I have just gotten back from attending the annual RUI conference in Rockford, Il. I now have a sense of how the early pioneers felt going across the land in their Conastoga wagons!! Myself and four other Christian brothers and sister bonded as we drove from Flower Mound, Texas out to Rockford. Along the way everywhere we stopped we left RUI brochures and talked to various people at gas stations, restaurants and rest stops. One thing became quite obvious as we clocked up the miles, everyone is in need of a relationship with Jesus! Some people were skeptical, but most were respectful and listening to what we had to say. While I am sure some of the seed fell on rocky ground, I really do believe that some fell into soil where the seed will grow and one day come to full bloom in the person's life.
The conference was fabulous and energizing. There really are no good words to describe what the RUI leadership and the staff did for the 1400 people who showed up to attend sessions and classes. All lives were blessed by God.
While I was at the conference, it became a new month as as is my habit, I started over with Proverbs. For those of you reading this post, if you do not practice reading a Proverb of the day, I would highly recommend that practice as it will be a direct blessing from God. I began reading the 1st Proverb and as I read these familiar words, the Holy Spirit touched my eyes and my heart with a new look at verses 2-4.
"
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgement, and equity: To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."
I love a progression of verbs any time they crop up in God's word. Here were four;
To know, To perceive, To receive, and to give. The progression of these four verbs lept off the page to me that day. What I saw is the progression of everyone's Christian walk. First we
Know God, when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior we are given that saving knowledge of who God is.
To perceive. As we grow in our faith, we are given a deeper perception of just what it means to know God and why that relationship is so special.
To receive. After we have been walking with Christ and we have begun to obey his directions for our path, he then gives us a deeper walk as we get closer and closer to him, so we indeed recieve the instruction of wisdom, justice and judgement and equity. As all of this process goes on, we have the opportunity
to give... To share the Gospel, the Good News with the simple with the "young man," with those individuals who have not yet seen the light or been shown the way.
This is why I re-read the Proverbs, because no matter how many times I go through the chapters, each time I read I am blessed. To see how I came to this place, this moment in time with my own personal relationship with Jesus, and how I could give everyone I come into contact with that same opportunity, it totally blew me away and I knew I was now beginning a new chapter in my life.
So now I am back in Shady Shores Texas and Rockford Il is now once again thousands of miles from where I sit. But Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, is still beside me and the Holy Spirit is in me and my heart burns anew for the lost and the disillusioned of this world. The fire that was burning in Rockford as we all attended those blessed sessions, will continue to burn in my daily walk in Texas.
I hope as you read this you are having a Blessed Day!!!
