Sunday Messages

On this Memorial Day weekend we commemorate the memory of our honored dead. Webster's Dictionary describes the word in the following way:

 Memorial =

Memorial Day (or Decoration Day as it was formerly called) is a patriotic day to honor American Soldiers who have given their lives for their country. In the church we honor those saints who have passed on to glory in their Lord.  It is a legal holiday in most states. Flowers and flags are placed on graves of soldiers. Many organizations march in military parades and take part in special programs. Memorial Day originated during the Civil War.

These words were first spoken by John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, in his famous A Model of Christian Charity. The colonists that Winthrop addressed had fled persecution in England. He was reminding them that they had made a covenant with God. They knew were being watched; they knew they were attempting something never done before; they knew it could only be done with God working through them.

It's interesting that President Reagan chose these words for his funeral. They were originally spoken before the separation of church and state in this land. Winthrop intended them for the Christian community. They were members of the same body, the body of Christ. That community's single purpose was to be a city upon a hill; that community's single purpose was to bring glory to God. And the world was watching. Winthrop's words have been true of our nation in the past, but they must be true of the Christian church today.

Winthrop drew the inspiration for his words from Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount.  In the verses that follow Jesus talks about being light. Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16,

Because light is so readily available to us through the simple flip of a switch, we take it for granted. But it wasn't so in Jesus' day. Light had to be carefully protected. It made no sense to take the light of a simple lamp and hide it under a basket. Light was too valuable, too important. Jesus tells his followers that they are the light of the world. They are like a city set on a hill that can't be hidden. As John Winthrop reminds us, as Jesus-followers we're being watched. To know one is being watched raises the stakes; it increases a sense of duty to live one's life with integrity.

But even more importantly, being a city on a hill means that as Jesus-followers we're to get engaged and involved with our world, to make a difference, to shine a light in the darkness. Jesus says, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Shining the light of Christ means doing the good work of Christ in the world. But we must not miss the motivation . . . we're to let our lights shine; we're to do good deeds, so that God will be glorified.

What might it mean for us as Christ First to shine in this world for God's glory? Because this question is so important, let’s survey for a moment a number of things. Crucial points will ultimately be made.

Perhaps there's nothing Americans hold dearer than freedom, than liberty. And the first freedom in our bill of rights is the freedom to exercise religion, whatever religion one chooses. What does freedom of religion mean? On a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty are these words: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"  We notice once again the image of a light shining in the darkness. These words strike us with what it means to let our lights shine. As much as these words have been true for our nation in the past, they must be true for the church today.

As a church we're free, free to throw open our doors, to let God's light shine, to welcome and to serve the tired, the poor, the huddled, the wretched, the homeless, the tempest-tossed. We are free to welcome and to serve everyone, no matter who they are, no matter what their race or creed or color . . . everyone . . . everyone.

Part of what it means to let our light shine as Jesus-followers is to break down walls and tear down fences so that others might enjoy the freedom we do. To let our light shine as a community is to reach out in compassion and servanthood to everyone, even those who might never believe.

We must not be mistaken. As a Christian church we believe that there are two kinds of freedom. There is the freedom to practice one's religion that is at the bedrock of our nation's constitution. But we also believe in the freedom that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe that nothing compares to the freedom from guilt, from brokenness, from sin, from hopelessness and despair that we experience as followers of Christ.

But to shine a light in our world means that we will serve others no matter who they are and give them the freedom not to believe what is so dear to us. To let our light shine means reaching beyond these walls. To let our light shine—to give God the glory—is why we open our facilities seven days a week to several groups and ministries: Chinese church, preschool, Cody’s courtyard, women’s bible study fellowship, al anon, regional board meetings, harvest festivals, music camp and vacation bible school. To let our light shine, to give glory to God, is why we're sold out for kids, youth, and adults. People of God, freedom of religion means freedom to let our light shine, freedom to serve everyone in the name of Christ.

