This past summer was probably the most demanding of my life. On top of extensive travel, my family packed up our belongings and moved to South Carolina. For those of you who have moved and had to sell and buy a house and change everything from insurance providers to driver’s licenses to schools for your kids, you know that it seems as if the paperwork and phone calls will never end. Taking on so much extra work makes you resolve never to move again! However, God understands that there are seasons in our lives when we need change. People tend to gravitate to their comfort zone where things are predictable, manageable and doable.

I wonder if there were times when Jesus wondered what it would be like if He could spend His days in the comfortable predictability of Joseph’s carpenter shop. No angry crowds gathered there. No demon-possessed people or women caught in adultery had to be dealt with in that place. But there came a day when Jesus had to walk away from all of that. He arrived at Capernaum and proceeded to do a miracle. Immediately His fame began spreading and the crowds soon gathered. At that point Jesus could have set up shop in the beautiful environs of the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed the celebrity status of a small town hero. But He was not allowed to remain in that place either. His heavenly Father had much more in store for Him (Mark 1:21-39). The problem is that when we stop going with God to the next place He has for us, we also stop growing.

I am old enough to be able to reflect back on my life to see those points where I would have begun stagnating if God had not brought something new into my life. You don’t have to change your address to grow spiritually, but you do need to respond to the next things God brings into your life. I have also watched people who once had passion and zeal for serving God and for taking on new challenges who, over the years, grew comfortable and complacent, and stopped growing. It is easy to do. We decide we have “arrived” or that we have done enough. We need a break. Someone else can undertake the next challenge. I deserve to live near family etc. But the net result is that we stop going and growing with God.

I, like everyone else, tend toward stagnation. My relationship with God, my spouse, my kids, my church and my work can all lapse into comfortable predictability where there is nothing new or fresh. I still have a lot of details to take care from my recent move, but I am excited about what God has in store for me in this new stage of my life. Where is your life right now? Have you been discovering exciting new dimensions to your walk with God? Has God been building new qualities into your character? Are your relationships still growing and maturing? Or do you suspect God has some changes in store for you in the coming days?

Reading

I recently finished reading a fascinating biography on Andrew Mellon. Mellon was one of the top five wealthiest people of his day and held a powerful cabinet position under three U.S. presidents during the 1920s. Yet like so many, his business success was not always matched with personal achievement. He suffered a divorce as well as a tumultuous relationship with his two children. Ultimately he had to reckon with what the lasting contribution of his life would be. His legacy is the National Art Gallery in Washington D.C.

Updates

I’d appreciate your continued prayers that my house in Canada would sell soon. The market has really slowed down. I’d encourage you to pick up the newly released Experiencing God trade book that has been fully revised and expanded. If you want to introduce someone to the fundamental teachings of Experiencing God, this is a great resource. If you haven’t read Experiencing God for a while, you’ll discover a lot of new material here that will remind you of these exciting truths in a fresh way.

Let me continue to encourage you to attend the Fresh Encounter conference Feb. 27-28, 2008 at FBC Jonesboro, Georgia. Anne Graham Lotz, Will Graham and three generations of Blackabys will be speaking. We are not seeking to gather merely to talk about revival. We are praying that each person attending will have a fresh encounter with God that will soon spread to their churches and across the country. There should soon be a link to an information and registration web site on the BMI page. Prayerfully consider bringing a few carloads of people from your church.

Posted by Richard Blackaby at 9:35 am