Philippians 3:7-9
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowledge Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Years back we had a team refurbing an old shop to be a mission. It was a mess. Ink, chemicals, bad wiring, leaking pipes underground, a leaking roof, and rotting walls and ceiling tiles challenged us. There was much work to be done to convert this place into an efficient and acceptable mission to serve the gospel, love of God, and food.
As we took trash out in huge dumpsters, the irony of how we came to this place made me laugh. Standing on huge pile of trash six foot tall and 20 feet long, I laughed. How many times have you been in such a place? We had been in three other locations in just a few months to get to this one. One was a shotgun house. Food supplies came in the back and out the front as people stood in a yard. That happened after working with a congregation and refurbing their facility only for people conflicts to sink the partner ship. Then there was a cleanup of a rented facility. This was the fourth location and the fourth cleanup.
Yet, the team involved just kept getting bigger and stronger and more people kept helping. Nothing was going to prevent these folks from succeeding in giving away love and life.
From a front door church operation where we distributed 1500 meals a month to a six day a week mission with 650 people attending weekly and 20,000 meals a month, there had been many trials and defeats and reconstructions. It took an amazing attitude. The dumpsters left and reconstruction took over and lives were changed.
Adversity is the fertilizer of my future. How about you, Friend? I keep a picture of me standing on that trash heap to remind me of God's unrelenting commitment to promise when all we see is trash. When I look at that verse set in Philippians and when I think of pain and problems it takes to keep moving forward, that is my phrase. The trash of today is the fertilizer of my attitude, approach, and tenacity. To let it become bitter and rank and ruin my future is unacceptable. Sure it is manure. But a good garden needs good manure to grow well.
Recent rejections and disasters and deaths have certainly shaken my thinking. And then again, they have centered me on my future with an expectation of a new thrust standing on the heap of ruins. Based on those happenings and digging into scripture and prayer, I've launched into ministry that seemed unreachable in the past. These last seven days have seen new people reached through live prayer on youtube, miracle healings in simple prayer, clarity to help other ministries move through mountains, 1688 legislators covered regularly in prayer, and focus coming into view. It is a cumulation of many years of reaching out while working in the business community. What is God doing with your troubles, Friend?
Prayer: Father of Love and Life, what a joy you offer us.
In our troubles and tortures, You are there.
In our pain and problems, You are there.
In our defeats and disasters, You are there.
You are here for Friend with joy for mourning.
You are here for Friend with dancing for destruction.
You are here for Friend with productivity for defeat.
You are here for Friend with greatness for dung heaps.
Phil Larson 405-388-8037 Add:508 Tumbleweed Dr. Yukon, Ok 73099
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