And so, letting our light shine is something we believe God has called to do as a church. But it's also something God calls us to do as individual Jesus-followers. And again, the primary purpose isn't so that others will see our light and our good deeds, but so that through us they will be drawn to give glory to God.

Many children, youth, and adults have been baptized recently.  They come from different faith experiences, but they all witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of their lives. In essence, we are saying to them the very words of Jesus, "Let your light shine before all people so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Those who follow Christ have the privilege and the calling to let Christ's light shine through us. The difference God can make through just one light is amazing.

That's what can happen when one man let his light shine!

When the church welcomes and serves the tired, the poor, the huddled, the wretched, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, our light shines and God is glorified. When the church tears down walls and fences that keep us needlessly divided, our light shines and God is glorified. When the church gathers for Holy Communion in unity and in love, our light shines and God is glorified.  Communion keeps our remembrance of Christ alive! Amen.

Praise the LORD, my soul and forget not all his benefits"  --Psalm 103:2 [TNIV].


Soul = from the Greek psyche, the "breath of life."

It is my desire as Christ's undershepherd to share bits and pieces of my soul. I am sharing weekly, words of encouragement that help to stimulate the unfinished soul in all Jesus-followers.  It is my mission to serve suffering people by offering words of encouragement, comfort and hope through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


I will have the opportunity to spend some time with my family this next week on vacation at Yosemite National Park.  We will be exploring the wonders of Yosemite, and give thanks to an awesome God in his awe-inspiring creation.  As we navigate the valley by hiking and biking, we will no doubt spot rock climbers on the face of El Capitan, rising over 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

In “face climbing,” the climbers pull down on handholds and push up on footholds to advance up the rock.  The technique—“three on the rock”—is the basic method of rock climbing.  At all times, two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand must remain at the rock.  It helps climbers to remain stable and allows them to ascend the rock.

The psalmist David says,
¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. ² Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. [Psalm 62:1-2 TNIV]

The psalmist David lived in the midst of stress, yet his years of stress were spiritually productive.  David found his soul’s rest in God; his salvation.  How powerful that conviction!  No matter what the challenge, no matter how great the pressure upon his unfinished soul, David was sure that God could and would perform some saving act.

I can find rest for my unfinished soul this next week despite the stressful pace or pressures in my life.  How?  By following David’s example, to realize that God is our rock and our salvation; God is our fortress, we will never be shaken.  This, with the conviction that God is strong and loving will give me rest.  I encourage you to keep “three on the rock” [at least three of the four disciplines of prayer, the Word, worship, witness] at all times to find our rest and security in God.

·         What stressful area of your life do you need to stand upon the Rock?
·         How sure are you that God can and will perform some saving act?
·         Where do you need to keep “three on a rock” to discipline your life before God?

Let’s find rest for our unfinished souls upon God, our Rock and Salvation! Let’s keep “three on the rock” in praying, reading the Word, worshiping, and witnessing!  

Praise the LORD, my soul and forget not all his benefits"  --Psalm 103:2 [TNIV].


Soul = from the Greek psyche, the "breath of life."

It is my desire as Christ's undershepherd to share bits and pieces of my soul. I am sharing weekly, words of encouragement that help to stimulate the unfinished soul in all Jesus-followers.  It is my mission to serve suffering people by offering words of encouragement, comfort and hope through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


I remember my college days vividly.  One of the ongoing extra-curricular activities in my life was intercollegiate athletics.  I participated in three sports: baseball; cross-country and basketball.  After my freshman year, the training and time available in my busy life as a young adult reduced my participation to one sport: baseball. 

One of the disciplines in my training schedule was weight training.  Since I was playing a sport which demanded flexibility and quickness, my weight training was limited to developing muscle strength, not muscle bulk.  I needed to find a weight program that fit my physical needs, and then I increased my repetitions at a weight level which developed my muscle strength and mobility.  It was not a wise thing to develop muscle bulk to the point where I limited my ability to run, throw, catch, and hit a baseball.

