You Reap What You Sow

“³⁶Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. ³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” –John 4:36-38

Over this Christmas break, I had the opportunity to visit the high school FCA of which I was fortunate enough to help plant seven short years ago.  I had no idea what to expect from the evening, but what I brought away from the meeting was more than a blessing!

When a member of the community, Bill Murray, along with a few other students, and I founded the Kimberly High School FCA chapter in the fall of 2003 of my freshman year, we had no idea where God would take the group.  We were fortunate enough at the time, to meet in a small classroom that could hold no more than 12-15 people comfortably.  This first year had its fair share of challenges in that the culture at our school was not one rooted in the Lord and the idea of attending a bible study would likely hurt one’s reputation among peers.  However, we as a small group of students were persistent in spreading the word about this new group.  As a result, we saw numerous students enter through our doors that year, while the core group of attendees inevitably grew in their faith and fellowship with one another!

Our second year was a year the marked enormous growth for our group.  We went from averaging 8-10 students weekly to nearly 15 regular attendees and 20 students on a good night.  Now, I realize that ministry is not all about numbers, but rather the hearts those numbers represent.  But let’s all agree that with large numbers comes the enormous potential to touch many hearts through the preaching of God’s word.  As a result of such growth, we were forced to move to a larger room!  What a good problem to have!  Amen?  And as proof of hearts being changed, we saw a group of leaders step up to preach God’s word on a weekly basis as well as the dynamics of the group discussions deepen as well!  With such momentum, we were all anxious and anticipating what God would continue to do in and through us at Kimberly High!

However, our third year proved to be one of spiritual stagnancy.  A few of our strong leaders from the previous year had graduated leaving the group with an enormous responsibility to step up to the plate!  This came at an interesting point in the group’s progress because the core of the group happened to be juniors at the time; a common year of trial when friends seem to change and people begin to see what they really stand for in this world.  After many months of “passive leadership” in our group, a few students (myself included) decided it was time to raise the spiritual level of the group.  In Galatians 6:9 it stats, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This was so true for us – for two years we had put in the work to be strong spiritual force among our school, but for some reason, we let up a bit and lost sight of the goal.  We began taking time before class to pray in the library for the school, FCA, our friends, and families.  We also made it a point to announce the existence and meeting time of the group every week.  We began seeing the group gain momentum again.

My senior year marked one of significant growth in our chapter!  We averaged nearly 20-25 students a week and on special event night we saw the room packed out on multiple occasions!  Praise God!  We saw leaders step up to the plate including new students delivering messages to even just participating more in discussions.  We also saw FCA become a group of spiritual significance among the student body.  Many students would look to FCA members for prayer and support in those times of difficulty in life.  In one instance, a classmate and close friend of many became very ill with cancer, causing him to withdraw from school for a few months.  We saw the student body back him like nothing I had ever witnessed before and a large group of students met in the gym one morning to pray over his health.  It was moments like these that were evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit alone!  I left the group on a high note, but both Bill and I agreed that if students didn’t step to the plate in a hurry, they would be faced with another year of stagnancy.

I cannot vouch for the progress of the group over the past two years, but when I returned this past week, I was pleasantly surprised to find the group going STRONGER THAN EVER!  It was truly a blessing to come back to something you put so much time and energy into and see it better off than how you had left it!  Let me tell you some of the amazing things I witnessed:  1.)  The group was nearly 40 strong and apparently that’s a SMALL night!!!  Praise God!  2.) Bill informed me that the group of young leaders he has are rising to the occasion week after week to deliver the word of God!!  3.) Bill is as passionate for the group as I have ever seen him!  All of these aspects made my visit so encouraging.  It’s such a blessing to see something I spent so long sowing, in such a time of plentiful harvest!  Wow, is God ever GOOD or what?!

2 Corinthians 9:6 says that “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Whatever it is in your life that God has assigned you to do, do it with all your heart, keeping in mind His plan.  Do not take your task lightly or think that the work you are doing for His Kingdom is insignificant, because many times, you might not see the effects of you labor or ‘reap the harvest in which you sowed.’  It’s in these times that you must trust in the Lord’s good and perfect plan and know that He has you right where He wants you.  Take a minute now to reflect on where the Lord is calling you to sow.  Wherever this happens to be, commit to it with all your heart and work for His glory.  With that being said, keep in mind the call of the angel in Revelation 14:15 where he proclaims, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe” and do just that!

With Everything

I had the amazing opportunity this past week to counsel the guys from my church’s youth group at Spencer Lake Youth Camp.  This role was especially close to my heart because I grew up going to camp there every summer since I was in 6^th grade.  My prayer going in was for God to fill me up so I could continually pour out into these guys’ lives all week long.  He did not disappoint as I saw God break down spiritual walls, instill passion,  and heal the broken hearts of these students.  On one particular night during the worship service, the band started playing the song “With Everything” by Hillsong.  The chorus is simple, yet weighed heavy on my heart in that moment.  Here’s how it goes:

With everything,

with everything,

we will shout for your glory.

With everything,

with everything,

we will shout for your praise.

