Learning Through Experience (Note: This is the third time I've attempted to post this today. Whenever I have issues like this, I have no doubt that the enemy is doing his best to try to prevent this from reaching out to a lost soul.) I wrote down these thoughts quite awhile ago, but decided to sit on them until the appropriate time. I don’t ever wish to write anything that will not edify the Body of Christ or that I do not feel led by the Holy Spirit to share. I also do not wish to discourage others from sharing their own thoughts -- although they may be so different from mine. Each of us is unique, diverse, and we all look at the world from varied perspectives. We can never all agree on everything; or in some cases, anything. Thus, I have learned that it is more expedient to observe this old proverb, “It is better to remain silent and be perceived as ignorant, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!” I’m not a Evangelist, I’m not a Pastor, I’m not an Intellectual -- I’m nothing more than someone who tries to encourage others to be more introspective and possibly become better people. While I endeavor each day to serve our Lord with all of my heart, I’m ashamed that I still fail to do MORE in my own life to further the Kingdom of God! I know that I have wasted so many opportunities to shine the Holy Spirit on the confused, and have been lazy in my efforts to bring knowledge about Jesus to the unsaved. For this, I have great regret and remorse for being so weak. I’ve tried Poetry, I’ve tried Short-Stories, I’ve tried Humor, etc., to reach as many suffering people as possible and bring them some form of relief from this unrelenting world. However, I feel that I have bored, annoyed, and irritated many more individuals than I have positively impacted. So now I guess I’ll venture into Non-Fiction and assess my own deficiencies: At times I have been idle in my witness; at other times I have been argumentative because of my self-centered piousness; and worst of all, at too many forks in too many roads -- I have been callous about the future of others. If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that nothing can replace EXPERIENCE. And unfortunately, experience is usually gained through our own failures, or learning from the failures of others. For those of you out there who are putting anything “on hold” at the moment because of an “imminent date”, please learn from my failures -- we should look for Jesus every day, but we should also plan as if He won’t come for many years (although it appears that He is sooooo close to returning for us now). If I had only lived by this creed the last decade, I could have spared myself a myriad of difficulties. Although Rapturitis is a good thing, it can also lead us astray if we don’t balance our earthly and Heavenly perspectives. While following the multitude of calculations for all the “perfect timelines” for May 2009 (and past months, and past years also), and while reading about all the “apparent confirmations” validating those timelines, the tough questions that I now ask myself daily are as follows: What am I NOT accomplishing while anxiously anticipating the “Rapture”? How many more things can I “put off”, or “put on hold” because of an imminent date (that doesn’t come) and then have to scramble to “fix” later? How well am I “occupying” when I am only concerned with escaping this cruel world? Each day that I am still here, am I striving for the privilege to further the Kingdom when presented with the chance? Or am I squandering opportunities because the “time” is so near and a “date” is consuming my attention rather than focusing on what I should be doing for Jesus? It is so easy to be lax, so easy to wait for “THE DAY” instead of witnessing to others. Am I missing a Divine occasion to share the “Good News” with an unsaved soul because I am more concerned about being Raptured than I am about saving someone from an eternity of torture? Am I that callous? A person can have a truck-load of Seminary knowledge, a PHD in Eschatological Studies, intelligence beyond measure, and preach from the pulpit seven days a week. But what good is all this if that person is not currently reaching out to bring lost souls to Salvation? What good is it to “count days” instead of counting sheep? It is not “what” you know, but “WHO” you know that matters in this life -- and into Eternity. The knowledge of Jesus as our Saviour needs to be shared as quickly, and to as many people, as possible. This is what truly counts!!! My humbly prayer is that this touches at least the one lost soul that it was intended for. Your pal, Humbly We may have different perspectives as watchers, Humbly, but at least for me you have pretty much pegged my own spectrum of sentiments. Early this year Watching&Waiting (Mechelle) directed me toward an online missionary endeavor run by Campus Crusade for Christ, for whom since about April, after a training period, I have had the pleasure of telling / retelling Jesus' story to multiple hundreds of inquirers. So, had we left years ago as I was yearning and almost dying to go, I would have missed 2019's opportunity to share Jesus with hundreds of brothers and sisters online. I'm grateful for this. Just my story... Makes me sometimes wish I knew a lot less about UFOs, blood moons, and global governance, and instead knew a lot more more about folks whom I otherwise would have had an opportunity to point to Almighty God. Well it is what it is, I don't cry over this spilled milk, and yet I still really really want to go. But God is not willing that people perish, even though they themselves may will it. He will find His harvesters in a sovereign way for those white fields. What a friend we have in Jesus -- and an omnipotent advocate through His Holy Spirit -- looking out for us all on a grandly universal, yet infinitesimal, scale. He is a friend who has limited the side effects of my own Rapturitis problem, allowing me to feel forgiven for my selfish more lackadaisical occupation. By the way, I'm sealed on the waiting list for our soon Rapturectomy! "Oh what a relief it is...!" It'll be better and quicker than Alka Seltzer! Well stated. Indeed perspective is needed to navigate the spiritual landmines before each of us! Indeed, we also must remain focused and true to the gospels calling. Simply put, if we are led by the Spirit on a daily basis, all things will work in our favor and glorify God. Some are called to evangelism, and some are not! That said, the Lord will use each of us and our giftings all to His glory. It also seems to me that we should bear in mind that the Lord knows the beginning from the end. He knows who will humble themselves before and who will not. IMHO, we stand as a vanguard against the forces of evil who diligently work against the knowledge of the Rapture, and the ultimate revelation of God for the Bride of Christ! Again let's understand that there are no "brownie" points for choosing that correct day, but more importantly it is not a contest of will or knowledge to pursue the Rapture's timing! Let it remain our Blessed Hope, and let us as His word states to continue to encourage the saints of God in their race and it's ultimate prize! TR
