Selah for Today -08-08-2019- DNA

DNA provides a unique set of instructions that build you, however: “All humans are 99.9 percent identical. So to hate someone, a group or race is to hate yourself. Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Run Your Race with Compassion

By Richard L Spangler

Recently, I completed the challenge of walking the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I had never done anything like this before. It took two years of training and discipline, and a lot of support from family and friends, as well as mountain of prayer. So at sixty years old, this man who had a quadruple heart by-pass surgery seven years ago started the race.

   What started as a personal goal two years ago, graduated to a 13.1-mile prayer walk for the seven cities of Hampton Roads, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our nation. If that was enough, I found myself saying thank you to the police officers, firemen and women and the rescue personnel along the race route. Many of these men and women had a surprised look on their faces and smiled and thanked me in return.  Soon others, who were moving at the same pace I was also began to do the same thing. This was showing thankfulness and compassion to our first responders.

 Somewhere, close to the half way point most everyone including myself became very focused on the race. Going down this wooded road with ditches on both sides a fellow race participant caught my attention. She had moved off the road and was holding on to the speed limit sign. I passed her but felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to go back. I asked, “Are you okay?” she said, “Yes” I started to walk away and hear the Holy Spirit say, “She’s NOT okay.” I went back and asked again. This time she said, “I am having problems keeping my balance and walking straight. Can I use your arm to get me to the center of the road and to steady me?” I said, “Yes. There is a water station just down the road, I will you get there.”

 We got to the water station and she thanked me. Out of my mouth came “I Will walk with you some more to make sure your okay.” As we walked she began holding my arm again.  I asked, a couple of times if she wanted medical help? She said, “No, she wanted to complete the race.” After a short distance she said, I think I need the paramedics. “As we came out of the wooded area there sat a rescue unit. I yelled for their help and they came over to assist the lady.

 I finished the race about 20 minutes later than I would have but I still finished. As I thought about the day’s events, I realized that many running their race were so focused on their finish they missed an opportunity to show compassion to someone else. 

 We as believers are running our race for the prize of the crown of glory (1 Corinthians 9:24 and Hebrews 12:1) but we are also to run the race with compassion.  Jesus was moved with compassion, Matthew 9:35-37. Matthew 14:13-21 the feeding of the 5000 started with compassion. And again in Matthew 15:29-38 4000 fed. Luke 7:11-15 The raising of the Widow’s son and Matthew 20:30-34 the blinds eyes opened, were done as Jesus was moved with compassion. Webster’s Dictionary defines compassion:  sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

  We as believers, we will finish our race but we need to be moved with compassion as Christ was. I believe our planned works for the Lord will earn us rewards. But, it is our unplanned acts of compassion, prompted by the Holy Spirit that we hear “Will done my good and faithful servant…”  

  Run your race and run it well, by keeping your eyes and ears open for acts of compassion along your course, so that you will not only finish the race but will hear “Well Done...”

©COPYRIGHT 2015 RICHARD L. SPANGLER

The Adventure Continues...

This is an excerpt from my new book, the Working title is

"The Adventure Continues:
More Adventures in the Spirit"

 The Plateau of Sacrifice

by Richard L. Spangler

   Once again I am caught up in the Spirit, finding myself where I was before, standing on top of one of the Mountains of Refreshing, one of several. There is a light breeze of refreshing blowing around me and yet through my body, soul and spirit. The view is as amazing as before. There are beautiful valleys below me and the glorious mountains reaching upwards to high places of Heaven.

   Suddenly, the Wind of the Spirit sweeps me up and I am soaring above the highest of the mountains and beauty below me is breathe taking. As I begin to worship our Father, the Glory of God surrounds me, becoming so thick I can see nothing but the light of His Glory.
  
 I feel myself dissenting through the Glory, the ground racing up to meet me. I land softly and starts walking, as the glory lifts. I stop in my tracks, stunned by what I see.  I am in a barren place, no trees, no plants, no grass and no water as far as I can see. The ground looks strange. Upon closer inspection, the ground is a solid black rock.

  Since, the Lord put me here I decide I might as well explore this new place. I walk in one direction for the rest of the day. As evening came, tried and hungry I lay down on the rock ground to try to sleep. After a restless night, I get up and continue my trek across the rock. After walking most of the day, I come to what looks like ledge. To my dismay, it is a sheer drop off, its looks like its hundreds of miles down to the valley below. I turn walking along the edge, looking for a way down. This takes the rest of day. As night fell, I move away the edge and lay down to try and get some sleep. The next day was the same and next.

  As the day dawns, I feel like every muscle and bone in my body aches, I am tired and hungry. The realization hits me, this is a plateau and there is no way down. My frustration explodes, and I yelled at God, “Why have you left me here?   “Why are you not coming to my rescue?” At times I shake my fist skyward and I other times I pound my fist on the ground.  

   At some point my yelling turns into pleading with God and asking for forgiveness for every sin I have done or might have done. Finally, (dirty and bloody) I lay down and say, “Lord I am yours. If this is where my life ends, then take it, I surrender to you my Father and my God.” Just then,a bolt of bright light, strikes me, it lifts me up. Then, I fall asleep from exhaustion.

    I don’t know how long I was asleep but I woke up lying on a carpet of grass. Sitting up, I am surrounded by fruit-bearing trees and right beside me there is a brook of crystal clear water. I roll over and drink my fill from the brook. Then, getting up I pick and eat some of the fruit from the trees. Standing there, I begin to think, “How did I get here?”

   I hear a familiar voice behind saying, “Get where?” I turn and there stands Jesus, smiling at me. I fall to my knees and worship Him.
 
He lifts me up and repeats, “Get where?”

“Get here” I reply.
Jesus says, “You are in the same place. You didn’t go anywhere.”

“But, I had to, this is a beautiful place and the plateau was a black barren place.” Jesus starts laughing. This is very confusing to me.

   
    Jesus explains, “This is the same place. It is called the Plateau of Sacrifice. This whole plateau is alter and the moment you surrendered your life, your sacrifice brought forth all that you see around you. Sacrifice always bears fruit and the greater the sacrifice the greater the fruit that is produced. Come and walk with me.”

  As we walked I thought about what Jesus had said. I began to think about his sacrifice, which is the greatest sacrifice of all and the abundance of fruit that has come from His sacrifice. I was glad that I would not have to make this sacrifice again. Then Jesus said, “There are many places of sacrifice.” This caused my heart to sink a little.

 Then I spoke, “I hope I will be able to make the sacrifices when the time comes.”
 
Jesus: “You will be able but you also must be willing.”

   We walked on, enjoying the beauty that surrounded us. There was even a tree lined trail that had appeared on the side of the plateau. I looked away to enjoy the view and hear, “See you soon my son.” I looked back and Jesus was gone. I continued down the trail. 

   Two thoughts filled my mind. First was that there are many places of sacrifices, this caused a part of me to cringe, I knew that was my fleshly nature not wanting to sacrificed. The second, was that I was able but needed to be willing. Willingness is the key to making sacrifice and to all the fruit that comes from that sacrifice. I stop at an overlook and cried out to Father, “Lord, I cannot be willing on my own, Holy Spirit help me to be willing, to yield my will to your will, even when it means making sacrifices.”
 
   Suddenly, the of Wind of the Spirit is flowing around me and lifting me up.

 ©COPYRIGHT 2014 RICHARD L. SPANGLER

 

 

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