The song goes on to lift up a battle cry of praise to the Lord…WOAH-OHH, OHH-OH, WOAH-OHH-OH, WOAH-OHH-OH!

For some reason, I just couldn’t sing this song.  I found myself trying to lift my voice, but with no sound coming out.  It was in that moment that I heard God ask, “Tyler, are you really giving me everything?”  I knew the answer was NO, but I avoided the question and tried singing the song again.  Again, God asked me,  “Are you giving me EVERYTHING?”  For the longest time, I have given God my heart, but I have always guarded small portions of it from Him, allowing myself control in certain situations.  This really weighed heavy on me as I spent the next ten minutes wrestling with God, while this chorus was chanted over and over again in the background by over 500 campers.

Ever since I was in middle school, I have had a strong passion for youth.  I went to camp each year hoping that God would call me into the ministry, specifically as a youth pastor, but I never felt that assurance.  Part of the problem was because I had the preconceived notion that everyone who is called into the ministry must attend a Christian university.  I on the other hand, had always dreamed of pursuing running at the division one level.  When I found out that Liberty University could essentially satisfy both, I was overjoyed with a hope that I could pursue both of my dreams.  God obviously had a different plan, because I ended up feeling a calling to Clemson University, which happens to be a secular college.  Over the past two years, I have been pursuing my running dream and have put any chance of going into youth ministry on hold.

So when God asked me if I was giving Him EVERYTHING I knew exactly what it was He wanted me to surrender to Him.  You see, part of EVERYTHING includes your hopes, dreams, desires, aspirations, plans, etc.  This was the area of my heart that I guarded all through high school and into college.  I have always been goal-oriented and driven by motivation of future aspirations, so I like to make plans; career plans, summer plans, relationship plans, and athletic plans.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I have been so focused on my way, that I neglected to remember that God’s way is far greater!

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

When you align your willingness to go wherever God wants you to go or do whatever it is God is calling you to do, your purpose will be fulfilled in the glory of God’s power!  Wouldn’t you be able to give EVERYTHING to a God who can use you to reach far greater than your wildest dreams?  I had been struggling with this for the longest time, but in that moment, I decided to give it ALL to God and He lifted the weight off my shoulders so I could sing out “WOAH-OHH, OHH-OH, WOAH-OHH-OH, WOAH-OHH-OH!”

For the record, God didn’t call me into the ministry that night, but now I am open to go wherever He wants me to go.  Essentially I gave God FULL rein of my heart.

Another Year, Another Reason to Praise Him!

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but today, June 2, 2009, is my twenty-first birthday!  21.  Did I add up the years correctly?  It’s hard to believe twenty-one years ago I was born into the world with a full head of hair and probably a few ear-piercing screams to go with it.  Several temper-tantrums later and countless blessings and trials later, I can say with confidence that the words spoken in Jeremiah 29:11 have proven true in my life:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has blessed me so much already in this short lifetime.  I thank the Lord for placing me in a loving family with God-fearing parents, who are constantly pursuing the absolute BEST for me!  It’s hard to imagine where I would be without their Christ-centered guidance.  Another amazing thing about my parents, besides their faith, is their support in my God-given ability to run!  I still remember my first run where I took 3^rd in the kiddy race after my mom’s marathon!  (I know I should have won…but I was only four!)  Ever since then, God has opened up so many doors for me because of running.  Through all of my successes and especially my failures in running, God has taught me to rely on Him in ALL circumstances.  In these lessons, Proverbs 3:6 became relevant to me:

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

One of the doors God opened because of running (and academics of course) was an opportunity to attend Clemson University in South Carolina.  Pursuing this path has proven to be a difficult one, but also one with MANY blessings.  During my first two years, I truly learned the meaning of Proverbs 3:5:

“Trust in the Lord with all [my] heart, and lean not on [my] own understanding.”

After walking through the valley that most first-year college students transition through, God led me to a mountaintop looking out over countless reasons to PRAISE Him!  One of which is an AMAZING group of friends who walk with me towards Christ every step of the way.  I thank God everyday for them!

I share all of this to encourage you in whatever path of life you may find yourself on.  God has a specific purpose for your life and He will continue to reveal that to you as you seek Him.  Trust in His PERFECT plan even when it seems impossible because beyond the fog settled in the valley is yet another mountaintop that God will help you climb.  Walk in the faith that Christ humbly displayed on the cross, where we find VICTORY over sin and death!  And don’t forget to SHOUT praises to God when you reach the top of that mountain!

Thank you Lord;  For with another year, is yet another reason to PRAISE YOU!

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  -2 Corinthians 9:8

Thank you Lord, for showing mercy to us when we don’t even deserve it.  You are able and willing to exert this grace in ALL situations, at ALL times, and in EVERY single need.  I don’t know where I would be without your AMAZING GRACE in my countless time of need.  I pray that you would cover those in need of your grace, including myself.  Surround them with an overwhelming peace that can only come through your Holy Spirit. 

How sweet the sound.

