From: The Pastor’s Heart
To: You
Title: “You’re Out of LEMONS?”
Yesterday was another incredible time of worship as it always is when God allows
me to worship with the men and women of Marvelous Light. It was a busy day, to say the
least, and after delivering my third message that evening, Pastor K. and I were invited to
dinner by the host Pastor of the Faith Move Church. We graciously accepted the offer and
proceeded to the restaurant fully ready for a good hot meal and some ice cold water. One
of the things you’ll learn about Pastor K. is that when she orders a glass of water she
always request that the waiter bring extra lemons for her water. As expected, she placed
her order which included a glass of water with extra lemons. Unfortunately, to all of our
surprise, we were informed that the entire restaurant was out of lemons!
Now to some this may seem confusing and petty as to why this subject matter is
even part of todays topic, but here’s why. A glass of water is the most basic request a
patron can make at ANY restaurant and since water alone doesn’t have much taste to it,
most people who go out for dining will request either ice or lemons with their water. To
not have it anywhere in the building is not just inconvenient, but it’s inconsistent with
what’s expected from the average customer.
Now let’s consider some things (as a Christian) that should be basic and
automatically associated with each and everyone of us. Traits like, a loving disposition, a
kind heart, a forgiving spirit, and genuine patience. Just those four alone should be
qualities that every believer has as a part of their personality because these are the basic
and simple characteristics of our Savior. To be a Christian is to be Christ-like and if
someone comes into our presence and we exhibit hate instead of love or evil rather than
kindness, then something is terribly wrong with our Christian temperament. Jesus taught us
to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully misuse us. A child of God should
not run out of kindness or be searching high and low to find patience in their heart for
their fellow man.
When the waiter informed us that they were out of the basics, I began wondering
what else will I order only to discover arrangements were not made in advance to have
menu items in the building. When the unsaved come in contact with you and I, will they
discover that something’s missing inside our personal sanctuary? I raise this issue because
today you may be the ONLY bible someone reads. If they are going to fall in love with
Christ and ask Him to be the Lord over their life, it may well begin with the Christ they see
in you. You never know who you may come in contact with throughout the course of your
day and you may never know how much they need from you. A cold glass of water
soothes and satisfies a thirst like no other liquid can, but it is a little better with lemons,
I’m just sayin’. Not having them didn’t make us leave the restaurant but we sure raised the
question out loud… “You’re Out of LEMONS?” (a wow moment) (smh)
EVERYTHING WE DO MOVING FORWARD WILL BE INTENTIONAL AND DRIVEN WITH PURPOSE TO REPRESENT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE BEST POSSIBLE LIGHT! NOTHING WILL BE DONE WITH ENERGY LESS THAN OUR BEST AND EFFORT BELOW OUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL.
OUR SERVICE IS LOCAL, BUT OUR REACH IS GLOBAL – SO WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR PRESENTATION DOWN TO WHAT’S CONVENIENT, BUT RATHER WE MUST RAISE IT TO THAT WHICH IS EXPLOSIVE!
Get ready for major change that’s coming systematically, intellectually, purposefully, and professionally. Nothing we do moving forward will be done haphazardly, sloppily, poorly, or carnally.
We Are the LIGHT!
Sincerely,
Pastor J.E. Chandler, Sr.
(CEO/Pastor of MLCM)