Mountains Into Mole Hills

2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 16-19
"Since God has so generously let us in on what He is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever."

I have taken several groups of youth on a mission trip into the hills and hollers of the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee. Each trip has been an adventure! On one trip, we were almost ran off the road by an overzealous trucker who didn't like us "Yanks." On another trip, I was struck by lightning. And on another trip, we almost had to quit.

The troubles started before we ever left. The cost of taking a mission trip is quite high, actually. We had to raise more than $15,000 to go on this trip. And we were cutting it close. As of the week before the trip, we didn't have enough to go. But God provided for us. Some donations came in and we did a couple of last minute fund-raisers and God provided what we needed.

We also had a difficult time finding vehicles to take on the trip. Not too many people want you to take their van for a week and a half into Tennessee as a work vehicle filled with teenagers. For many people, allowing such usage would be like inviting a herd of yaks into their living rooms. Again, at the last minute, God provided the necessary vehicles.

And one of them only lasted us about three hundred miles into the trip. We got about two-thirds of the way through Wisconsin and one of our mini-vans died. We brought it to Sal at the local repair shop and of course, the part needed could only be special-ordered from a small place in Virginia. This is no exaggeration! It would take until Tuesday to get the part. It was Thursday. We couldn't wait until then.

The temperature was hot. Tempers were flaring. Morale was low. Mutiny was in the air. I feared for my life.

Until we prayed.

We got all twenty-nine of us together in a circle and we prayed. We prayed for God's leading. We prayed for help. We prayed for our mission. And God said to go for it!

With a new enthusiasm, we re-distributed the bodies between the vehicles, squeezed in like clowns in a circus-car, and we headed off towards our mission field.

Do you ever despair? Do you ever get so caught up in the pitfalls of your present circumstances that you just feel like cashin' in your chips and headin' for home? I can relate. There have been times in my life when all I knew was headache and heartache. There have been times when I've been so enmeshed in my tribulations, that I've forgotten about the source of my salvation. There have been times in the midst of difficulty and poverty that I’ve forgotten about my eternity. It is only when I've forgotten about Jesus in my life that I've come to despair. It's only when I've come to the point of self-reliance, that I've found myself grasping for something or someone to rely upon.

Paul writes in his second letter to the church at Corinth to encourage. He tells them to hold their course. Keep preaching the Gospel. Don't soften it. Don't water it down. Don't change it at all to cater to the whims of the powers-that-be. He's telling them that life will sometimes suck...ministry will sometimes be an uphill battle against impossible odds. And he's telling that it’s cool, because their current struggle is nothing compared to the party that awaits them.

Are you struggling with anything today? Does despair sit waiting on your doorstep? Are you tempted to give up...or give in? Are you struggling with a friendship? Are the bills piling up? Is your marriage going through hard times? Are their challenges within your church? Are you experiencing persecution for your faith?

Oh my gosh, I have been there, friend. Big time. Huge. I have walked in difficult places and have at least somewhat of an understanding of what it means to go through the valley. Alienation from family and friends? Been there. On the verge of financial ruin? Done that one too. Marriage troubles. Hey, I’m on marriage number two. I don’t recount my troubles for any sort of pity or simply to make you feel better about your own. But rather, to point the way to faith.

All of these are things in our lives which can tempt us to despair. Things on the outside may look bleak in some aspect of your life. But do not give up! How could you? God is with you. And if God is with you, truly, my friend, who can stand against you? Be true to God's leading of your life. Be true to the sharing of His Good News. Listen for His will for your life.

Stop. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Do it again. Now, let’s take an inventory. Do you know who you are? You are a son or daughter of the King of Kings! You are a co-heir with Christ! The Lion of Judah walks at your side! You will one day be seated at the right hand of God along with the Son! Imagine what your current trials would look like if you remembered that you are a prince or princess in the Kingdom of God. You are royalty. From this vantage point, the current mountains of your existence will one day be shown to be the mole hills they really are in comparison to the true Mountain that is God and His lavish celebration that awaits when you come into your inheritance in His Kingdom!

Be WILD For Christ!

Pastor Shane