Stand Strong

Hudson Taylor was probably one of the greatest missionaries of his time and i read one of his quotes the other day that made me think real hard. he said "At the timberline where storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found. as i sat there and pondered that awesome quote i thought of several men that i know are on the front lines of what the Father is doing in this world. They have touched and are touching lives around the world and sending out followers who are just as fired up over the gospel as these men have been for years...there however are men who are not known world wide that are doing just as great a job on the front lines as these great Apostles....think about the Pastors that oversee the churches that we attend or the folks who lead the Friday night bible study in their apartment building, the young mother and father who are raising their kids in the way of the Lord. i think on these things and i know that we all think that we can do it just as well as the next guy...but where are we standing....have we been tried by the storms or are we just getting drizzled on. i think back a couple of weeks ago and my pastor and his wife were out of town and i was blessed to try to fill his shoes that morning....that will never happen,...why...because he is who he is and i am what's i am as Popeye would say. Michael is a great teacher..he loves to dig and search the word for all of its special meanings, he studies the Greek and Hebrew to find out exactly how a verse should be translated, he takes meticulous notes....i have tried to copy him...but in my case that just doesn't work...my notes are sloppy, short and given to just a couple of thoughts and verses that i want to bring out. i have seen my pastor standing on the top of the mountain and being pressured by some pretty tough storms over the last twenty years and i see him standing stronger, more solid but maybe alittle more weathered over the years...he has show me the heart of a great warrior. Many men would love to be a John Hagee, Bishop T. D. Jakes...you can fill in the names that come to your heart but you are you and they are who they are. we all have to take up roots somewhere during the storms that rage in our lives...are we going to be the stable tree or the weeping willow. there is a scripture in Ephesians that talks about when have done all....stand.
it is talking about having on the armor of God and when the storms come having done all you can do STAND...to stand firmly in your place, to hold your ground...if you happen to read this and you are going through some tough times i encourage you to stand.
Blessings, Joe