Minister's Blog

Are You Still Desperate? We have all heard the expression, “desperate times call for desperate measures.” We would do well as Christians to recognize that we live in desperate times. I was talking to a friend of mine this past week that is a relatively young Christian. God has saved him out of not only a life of sin, but also a lifestyle that was terribly self-destructive and destructive to those who cared for him. He is a trophy of God’s grace, and it is obvious the Lord is using him in some amazing ways. Someone complimented him on his witness and the way he interacts recently by pointing out that when someone tells him their problem he stops and prays for them right then! This young man asked me, “isn’t that what all of us should do?” When he asked me this question, almost before I realized it, I stated, “of course, but the reason it touched this older Christian was because there is no doubt you are still desperate.” Most of us who came to know Christ as an adult can remember when we were still desperate. We had been saved long enough to come down to earth after our conversion, but still in the midst of the Lord untangling our messed-up lives, relationships, and thought processes. While we were saved and secure, our desperate need for the Lord’s grace every day was still so apparent. When people shared problems with us all we knew how to do was pray. We wanted to see our loved ones saved and all we knew to do was pray. We needed help in temptation and deliverance from fear and all we knew to do was pray… Are you starting to see a pattern?
Now many of us have been Christians for many years. Through the Lord’s help, discipline, and great effort we have overcome many temptations and have truly been transformed in so many ways. We have been active in the church for many years, and many would consider us to be mature believers. We are thankful the Lord has brought us so far and we have been so blessed, but then we brush up against a young believer who reeks of desperation. They are hungry for the Word, memorizing scripture, and excited about prayer. They are pressing forward, desperate for the Spirit’s power for holiness and service to their King.
Good Friday and Easter will be celebrated this month. Let’s not forget how desperately we needed the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for His example, sacrifice, and resurrection. We have so much to celebrate, but we also have so much to share. The world around us needs to see Christians who have been saved and have not gotten over it! The world needs to see those who have been to the cross, taking others to the cross, because they know that is the only place help can be found. Our world will be impacted by those still desperate for a touch from their Savior.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14