Not Man-Made.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Not Man-Made. Sunday night I had the awesome chance to be in worship with my parents at Victory. They faithfully attend Antioch Baptist Church in Conway, so I don’t get the opportunity to be in a service with them much. I was preaching at Victory Sunday night, however, so they were able to come. Afterwards, trying to squeeze as much time out of the night with them as possible, we went, with my friend Ashley, along with some other Victory peeps, to McDonald’s for supper. I had no idea God had set up an opportunity to receive some encouragement from Him while there.
As we were eating, after the rest of the Victory crew had already left, an older gentleman walking with a cane came over to our table and sat down next to me. He said, “You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I had to come tell you something. You are a Christian, aren’t you?” I answered him, “Yes sir, I am.” He said, “I knew it. My wife and I have been sitting across the restaurant from you and I told her, ‘That young man is a follower of Christ for sure. Just look at his smile – he has a peace that can only come from knowing and following Christ.” I was speechless.
I wanted to say, “Sir, if you knew the journey I’ve been on with Him over the past 12 months of my life, you would certainly understand how big of a deal this smile and peace is.” But I didn’t. I just sat there, smiling, relishing the moment. A brother in Christ I never knew I had who, obviously, has a gift of encouraging folks, felt led by Him to come share this with me. My God always knows EXACTLY what I need, and He never ceases to amaze me.
Do I always smile? No, I don’t. But my prayer is that even on a day when the smile doesn’t come so naturally, the peace of God that reigns within my heart would radiate from me to others who need the same peace. Joy and being happy aren’t always one in the same, you know. We can be in a time when happiness isn’t a reality for us, but joy can reign in our hearts and minds. That’s a deep-seated acceptance that God is in control, and He’s faithful.
My life looks a whole lot differently than it did this time last year, that’s for sure. And I can honestly tell you that the peace in Him that I have today is the result of His ever amazing faithfulness to me throughout my life, especially this past year. I’m in a dream job, a dream hometown, with amazing friends, the best family in the world, settled into a good life, and I’ve got peace like a river.
And that, my friends, can never be man-made. Only God can do all that. He is, without a doubt, faithful.
PS: Thanks for praying for Papaw. His surgery went great yesterday, and he’s resting for a couple days at my parents’.



That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake

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