For those struggling financially …
We all wish for quick fixes. But I remember something Rick Warren wrote in one of his books: “When God makes a mushroom, He takes a day. When He makes an oak, He takes a hundred years.” There aren’t any shortcuts. While, yes, there are legitimate ways to make $20,000 or more in a day, sometimes those doors are closed to us for one reason or another. Sometimes, we just need to slug it out. Let me encourage you not to resent the journey. If a pile of money could accomplish God’s purposes in you, there’s nothing stopping God from dropping a pile of money on your head. (And He may do it!) But God is also interested in the things money can’t buy, and He wants you to have that abundance as well.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. — Luke 2:6-7
In the 2002 movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, the count makes a spectacular appearance to the elite social circle of his day. He arrives in a hot air balloon, complete with fireworks, dancers, dozens of servants — all the fanfare you could imagine.
By contrast, the first appearance of Jesus seems like an entry of stealth. Tucked away in a Judean village, in a cave or a stable, a traveling Jewish woman stops to give birth to a baby. It seems out of place.
But Jesus’ birth became a metaphor for His whole life. Years later, Pilate couldn’t understand why Jesus didn’t vigorously defend Himself. It didn’t occur to Jesus to bother. He knew that He had no lasting place in this world, until He returns to take possession of everything that is rightfully His.
Today Jesus is being born into the lives of people all over the world. Again, His entry is mostly unpublished, unrecognized, quiet. Quiet. Sort of like the Joshua’s first six trips around Jericho.
Someday the trumpet will sound!
Be encouraged!
Dwight
What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries?
Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace,
wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries.
Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being
restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in
restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and
encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord,
and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this
happens as a result of one person’s efforts, but rather this is God’s
work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We
partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with
the Lord. That’s how the supernatural happens.
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