I Chronicles 4:9-10 - "Build Your Kingdom Here"

As I was returning home in the wee hours of the morning from being called to the hospital for a death I turned on the radio and heard "Build Your Kingdom Here" and thought wow!  I've always thought my ministry was in the church or at least in the lives of the people of the church.  I would witness to people but my greatest emphasis was in ministering to those in our congregation.  When we did projects for 10.10.10, they were mostly done for those in the community who were not a part of our congregation.  Since then we have been trying to be in the community ministering as a church body as much as possible.  After the emphasis on 10.10.10 projects, Doc became the police chaplain in order to be ministering to the community.  This past summer I started as one of the on-call chaplains at Willard Mercy.  God has opened so many doors for us as we continue to seek His Will for our life.

I love the words to this song…"Increase in us we pray…"  Woo hoo!  YES, Lord, please increase in us!  I remember a few months before we came to Willard we began to pray the Prayer of Jabez.  

"Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.' So God granted him what he requested"  (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

We desired to minister where the Lord wanted us to be.  We asked Him to bless us and to enlarge our territory.  With those prayers we were brought to the Willard Church of the Nazarene.  Twelve plus years later and once again He is enlarging our territories to take us outside of the church and into the community in ways we never dreamed of.  Woo hoo!  I love ministering at the hospital.  I feel at home there.  Of course, growing up I spent a lot of time in the hospital with my parents so it makes sense.  My parents gave me the example of what it means to reach out to those hurting and to be compassionate.  That's what a Christian should be…compassionate to all.

The chorus of this song goes:

"Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray"

Once again, I say "YES, Lord!"  The desire of my heart is for our land to be healed.  I would love to have my grand babies to know what it means to live in a Christian based America.  I also would love to see revival in the hearts of the people.  The study we are doing on "Worship" can impact all who allow it to.  I pray as we are coming to a close with it that more people will realize in order to truly worship the Lord they first must be clean.  We all have the choice to live a life of the world or a life of the Lord.  Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell…that's the choice we all have.  Before we make any decision in life we must ask ourselves one question.  "Will this decision make a difference in whether I go to heaven or hell?"  The answer should determine our actions.

I love how the Lord has brought this song to me over and over this week. First, on the radio coming home.  Then in my mind when I woke up Wednesday morning.  Again when I woke up this morning it was playing through my mind.  Tonight hearing Doc listening to it.  Wow!  I know there is a reason for all of these times and I pray for that reason to be revealed to me.  

Perhaps it is to remind me that "No force of hell can stop…"

Or perhaps it is to encourage me that God will "Fill us with the strength and love of Christ"

Or perhaps it is to remind me that "We are the hope…On Earth."  

Whatever the reason, I am ready to continue on building His Kingdom in whatever way and wherever He so desires.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the reminders of this song.  Thank You, Lord, for loving me so much that You bless me in abundance.  I praise You, Lord, for giving me the tools to be You to others.  Thank You Jesus for making me Your Kingdom Builder!  Amen.