Stop waving at your haters

If I hear another preacher say “wave at your haters and say bye-bye” I believe that I’m going to throw up! I understand that everyone has people that don’t necessarily like them. There are people that don’t really care for me either. However, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life using all of my energy focusing on what used to be. My enemies/haters (or whatever we want to call them) are a part of my past; I’ve done enough waving at them. I said goodbye a long time ago. I believe now is the time in my life where I am going to stop waving and start working. We must take the attitude of Jesus and “work the works of him that sent [us], while it is day” (John 9:4a). Now is the time to start rebuilding our lives. Nehemiah provides us a great example on how to handle the temptation to peep at the past. Nehemiah was so focused on building what had been torn down, that he did not have time to come down and even respond the requests of his enemies. After they asked to meet with him, Nehemiah sent a message that said “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3). Always keep in mind that temporary people tear down, but mature people build up. So the next time someone asks you to look at your haters, tell them that you have matured from peeping at your past to focusing on your future.

ENJOY THE SEASON

Over the last few days it has been snowing in various parts of the country; the South has had their share as well as the Northeast part of the nation. As I was looking at the snow and feeling the chill and getting sliced by the “bite” in the air, I began to wonder why we were having all of this unique weather. The more I thought I went from wondering to celebrating. You see, each season has everything to do with the next season. The bitter cold of the Winter kills off the bugs of the past season and gives the ground an opportunity to start all over again. This reminds me of the grace of God. When we get honest with ourselves and expose our sin before God, it initially feels cold and it bites to the core…just like the winds of winter. But after we endure the bite of judgment, God then reveals His unforgettable love…like the warm sunshine of Spring. When we expose ourselves and get “gut-level” honest with God, then He is able to deal with the “bugs” of our sin. So instead of getting mad, “count it all joy” (James chapter 1) and get ready. The cold of Winter just prepares us for the beauty of Spring. So no matter what season you are in God is still working out for our good. Enjoy the seasons….they are ordered by God.