01 December 2010

one divine moment ... the process

One Divine Moment …
One Divine Moment … On Hold
One Divine Moment … The Process

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brethren. And Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Aram, and Aram begot Aminadab, and Aminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, and Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon by her that had been the wife of Uriah, and Solomon begot Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa, and Asa begot Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah, and Uzziah begot Jotham, and Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah, and Hezekiah begot Manasseh, and Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah, and Josiah begot Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel, and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel begot Abiud, and Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor, and Azor begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud, and Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way … Matthew 1:1-18

Whew! That is a list – and it is not even a fully detailed list.

Thank God for BibleGateway.com – saved me a whole lot of typing!

Genealogies are not the most interesting reading material – I know.
You probably skipped right past it – I won’t tell.
Yet, I’ve learned not to skip past them – as much as I would like to some days.

As we look at Jesus’ genealogy, we find:
• Abraham, responding to the voice of God, becoming the father of nations
• Jacob, the trickster who would become Israel
• Rahab, the former prostitute who would become a ‘hallmark of faith’ heroine
• Ruth, the widow with a faithful heart that would stumble upon the field of Boaz
• David, the shepherd who would be king
The list goes on …

Each one played a vital role. And we understand that each one experienced their own One Divine Moment in time. Yet, their mention in the book of Matthew does not begin to capture the full story which led up to the best One Divine Moment that we now recognize as the birth of Christ.

What was happening in Abram’s family that he would recognize and respond to a voice which told him to leave everything he knew? How old was Rahab when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea? Was she even born yet? How did she know of this powerful God that was with the children of Israel? Was there someone who kept that story of their miraculous escape from Egypt alive?

How many women looked past or refused Boaz, such that he was available when Ruth showed up on the scene? Who was the servant that David left his sheep with as he obeyed his father’s instruction and went to the battlefield where he would ultimately slay the giant?

A lot of questions –
A lot of questions that we might not ever have an answer for –

This could frustrate us if we did not realize that sometimes the question is more important than the answer.

The question causes us to think about ALL of the possible answers.
And, in doing so, we discover things we never knew we always wanted answered.

How many people – other than those listed in this genealogy – helped influence these individuals and what transpired?
You might say to yourself, ‘Who cares?’

I have learned to care because I have learned that every One Divine Moment is made up of a thousand little, seemingly insignificant, divine moments.

One Divine Moment does not happen in a momentthere is a process. And there are countless people involved in that process.

Two weeks ago, I had One Divine Moment
A publisher agreed to publish my book:
‘When Storms Rage – 21 Principles to Keep You Anchored Through Life’s Toughest Moments’

It was an exciting moment, One Divine Moment
However, the celebration demanded recognition of THE PROCESS.

My parent’s divorce, childhood friendships, my marriage, the birth of my children, my divorce, my sickness in 2006, the elimination of my job in 2007, the countless people who would not hire me in the past three years, the person who gave me a word from the LORD, the person who gave my son a laptop (which I used when mine broke), my pastor who reviewed the book, his wife who wrote the foreword, the publisher who approved the book, the publisher’s assistant who arranged the meeting … the list goes on.

Through hundreds [more like thousands] of situations, God was orchestrating that One Divine Moment that occurred for me on November 17th. In fact, I realize that there are a million divine moments that make up the process of One Divine Moment when I think about God’s words in Jeremiah 1:5 AMP, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’

I say all this to say – do not discount where you are today

If you are waiting on One Divine Moment –
Understand that there is a process to One Divine Moment
There are many things which are being aligned which will facilitate that moment

If you have experienced One Divine Moment –
Take time to celebrate all of the individuals and circumstances which impacted it and made it possible

God alone knows the plans that He has for you, and that they are good plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to bring you to the expected end that He has prepared for you, to bring you to One Divine Moment – Jeremiah 29:11

That disappointment – part of the process
That delay – part of the process
That chance meeting – part of the process
The people brought into your life – part of the process
The people He allowed to exit your life – part of the process
The sinful nature and desires being crucified daily – part of the process
The fruits of the Spirit and development of Christ-like character – a crucial part of the process

God takes it all [even though He doesn’t cause it all] and works it all together for the good in accordance with Romans 8:28

Do not overlook a single situation or count it as worthless.
Do not despise the day of small beginnings.

There was a man in the book of John who experienced One Divine Moment. He had been sick for thirty-eight years when Jesus healed him and there were many that were displeased. Their attitude was that healing should not take place on the Sabbath, that there is a process and that there are rules. Their religion kept them from celebrating his moment. However, Jesus responded in John 5:17, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working’.

He is not bound by the traditions of men – nor is He restricted by the way He worked in the past.

II Chronicles 16:9 tells us, ‘the eyes of the LORD run to and fro [present tense] throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.’

He is in control of your One Divine Moment and He is directing every step in the process.

God Bless You Mightily!

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