Welcome 2012... and greetings to all of you who continue to stop by and show support for Rick!
2011 was a year which brought much change and insight and growth - along with blessings which defy description. The Lord is good and continues to shine His love and favor on Rick and his life on a daily basis. Recently, Rick was required to write a thesis for a course he is taking, and since the message transcends the boundaries of a classroom setting, he asked that I post it for all to read... along with offering his personal wishes for a healthy and blessed New Year for each and every one of you. It doesn't matter where you are in the world - if your life has been given to the Lord, he'll most definitely shine His light through you to others!!! “God is My Hero” Some people define their heroes as someone either famous or extraordinary. In my past professional successes, even ‘I’ was idolized for my work in the music industry. I’ve received numerous awards and accolades which most may never achieve in their lifetime and have been a hero to many an aspiring musician and producer. And I do not take those accolades for granted, but for my life and belief system, it never felt right to put another human being on such a high pedestal. As humans, we are flawed and destined to fail or to let someone down. No human being can ever live up to the expectations of another. However, the Lord is infinite and perfect and is someone who will never let you down, which is why my hero has always been God. In my lifetime, I have received many insights from the Lord, but three important lessons stand out from the rest which attest to why He’s my hero. Through Him and over time (because none of us can become best friends with anyone overnight… not even God!), I have learned the lesson of patience, the lesson of listening and the lesson of unconditional love. First off, patience is not an easy thing for us mere mortals. We’re all in a hurry to either achieve fame, fortune, material possessions, social standing and even spiritual enlightenment. We become impatient if God doesn’t grant us an instant answer to our prayers, and many pray for the wrong things to begin with. “Dear God… just let me win the lottery and I will serve you all of my days.” --- or --- “Lord, if you make that girl fall in love with me, I will go to church every week without fail.” We make it all about us, instead of making it all about Him. I have learned that all things happen in HIS time, and not in MY time. I have learned to wait on the Lord, and through those moments of quiet and calm, He speaks his directives to me and provides me with what I require in my life – the things He feels are best for me. To quote 2 Peter 3:14, from the New Living Testament: “And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight.” While I may occasionally grow impatient waiting for His messages and revelations, they do come. He has never failed me – and during the moments I await his directives, I strive to live each and every day by His Word. Secondly, the lesson of ‘listening’ goes hand-in-hand with that patience. Often, we might get so caught up in our own thoughts, plans and desires that we forget to be still and listen to the insight that only the Lord can give us, either through prayer or through studying scripture. ‘Spiritual intuition’ only comes from paying attention to the Lord and listening. We live in a jam packed noisy world in the middle of a sea of communication saturation. Everyone has been given a platform to be heard, thanks to the Internet, and yet, no one is listening to anyone. The Lord listens to us 24/7/365, and all we have to do is extend the same courtesy to Him. Everyone in the world has a ‘friend request’ from the Lord, and you don’t need to be on Facebook to accept it! Finally, He cared about his earthly children so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for us, to absolve us from our sins and to give us the opportunity to accept His gift to us of eternal life. There is no greater gesture of unconditional love. While none of us will ever be called upon to make such a sacrifice, our ability to demonstrate and accept unconditional love is still tested daily, and maybe more so by those of us who must reside in this environment. It is hard to love our enemies, those we fear and those who may compromise our safety, but through the gift of His Son’s death, and Jesus’ ability to love those who nailed him to the cross to die, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior attempt to pay that gesture of unconditional love forward whenever possible, even to those who do not offer us unconditional love in return. It is not by words but by example that we can all lead. It takes but one pebble of unconditional love tossed in a pond to make the ripple that can affect positive change in others. So for these lessons and so many more, God is my hero. I am proud and humbled to have made a home for Him in my heart and mind and daily life through his grace and example. Even here, I awaken to each new day renewed, refreshed, happy, thankful and grateful for another day of life to be able to serve Him in whatever capacity He calls me to serve. (copyright 2011 - Richard Finch) |
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 Rick is an avid reader and devotee to the writings and teachings of Dr. Charles Stanley of the In Touch Ministry. In the October 2011 issue of their monthly publication, the following article deeply resonated with both Rick and myself. He asked that I share the first couple of paragraphs with you. If you would like to read this article in its entirety, click HERE. Conversation With God Pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord By Charles F. Stanley Do you ever wonder why your prayers seem lifeless—as if something were missing? Do you ever look back on your time with God and think, "Communicating with the Creator of the universe should probably be more satisfying than this. Am I doing something wrong?" Prayer is one of the most awesome privileges that God has given us, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Although we have the opportunity to come boldly to the heavenly Father whenever we please, sometimes we may question whether our attempts to communicate with Him really matter. Sure, we’re quick to seek Him when suffering or trouble knocks at our door, but really, what else is prayer for? The Priority of Prayer Think about your closest friend. How did that friendship develop? Most likely, it required conversation and time spent together. Cultivating a vibrant relationship with the Lord is exactly the same, and prayer is the avenue of our communication with Him. Without it, God may seem like a stranger. He knows us inside and out, but unless we make prayer a priority in our lives, we won’t know Him. And to miss out on knowing the Lord intimately is a great tragedy. The Christian life isn’t merely about how much you serve, how generously you give, or how faithfully you attend church. Rather, these things should result from a close relationship with God. And growing in oneness with Him requires that we set aside time to be alone with Him and experience His awesome presence. Intimacy will not happen any other way. |
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… A MESSAGE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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