I am thankful for kid movies. I think I like them as much as they do! One of my favorites is "Finding Nemo." Before that movie I had never heard of the East Australian Current. The EAC is an ocean current that moves warm water in a counter-clockwise manor down the eastern coast of Australia.
There is a scene in the movie where Sea turtles use the EAC as a super highway to travel down the eastern coast of Australia. Like vehicles merging onto the freeway the turtles merge into the current and let it take them where they want to go.
With that in mind let me tell you what happened the other day.
I have been a pastor for a long time. Ministry is a truly privilege. However, it is not always as glamorous as you may think. There are mundane days and irritating situations. The other day felt like one of those days when it started.
I had a call to meet with a with a man who "needed to talk to pastor." In my experience that can mean many things. Little did I know that this time would be a sovereign move of God.
The man did not tell me he needed money or that he had some crisis in his life that he needed rescued from, he simply told me he was empty and was looking for direction and purpose.
It was a "God" experience. I felt a deep impression in my heart that I was going to have the privilege of leading this man to Christ, the One he was longing for.
There are times when you are talking to someone about the truths of the Gospel and it feels as if your words are bouncing off the person's forehead. This was not one of those times. He was a sponge to all that I was talking to him about. It made me think of all the other people that had spoke into his life at some point or another. Someone somewhere planted a seed, someone else watered, God made it grow and I was about to harvest.
I wonder if doctors who deliver babies ever grow tired of seeing newborns come into this world? I know when my kids were born I was always aware that there was Creator, life giving, God, and that at each birth I was witnessing a miracle.
Putting faith in Jesus is a birth, it is the New birth Jesus talks about in John 3. So spiritually I was about to deliver a newborn into this world. The person who delivers the baby can't take credit for anything in the process of life but serving and being available to help the mom and the family. The same is true when we lead someone to Christ. We do not get any credit, we just get the privilege of seeing the work of God before our very eyes.
So, back in my office I asked the man if he wanted to put his faith in Jesus and be a follower of Him. He said he did. So he prayed his first prayer to God and asked Jesus to be his Savior and Lord.
"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." (Romans 10:9-11 NLT)
It was pretty awesome to witness. I truly had to repent to God for not always having the best attitude going into situations. I have had the privilege of leading others to Christ before, but it had been awhile since I this had happened. I think being a pastor gets in the way of doing real ministry sometimes!
What does all this have to do with the East Australian Current? Well, The picture God gave me after praying with the man was that of God's current. God's current, spiritually speaking, is always flowing. We like the sea turtles of Australia are not moving toward God but moving about in the vast ocean of life doing our own thing, going our own direction, when suddenly God in His amazing love draws us into His current. We then learn to flow with Him, letting Him lead, and ultimately Him leading us into Eternal life with Him. That is the destination of His current. It does not matter how old we are when we dive into His current, it does not matter where we have been, what matters is that we dive in.
I am so thankful God drew me into His current. I can feel my selfish nature fighting against it sometimes, but God in His love always reminds me of His grace and ultimately where we are headed and I stop fighting and let Him lead again.
Lets Dive in...
