I was reminded this week of Elisha's instruction, and subsequent disappointment, at king Jehoash when he told the king to strike the ground, and that the Lord would strike his enemies as many times as the king would hit the ground. It's been a week teeming with opportunities to serve and be stretched; we 've officially begun the mural work at the EpiCenter, we joined in on our first community serve day at Clarkston, we've begun reaching out to schools and churches to let them know about our ministry, and we met Mischa Yoo from Anthem Music Ministries who was really encouraging and expressed a desire to make some artwork together! There was a moment while I was detailing one of the EpiCenter walls where I remembered this this story about Jehoash, and how he only struck three times when he could have struck and struck until his arm had no strength left, and then struck a couple more times: When the Lord presents an opportunity, you risk more by not taking it.
We've transitioned into a new sermon series this week called "Dusted", where we consider the implications of drawing closer to Jesus and taking discipleship seriously. "More Jesus" has been our word for the year, and we've been seeing the Lord answer our plea for more of our Savior's presence in our lives. It's worth taking the time to really consider how incredible it is that we have the opportunity to live a life modelled after the Prince of Peace, and it's astonishing how different Jesus is when you consider the traditions and customs of ancient Rabbis; under their teachings, we would not have had the same opportunities we have with Jesus to live life abundantly. Jesus called those who were rejected by the other Rabbis to follow Him, and ultimately, He himself was rejected by them.
If this is a season where God is bringing particular opportunities to your attention, keep striking. We're finding that as God continues to provide much needed supplies and encouragement for our ministry, He also continues to provide opportunities to put those provisions to use; when God starts fanning your flame, it's better to strike while the iron is hot.
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