Original Entry: June 30, 2008
McMinnville, OR
“Listen to
me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from
which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.” Isaiah 51:1
From the
ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the
rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2
Years ago
I met with a young man who is shipping off with dreams to become an Army
Ranger. As a sophomore we were close,
but the coming of his senior year, girlfriend, and car, put some distanced
between us. This is par for the course for a youth pastor. I know I have made
an impact on him and one day he will realize it. Like a young man I coached
over a decade ago who paid for me to travel a thousands mile to perform his
ceremony, students often reappear down the road.
Time
reminds us of the men who have impacted our life. Men are the product of the
investment others made, or failed to make, in their life. Thos investments compound
over the years to impact one life. Think
of the coaches, teachers, family members, mentors and ministers whose words and
example have made you (good, bad, or ugly) the man you are today.
Men are a
chip off the old block of those who mentored us.
Look at
the words used to describe God in Isaiah
51:1; “righteousness”, “the Lord”, and
“the rock.” He is our rock and our foundation. He is everything. He is our creator and designer. He deserves to have His creation “pursue”, “seek” and “look to” Him.
In college
I had a poster of men climbing a sheer cliff. At the bottom of the poster Psalm 61:2 was quoted, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
You have been created for a higher calling. You are not only a chip off the
old block, but are called to be a chip off The Block! You are made in the image
of your Creator (Genesis 1:26). As such
you should act like it.