“Sing a new song to the Lord!  Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!  Sing to the Lord; bless His name.  Each day proclaim the good news that He saves.”  -Psalm 96:1-2

We SING a new song because you are LORD!  We PROCLAIM the good news because you are WORTHY!  We REJOICE in the fact that you SAVED us!  Let this sweet sound of PRAISE resonate in our hearts so that others may see that LOVE and GRACE we have found through Christ Jesus! 

That saved a wretch like me.

^“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  – Romans 5:8

Heavenly Father, we have NOTHING worthy to give you…but rather only the sinful nature we were born into.  Absolutely nothing has made us worthy of your UNCONDITIONAL love.  Because of this, we are humbled that you would send your one and only son to pay for our debts on the cross and die for our sins.  Thank you for bridging the gap between a sinful young man like myself and your holy presence.  There is absolutely nothing I can do to repay you, Lord.  The only thing I can do is give myself as a humble sacrifice.  I pray that you would drown those in need of you with the love that you have graciously shown me.  May they experience the POWER of the cross and come to know and serve you as their personal Lord and savior!

I once was lost, but now I’m found.

“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”  -1 Peter 2:25

Good Shepherd, you have a PLAN for each specific life, which you have called according to your PURPOSE.  Just as we were once lost and you graciously found us, call us back to you again.  And for those still wandering astray, I pray that you would open up their ears to hear you, soften their hearts to feel your presence, and guide them on the path that leads to you.  Help us to WALK in that TRUTH and realize that you will never let us wonder away from your LOVE.

Was blind, but now I see.

“Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin.  Instead, you are free by God’s grace.”  – Romans 6:14

Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes to see you clearer.  Because of your sacrifice, we can stand firm in the truth that SIN NO LONGER BINDS US.  May we march in VICTORY because SIN HAS LOST ITS POWER at the CROSS.  Help us to pick up our cross EVERYDAY because at the foot of the cross is hope, strength, and AMAZING GRACE!

 

Wading Through the Muck

God has a funny way of revisiting past conversations in the times we least expect them.  While walking along the beach today, God did just that.  As the constant pulse of waves crashed at my feet, I heard God whisper, “Look out into the ocean.”  When I did this, God brought back a memory of a past conversation I had with Him while at a youth retreat during the summer of 2007.  This happens to be the summer before I went off to college.  The retreat was located on a small island in Lake Michigan off the shore of Door County, Wisconsin.  Landlocked inside the perimeter of the island is a lake and within this lake are two tiny islands.

On the last day of the retreat, we were given a period of time to spend reflecting on God.  I began walking along the edge of the shore (much like I did today on the beach) with my jeans rolled up and bible in hand.  Looking across the water, I noticed the two islands and thought how amazing it would be to get out there!  In this moment, God began to speak to me about my walk with Him.  He paralleled my journey throughout high school to my walking along the shore that day.  I had been pursuing God all my life, comfortably.  I had my solid Christian family, amazing support at youth group, and grounded morals, but these aspects of my life had never before been challenged.  But God was waiting for me across the water on the islands.  In order to break the stagnant, steady pace of my spiritual growth, I realized that I had to step out in faith even if the water gets deep or I have to tread water because there is nothing solid left to stand on.  This reminded me of Joshua 3, when Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan.  Once Joshua stepped into the Jordan River, the edges of the water were cut off and the Israelites crossed safely on dry ground.  It wasn’t until Joshua fully put his trust in the Lord and took that first step of faith when the Lord provided a way for the Israelites.

So like Joshua, I put my trust in the Lord and began wading into the lake, which represented my future at Clemson.  Each step got deeper and my jeans began to get wet.  Periodically I paused and heard God say, “a few more steps, we can go deeper.”  So I did!  Before long, I found myself sinking into the muck and the water level nearing my chest.  “Keep walking, we can go deeper.”  By now, I was literally standing up to my waist in muck and the water had reached my neck.  My arms were raised above the water with my bible in hand; doing everything I could to keep God’s word dry with each sequential step.  The Lord spoke to me there and told me that the next few years of college will be challenging.  I won’t have the comforts of home to lean on, trials and storms will come, and I will have to trudge through muck at times.  But with my arms above my head in constant surrender to Him I will continue to grow in spiritual maturity.  And by upholding the word of the Lord as truth in my daily walk, He will direct my path and protect me when I begin to sink.

I headed back to shore encouraged and inspired that God had spoken directly to me in that moment!  As promised, I found myself in the midst of numerous storms over the past two years, trudging through muck.  Before all else, I have learned to seek God and rely on his truth to guide me through those tough times.  Matthew 6:33 states to “seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  I look back on the how much I’ve grown in my daily walk with the Lord and I am completely humbled at how He has blessed me, even when I don’t deserve it.  This would not have been the case if I hadn’t made it a priority to seek after His will in my life.  But even though I have grown so much over the past two years, I stood at the edge of the ocean today looking out and I heard God whisper, “There is so much more.”  Be encouraged at how much God loves you and has a plan for your life.  I challenge each of you who read this to take that initial step of faith like Joshua did and like I have learned to do.  Seek God’s will in every aspect of your life and watch how deep God can take you!