"Against All Odds"

 "And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 1:17 KJV)

  "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

 There comes a point in this journey when you will be challenged to give up; not that you plan for it, or even expect it, but because you're making a difference, and when that happens, watch out! This is pretty typical for just about everyone, whether you are leading a large church, or a small band of misfits, if you are advancing the Kingdom of God, you will find yourself facing great opposition and loss. 

 Forget that we are talking about Solomon's extreme wealth and overindulgence; instead, focus on the part about the wisdom, as if wisdom gives insight into circumstance and situations. If you have been following Jesus for any amount of time, you should know by now, God's way of doing things, however strange or impossible, they are not the way we might have planned it; most of the time they are pretty much the opposite of what we might have done! 

 You might be struggling with your finances and have no clue what to do. Do you secure your funds and pinch your penny's? Yea, right; not in God's economy! You scrounge up all you can find, and give it all to the church, letting yourself fall into the arms of God! 

 That is just one example, based upon something normal and easy to understand. But what do you do when you can't move; when you are perplexed by so much opposition, you are certain that you are not where God would have you, feeling as though you're on your own. Besides prayer, which is always important, you look for the hardest and less obvious route. 

 Crazy as it might seem, but if you really want to follow the Lord, then you must, by all means, expect that the unseemly way is the way you will go. Think about it, it doesn't take a lot to figure it out; as a matter of fact, it turns out to be the exact opposite, because you shouldn't even try to figure it out, it's not your plan, its God's plan, your just along for the ride! 

 Does that mean you won't worry? If you don't have some worry, you are not normal and need to be check out! Heros are afraid, they just know how to manage their fear and use it to be motivated for the task at hand. Worry is just another way to make you put all your trust in the Lord...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:1-4 NLT)