Have you ever seen a miracle?

As a new church here in Honduras, we have been studying through the Gospel of John. For me, it has been refreshing to see the wonder of Jesus, His words and His miracles. We see Jesus' miracles, we are amazed at His glory and we receive the grace that we need to worship Him. It is a wonderful pattern.

This week, I have been studying the resurrection of Lazareth in chapter 11. The story has all the makings of a classic novel or an award-winning movie: great friendships, tragic sickness, misunderstandings, compassion and grief. All of this culminates in an over-the-top display of power and glory as Jesus calls Lazareth away from his 4-day taste of eternity. I can only begin to imagine the emotions that were displayed as Mary and Martha welcome back their dear brother and Jesus enjoys the fellowship of His dear friends.

However, here's the rub, not everyone appreciated the miracle. Some of the witnesses were not able to see the goodness of Jesus and were frightened by His power and the inevitable change that He would have on their lives. Some of the little tattletales ran back to the religious authorities and stirred up their commitment to doing away with the radical teacher. They knew that their power was being threatened. Their way of life could not continue with a miracle worker in their midst.

How about you? Do you realize what a radical change He is planning in your life? Just a chapter earlier Jesus promises the wonderful proposition of "life in abundance" as the new norm for those who are living in His kingdom. See His glory. Be convinced. Receive grace to follow Him through your life of worship!

Put it in the ground....

Yesterday, while I was running, (Yes, actual excercise) I noticed something strange about our avocado trees. You see, we planted those trees about four or five years ago and although they had grown to about 6 feet tall, we had never seen any kind of flower and we wondered if they would ever produce anything. Well, yesterday, I noticed that one side of the tree was full of the cutest little avocados you have ever seen. Some are about the size of a nickle. Wow, this certainly is a lesson in planting and harvesting.

Way back, when we were about to plant these trees, some friends warned us to have some realistic expectations. "Avocado trees take a long time to produce" was their warning. To be honest, that was a little disheartening to me. I questioned whether or not I was willing to wait that long. Should I even bother?

Do you ever feel that way about your ministry or your church? It's going to take forever for this new group to get off the ground. It will be years before we ever see any fruit or growth. Is it worth the wait? It will be years before these people change and are willing to make real changes in the lives?

Well, here's my thought. Start it! Plant it! Make the long-term investment. If it's going to take a few years to actually see some fruit, then you had better hurry up and get it in the ground!