Great Shrimp & Great Preaching

I’m in Florida for a few days for a series of meetings. Let me begin by saying, yum–yum! Today, I ate fresh Gulf shrimp for lunch then turned around and ate them again for dinner. I love fresh seafood. The little town of Graceville has a family-owned place called Grady’s Seafood House that has reasonably-priced, fresh seafood.

After dinner, our meeting continued at the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville. The president of the college, Dr. Tom Kinchen, delivered a stirring message from the book of Joshua at the close of the evening meeting. He entitled the message “Whatever It Takes” and chose the following passage as his text:

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.” Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:1-5 (NIV)

He compared Christians today to the children of Israel. Here are the main points and some comments from his message about doing whatever it takes to be a true disciple:

  • Turn your eyes on Jesus. We often live under the circumstance of our situation instead of looking to the Lord. When we look to Him, He can part the roaring waters in our lives just as he parted the Jordan.
  • Get up and do something. We often use our circumstances as excuses when we should remember that God can use us right where we are. There’s no need to spend another forty years in the wilderness when God says to cross the river.
  • Follow God at an appropriate distance. We should step back and get a fresh perspective on the greatness of God. As disciples, we must follow Him wherever and whenever He leads.
  • Get ready to go where you’ve never been. God often asks us to go places we’ve never been. When we follow God, we will certainly cover new ground.
  • Get ready to be amazed. God’s grace and power continue to amaze.

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