It seems
like everyone has a sign. Even churches
have signs -- not only signs advertising their location, but many also have
signs so they can put out those catchy phrases to entertain and convict and
invite others to join them. Phrases like
"Stop, drop, and roll won't help you in Hell," "Free trip to
Heaven -- Details Inside!" and "How will you spend eternity --
smoking or nonsmoking?"
Everywhere
you look, everyone has a sign. Everyone
has a message that they're trying to get out -- "Shop here -- visit here
-- look at us." But regardless of
the sign, one thing's for certain -- the message that they're shouting out is
always directed at us. They want us to
read their sign. They want us to be
swayed by their message. They want our
lives to be changed in one way or the other because we saw their message and
were drawn to their shop, restaurant, church, etc.
But then
there is "The Sign." The sign
I saw on the way to work. The sign that
was different. It was one of those large
signs with the arrow that lets you change the message by switching out letters. You see them everywhere, with their flashing
neon lights and their visible colors and their enticing messages. But this one was different.
It was a
simple black-and-white sign. The arrow
didn't point anywhere -- it was just focused towards an empty field. But that wasn't what was important. The message was what caught my eye.
In black
letters on that white sign, I read, "God, You Reign." That was it.
Three simple words but a life-changing message. This sign wasn't put there to get my
attention. This message wasn't for
me. It wasn't trying to get me to buy
anything or eat anywhere or even visit a particular church. It was a message to God, standing in a field,
for Him and His glory alone.
"God,
You Reign." What an amazing
message. What an amazing sign. As I drove by that first morning, the sun was
rising, just peaking up behind the trees.
The light filtered down, a slight mist in the field illuminated by the
rising sun. Birds flitted from tree to
tree. The grass swayed in the caress of
a gentle breeze. All creation, it
seemed, was speaking the same message:
"God, You Reign."
That sign
spoke to my heart. It convicted my
soul. It reminded me of what was truly
important, of why we were put here on this earth in the first place. Despite what we're told by all those other
signs, it's not about us. It's about
Him.
That sign
wasn't trying to impress anyone. It
didn't care what the world thought. It
didn't worry one moment about how it looked and the fact that the neon lights
weren't flashing. It existed for one
purpose and one purpose only -- to bring glory to God by speaking directly to
Him.
How many
times do we get up in the morning and think that the world revolves only around
us? We rush around trying to get ourselves
ready for work or school. We
complain about the slow drivers who are holding us up. We wait impatiently for the car ahead
of us in the fast food lane, who is keeping us from getting our
breakfast. We remind ourselves
as we head out for the day, "I've got to do this today. I've got to go here. I've got to buy this." And, if we're honest, we race through our
morning devotions to see what we can get out of it, not to hear what God
is saying. I, I, I. We, we we.
Ourself, ourselves. Mine, mine,
mine.
That sign
showed more faith and gave more glory to God than I show on an average
morning. God, this message is for You
and You alone. It is for Your eyes and
for Your glory. God, You Reign. God, You are God. God, You are King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. God, You are what is
important. God, You are great. God, You are worthy. God, all glory is Yours and Yours alone.
Just
something to think about as this new day begins.
In Christ,
Pastor Greg
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