Improvise - To do or make something from whatever is available. I like to call it the Boy Scout Effect or The Macgyver App. If you ever saw Macgyver, you will remember he could make something out of whatever in the most strenuous situations and make it look like no big problem. Now Macgyver is remembered more in spoofs than as being a good example of improvising. When we get in a comfort zone it is so difficult to get out of it. A teaching becomes an interest, an interest an inclination, an inclination a habit, and a habit a lifestyle. What began so small and innocent, can impact our lives forever. This slippery slope of laziness can possess us quickly and if we don't have everything perfectly in line for us to do something we freak out! Why is that? Well, first of all it is not just laziness, it is much worse. It is apathy. Apathy comes in many forms and satan has developed it in our society and masked the outcome until apathy has become an accepted way of living. I'm not talking User friendly here, because user friendly has the intent of being used. Apathy is a "core sin" that starts out small and then leads into a whole new lifestyle change. The first thing that makes us punch in the apathy app, is trials. We look at trials as being a "curse" more than just a testing of our faith. A testing to check us and see if we have gotten addicted to doing nothing or taken the apathy pill. This pill is one that many take every day and it distorts their perspective of serving when it comes to being a disciple. When it comes to trials, Jesus has our back. In Luke 17:1,2 he said, "Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time! Be Alert!!" Well, here's the alert!! It's happening all around us and our response needs to be measured and productive when it comes to facing trials, or apathy will eat our lunch. We need to learn to IMPROVISE. Of course, anyone would want everything in life to be perfect and fall into place, but that's just not going to happen and the development of our life through sanctification is going to have some hard knocks on the pathway, so we need to be wise in how we handle them. If you have great plans to do something one way and God puts in a trial or two, don't give up. Improvise!! Use whatever you can to make it happen in the midst of everything supposedly falling apart. This is especially true for leaders in the church, specifically ministers. Our greatest plans are made with the understanding that we are here to lead God's people to serve Him to reach the harvest. Then we make all these plans and one monkey wrench after another is thrown in and what are we to do? Improvise. If we know God is in it, we must continue on and improvise to get to the end result. God gives us great wisdom along with the vision, but we must be faithful to use that wisdom and access it through prayer and supplication. Paul reaffirmed the church at Ephesus again and again and in Ephesians 6:18 hammered the message home, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." and also in Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" In other words, get prayed up, keep praying, and keep working at it until it is accomplished. We just give up way to early, and then we don't get to see the end result God wants to show us. We must use whatever we can to accomplish the vision and preservere until it is completed. In other words, be a good finisher. Do you know what a good finisher does to apathy. He defeats it immediately because his eyes are down the road and apathy fades away like the black smoke in the mini series Lost. But he has to face it first. If you know there is apathy in your life right now, then face it for what it is, a poison pill from satan, and make a commitment to not swallow that tainted pill anymore. Ask God for a fresh vision in your mind and heart, and then go get it, knowing there will be some tough times along the way, but be committed to finishing! We have the greatest example of finishing through the death of Jesus on the cross. When He finished Jesus won the battle. If we will finish, we will win every battle we fight. If things get rough, stop, pray, then IMPROVISE!! Remember, Jesus is the one who orginated the Macgyver App, and made it possible for us to download it for free. God will help you do that, but you have to be willing to finish and take the hard knocks. Remember, Jesus has your back and anyone who tries to thwart His plans in your life will have to answer to Him. Oh yeah, that's what He's talking about. Believe it and live it.......for Christ.
The Pilgrimage continues.....
David Warren
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