What is going on? How have the winter months of the New Year been treating you? After coming back from Ohio, which is as flat as the book The Pride and Prejudice, the Vermont mountains have really been great to look at. My week break from school has been relaxing and rejuivenating. Well, here are my thoughts as of late–I pray that God will speak to you through them.
Supposedly, Peter, a follower of Jesus was nailed to a cross upside down. Paul was stoned so hard that everyone in the crowed considered their life sucking hands filled beyond measure. Paul lived on to preach the gospel and somehow eventually died doing so. The only person who really enjoyed the “old age” years was John the apostle and even he died. Also, Mathew was a dirty tax collector and Paul was apparently short, stout, and ugly and had a “thorn in the flesh” that God politely refused to remove. Was this a bad case of hemorrhoids, blindness, an awful wife (as one lady from Focus on the family suggested), or hoof-to-mouth disease? I don’t know, but it was unpleasant.We’ve got “thorns” we’d like to have removed-a big honking yellow tooth in the front, awkward limbs, a stutter, hearing problems, or conjunctivitis; you name it. Where would we be in this world of sin and brokenness if it weren’t for these limitations? I can tell you, with our fierce Western individualism-cowboy-I-can-do-it-myself mindset, we would not look to anything, would not depend on anything for help in our day. Paul boasted about his limitations. God created his stout little legs because he knew Paul’s fiber; He knew that if he were a pinch more attractive pride would swallow his ministry and he would be as good as a stump in God’s Kingdom.
Over the last year and a half God has blessed me by lifting part of his protective hands and allowed marauders to storm my temple. Metaphorically speaking, I’ve been stoned, spit on, slapped, tripped, insulted, whipped with fiberglass and see many others including you reading who may have been blessed with similar blows. Every time I set out to spread the hope of Jesus Christ, several men take bats to my stomach and scream to me that I am ugly and a dirty sinner. Do you know this voice? Good thing I am a wild man for Jesus, created in his image and an heir to the throne of the God who created Vermont’s mountains. Really, I hurt and want to quit, to choose to lust and be down and crumble like Allen Iverson’s career as of late. Trust me, I’ve gandered that course and run those steep hills.
It has only convinced me of our desperate need of the grace, love, and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Judges 1:19 we read the words of a clever author, “but they were unable to drive the people from the
plains, because they had iron chariots.” The men of God could not defeat their enemies because of their limitations. It makes sense to us doesn’t it? The enemy is just too strong for God, or God’s chosen people just didn’t have iron chariots? Did God use Gideon and three hundred men to drive out and terrorize thousands of trained soldiers with pots and pans mothers once used to cook little steaks for children in? Did Joshua fail in his pursuit of the heads of Jerichonians because Jericho had a massive wall around the city? The author of Judges is testing us. Why do you think the men of Judah failed in Judges 1:19? Please read Judges 2:1-3.
Disobedience! God doesn’t hold us accountable for our limitations but for what our actions are and where our hearts are. If we love him we will obey his commands right? If God tells us to love our neighbor and he happens to be homosexual, will you disobey God??
I write to encourage you that through my limitations, God has been able to use me in mighty ways! Last night I found myself at a bar in Burlington playing pool and telling an old friend from high school with a drug problem (that I might have if I were in his shoes) that I will be praying for him every day and I got to witness to three people my age, one was homeless and was able to speak the wonders of God to my best friend in an Indian tea restaurant with Pagan statues and prayer circles all around us. I had a blast!
I say this to brag about the faithfulness of Jesus, who said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”-John 10:10. Trust me, at different times during the night, men threw bricks at my heart and I thought I would curl up and die, but through it I was able to listen to God’s voice, “I am right here with you.”
So tell God when you feel weak and ask Him to use you because when there is less of our Big Head, there is more room for Jesus to shine through us to pour himself over
his precious creation.
Find life today through
the mercy of Jesus Christ.
I love and praise Jesus,
Love- Joe Cartier
You got whipped!!?!?
Don’t you ever feel like you’ve been beat up some times like after ministry? I sometimes feel like satan has thrown all his darts at me at once and sometimes it feels as if I faced spiritual battles all day. I was trying to use a physical metaphore to describe how it feels. This is what I mean…sorry if I confused you!
Praise God. Thank you Joe. At the end of a week surrounded by “wordliness” your post has thoroughly encouraged me.
Ligia
In response to seth’s comment. Joe has always had plenty of whipped cream. And he gets whipped often by his dad at the game of basketball.
In response to Joe’s blog…nice reminder that it is not about what we do, it is about what God can do with us if we let Him, even in the hardest times.
We do need all the GRACE , LOVE , and TRUTH that Jesus offers, which can never be depleted.
Moms
No confusion… just joking with ya. You’re a pretty awesome guy and great at rolling with the punches! Keep it up!!!
Hi Joe, I was sorry to hear that you had already gone nack to school when I got to church yesterdzy. I was looking forward to spending 10 minutes or so with you.
When your Mother and Grandmother came up last week, she told me you were coming home. Of course, I made a batch of oookies just to have on hand. No guilt please. I can’t imagine how fast a week went by. God bless you, my dear friend. Please exdcuse the typoes, I cannot see this size font and can not find a way to enlarge it. Makes it a more challenging note, doesn’t it. Love to you Joe, Gods richest blessings be upon you.
Joe_Carter! So great to have coffee with you. The time flew by but it mustuh run long because while you looked like Joe_Carter at the beginning of the kaffe klatch, by the end, we’re talking the bearded image above in this post. But, we fear not, for ye shall always have scissors with which to trim ye beard (metaphor alert).
PS – God’s presence in our discussion was strong! I was so blessed to be able to share some of God’s Word to comfort two different people that day. I’ve been praying for opportunities as well as wisdom to work with His timing.