot.  Because there was a lot of dirt in the roots it did not immediately go into shock and it was decided we would attempt to transplant the tree.  One of the brothers remarked that the tree was possibly a picture of me and my family, being transplanted from one location to another.  The tree lives to this day and has fresh green leaves, though it hasn't grown much new wood.

It occurred to me that when a tree is transplanted, it will droop a little bit and go into shock.  You would not expect a transplanted tree to instantly start producing fruit or growing new boughs.  It should be expected that leaves would fall, a few branches would die and need to be pruned, and it would need to be staked to keep winds from knocking it over.  It is a similar picture to a family moving to minister in a foreign country.  It would be unrealistic to expect immediate fruit from such a venture, and there would need to be a support system in place to enable the tree to stand firm.

I am so blessed to have a supportive home church and care team with loving people who are enthusiastic in their prayers and encouragemnent.  This support system will be crucial in America but also in Australia.  It is the LORD who will establish us.  Life is more than food, clothing, and houses:  life is found only in Jesus Christ.  Without Him providing the life, all I could provide is religion powered by the flesh.  Less than one horsepower won't move you fast or far, and a work of the flesh is abominable in God's sight - as if we could do HIS work on our own!

Remember to commit your works to the LORD and your thoughts will be established.  Should cares and worry crowd out praise and worship of our Savior?  The church in Australia is largely like that fallen tree still in the pot.  It is not standing upright and is not established wholly upon the Word of God.  The condition of the church is Christ's responsibility and every Christian has a work to do in the church to edify, exhort, and strengthen that Body with the strength every joint supplies.  Do you realize God has a great work for you to do?  This work will take many forms.  Stay faithful and be content where you are.  Right where God has you is the place He will receive the most glory.  It is not reserved for some distant place or some other season or time:  it is right now because today is the day of salvation.