OUR FATHER’S PERSISTENT LOVE MINISTRIES
“AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE”
My Dear Family in Christ,
Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my great honor and high privilege to share my heart with you once again! Debbie and I were at the Hampton Inn in Boca Raton, Florida. We were visiting our brother, David, lover of the Lord and owner of the two beautiful Labrador Retrievers, whose shenanigans I memorialized in May’s “Outside Perspective.” Who would have ever thought that dogs could serve humble pie. . .but with God, all things are possible!😊
During the course of our hotel stay, Debbie and I are usually very structured and orderly in our habits. As you may surmise, we know each other very well. Thus, we are prone to acquiesce to each other’s preferences. This applies very much to our time in the Word. I am an early bird by nature, and I like to be up and praising the Lord before the birds do! I heard one old saint say, “I ain’t gonna let no bird out praise me; as such, I rise early!” Debbie – not so much.😄 She likes to start her day slower, and her quiet time is later. I have learned that it is really not quiet time for her if I am there.😁 She calls me “Philip interruptus.” It’s a moniker I try not to own up to! 😉
As we all know, the weather is consistently beautiful in Florida. Therefore, almost all of the hotels have pools. I like to get up early in the morning, when no one is around, and read my Word. It’s quiet and easy to hear the “still small voice” of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-13). In the course of my Word time, I enjoy sitting back and meditatively reflecting on the nature around me. If I may paraphrase: creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). Creation is always speaking because God is always speaking. There is much learning in quiet observation. . .
We need to listen and believe, and then we will see. It has been said, “We do not see that we might believe, but we believe that we might see.” In the things of God, faith always precedes substance. Faith presupposes trust; and without such, we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). Biblically, trust comes first and faith grows out of that trust and even deepens it. Without trust, faith has no ground to stand on. I trust God at His Word, and therefore, I put my faith in Him.
On this particular day, I was looking at the pool proper and the surrounding gardens. I was observing the mechanics of all that was designed and constructed. I have a construction background, and I am very interested in how things are made. This particular pool had a built-in fountain. There was a wall on which was mounted a rather large concrete face of a lion. Out of the lion’s mouth was a non-stop, crystal-clear fountain of flowing water. It was all quite beautiful to behold, and strangely, there was not a person to be seen. A ceaseless flow of crystal-clear water, and not a soul to be refreshed. Creation itself though – chipmunks, birds, palm trees, and foliage – with no thought, constantly drank of the blessings of the fountain. Creation knows its source.
Later on in the day, Debbie and I were out there, and again, there was not a soul in sight. The crystal-clear water was still ceaselessly flowing from the mouth of the lion with none to partake. I thought to myself, “This is very illustrative.” Is there not a ceaseless fountain of crystal-clear Living Water ever flowing from the mouth of the Lion of the tribe of Judah? He was dead and liveth forevermore! He is now ministering that Water in the power of an endless Life. But, it seems, sometimes, that there is not a soul in sight. . .none that desire to drink. It is written, “Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its Master. My people don’t recognize My care for them.” (Isa. 1:3 NLT)
It is easy to become discouraged in the work of evangelism. The world is dark and nefarious. We are privileged as believers, by grace, to drink daily from the fount of Living Water. It flows from the mouth of our Lion Lord. All the while, the world seems fixated on fountains wherein there is no water. Evangelizing is seeking to bring Life to the dead by the gospel of Living Water. In rejecting the gospel, the dead crucify their only hope. It may cause us to become cynical and discouraged. We must guard our hearts and press forward, by faith, in the work of the Lord. This is warfare. Christ is our great King of Kings and has called us not to understand, but to obey. It is written, “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” (1 Sam. 15:22 NLT)
I am reminded of the story of an old man sitting on the bluff at the beach. The beach was smothered with washed-up clams. He observed a jogger running along the shoreline. Every once in a while, the jogger would stop, bend over, pick up a clam, and throw it back into the ocean. He would then continue jogging. Again, he would stop, pick up a clam, and sling it out into the ocean as far as he could. This went on for a period of time. Finally, the old man on the bluff got up and went down to confront the jogger, and he asked him, “If the beach is smothered with clams, why do you bother to pick one up and throw it back in the water? It’s not going to make any difference!” The jogger looked him in the eye defiantly as he reached down and picked up another clam and threw it as hard as he could back into the ocean. Then he turned and looked at the old man and said with a smile, “It made a difference for that one!”
What a great portrait of evangelism. Do not be discouraged by the unbelief of others. “The Lord knows those who are His…”(2 Tim. 2:19) He knows in whose heart He works. He weaves lives together, not us. The fountain of crystal-clear Living Water is forever flowing from the mouth of the Lion. Ours is not to question why, but to obey. Be encouraged. The Lord is the soul winner – not you! You are the microphone, but He is the message! And, that message is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16)! The Lord does everything “…decently and in order.” (1 Cor. 14:40). Are you in the center of His good will and purpose? Yes, the fountain has been flowing from the foundation of the world, even crystal-clear, pure Living Water from the mouth of the Lion. It’s the Lord sharing Himself with broken humanity. Are you drinking by faith? Are you leading others to the Water? This fountain ever speaks with a “still small voice.” God speaks in silence. Are you listening? He is the provider, refresher, and filler of all. For us to be right – Christ must be all, and in all (Col. 3:11).
We don’t need to be caught up in all the mechanics of how God designed and constructed things. We need to walk by faith. There is a “built-into-creation” fountain of crystal-clear Living Water. At times, it may seem like there’s not a soul in sight – none that desire to drink! But believe it not! In the deepest darkness of sin, I heard the gospel through an air vent, in the hole, while in prison, and. . .
“IT MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR THIS ONE!”
JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP
“REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS IF CHAINED TO THEM.”
