It happened without notice, one moment I’m fine, the next, I feel horribly sick. Have you ever been there? Have you ever had a time in your life where things were going great one moment, and the next it’s your flat on your face? That’s where I was this past Sunday morning, April 30th. Now as a pastor one of your primary functions is to effectively preach, especially on Sunday morning, that’s what do. But what happens when you can’t preach? What happens when your voice is working against you?
You see on Thursday night after the NFL draft, I started to notice this intense pain in swallowing. At first, I wasn’t that surprised, after all, I had a lingering. But then, I realized this wasn’t just a cold, this was something else. Now, to make a not so exciting story short… I went to the doctors the next day, and I was out of commission on Friday and Saturday. Those were fun days with nausea, running a temperature, not sleeping half the night, and the sensation of a cat clawing at my throat whenever I swallowed. I was told I would be better shortly, but that didn’t happen. Sunday came around and I was still in rough shape.
But here’s where I want to encourage us this morning. Sunday morning, I watched a Francis Chan video. And as I began this video, he started out by explaining: (I’m summarizing here) “I’m a competitive person, an extremely competitive person, and there’s nothing I hate more than losing.” Immediately he had my interest because that’s me to a T. He then went on to explain that with his love for sports and competition, he sometimes got in trouble. He then transitioned into the necessity for humility.
Now I would love to tell you the rest of the story, but I think your time would be better spent listening to Francis Chan on the topic. WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5477WG6sXo
One thing I will encourage you with however, is that God is in the business of blessing humility. He blesses and literally shows His favor to those who remain reliant on Him… but he comes against and opposes the proud.
James 4:6 tells us: “6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Here’s a question for you to consider today, is there an area of your life in which pride has crept in? Is there something you’re harboring in your heart? Is there an area of your life where you need freedom today? He knows, and he can help. I encourage you as Francis Chan encourages me… Just fall on our face and depend on God.
For me, my Sunday morning was different, it wasn’t what I expected to be doing… But it was the exact word I needed to hear for my life, my family and ministry. Fall on my face and depend on Him.
Once again, I encourage you to go through and watch this video.
In Christ,
Pastor Tom