Is God Moving in your Heart?

by Mark Smith

When I was a kid, my family visited a vacation resort in Tennessee that was under construction. The resort was eager to invite families to come, experience the beauty, and to invest in the completion of their facilities. Families were invited to dream and envision what it would all look like in the future. My parents listened to their presentation and considered all the benefits of joining their project.

Because I was only 6 years old at the time, my perspective was completely different. I was bored and wanted to go out and play. As I was exploring this resort, I found a huge, above-ground pool with a large stairway leading to a platform where swimmers would enter and exit. But there were no swimmers at this time of the season…just me and a big, inviting platform.

I first climbed up and surveyed the view like a conquering king. Then I felt the water to see if it was cold. Then I took my shoes and socks off and sat on a ladder leading into the water. I began to make bigger and bigger splashes in the water.

As I was daydreaming about pirates and mermaids, I didn’t realize that the ladder was not attached to the platform. With each new movement, the ladder swayed away from the platform until it separated altogether. What was becoming a fun afternoon soon turned dangerous and traumatic. All I can remember is bobbing up and down yelling for help until my sister rescued me from the edge of drowning.

As I reflect on our new series, “Take us to the Edge,” I think we are all somewhere between the different experiences of my family at that resort. Some of us are at a point where we can sit and dream about all the future possibilities of reaching our community for Christ. For others, we cannot get beyond our immediate crisis to even think about the future.

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, I believe God is always calling us to the edge of being more, loving more, serving more and giving more. When God called Moses to speak to the people in Exodus 25, he said: “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me…” (v. 2, ESV)

Notice that the ones who participated were the ones whose hearts were moved. It was not about how many resources they had. It was a matter of the heart. Their hearts moved and they responded. Something stirred within, and they were taken to the edge of their comfort zones to experience the joy of participating in what God was building.

This is my prayer in this season: “God, move in the hearts of your people. Let them be more, love more, serve more and give more. Stir in our hearts, and begin that movement in my own heart. Start with me.”  May that be your prayer as we walk a new path together in February.

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