There are times in the church when body building becomes a crucial discipline.  God does not desire the church to focus upon muscle bulk.  God does not wish for the local body of Christ to be so big and lethargic that it loses the flexibility to ministry in practical ways.  What God does desire is a church that attains muscle strength.  Each of the ministries of worship, study, fellowship, and service have mobility and flexibility in advancing the Gospel of Jesus across the street and across the seas.

The Apostle Paul says,
¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

As I get older it is more difficult for me to stay disciplined to a stretching and exercise program.  My body responds slower than in my college days.  But it is so needed for my physical body.  Paul says that body building is an important exercise for the church as well.  We are to equip God’s people for the works of service so the body of Christ may be built up. 

What this text says to me is that every day I have a chance—many chances—to nudge people closer to the Lord.  To be one more body builder among the many it will take to bring that person to Christ.  I have a chance to extend the magnificence grace of God through what I say and do.  I am one of God’s body builders through which he keeps meeting the needs of the moment in the lives of others.

As a local body at Christ First we can be in partnership with the Lord and one another to reach those he has special designs on.  Our encouragement becomes grace that is strengthening, enabling and empowering for others.  This is the body building ministry God will call us to today.

Let’s not miss it!  Sometime before we lay our heads on the pillow, someone will be positioned to directly benefit from our words.  When the opportunity arises, let’s not forget to speak that word of grace!

An unfinished soul,
Pastor Bob

Our Christian life is shaped by communion with Jesus in the taking, blessing, breaking and giving to satisfy our spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life.

Ernest Gordon was a well-known preacher in Scotland who wrote a book called Through the Valley of the Kwai, about his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II. The book was made into a hit movie in the '60s called The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Recently the book was republished and another movie made with the title, To End All Wars. The first part of the book describes in vivid detail just trying to survive while being forced to build a railroad through the jungle. Prisoners were fighting to the death over morsels of food. It was truly every man for himself. Care for the sick was grossly inadequate. The mood of hopelessness permeated the death camp.
One day a prisoner named Angus did an unheard-of thing. He gave his only blanket to a wounded prisoner, and he also gave his own meager ration of food. Angus even risked his own life to get some medicine for the other prisoner. Then Angus died, partly because of his sacrifices. But his wounded friend lived. The story of Angus spread throughout the camp. Soon other prisoners began sharing their blankets and food. They began to organize Bible study groups. They set up a little altar and held worship services. They all began caring for one another, especially for the sick. They fashioned crude, artificial limbs for the amputees out of any material they could find. The atmosphere of the death camp changed dramatically. When new prisoners would arrive, they were immediately caught up in the spirit of new life and hope.

When the camp was liberated at the end of World War II, the Allied forces wanted to execute the captors and the guards right on the spot. But the prisoners themselves asked for mercy and forgiveness for their enemies. In his book, Gordon raises the question, "What was there that made it possible for that situation to turn around as it did?" His answer was simple: "The prisoners became the church. They simply became a community of Christ."

What is the community of Christ? How do we experience communion with him and with one another? What does this look like? (show pictures of the congregation later in the message).Let's think about a double image of the Christian life—one from Scripture, and one from our worship. Jesus gives us a word picture of himself as the Bread of Life. Bread must be eaten to sustain life, and Christ must be invited into our daily walk to sustain spiritual life and community. And communion gives us an action picture of the character of the Christian life. We want to combine these images today to give us a picture of the Christian life. This is what communion with Jesus represents.

Jesus did not work independently of God the Father, but in union with him. His purpose was to commune with God and do his Father’s will, not to satisfy his human desires. People eat bread to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life.
Let’s note how we can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life by a right relationship with Jesus as recorded in John 6:35-40…

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."

We can observe three of Jesus’ great sayings served together, like a three-course meal, in this passage. Each of them ought to be a source of spiritual nourishment to every true Jesus-follower. All taken together, they form a banquet feast; into which all Jesus-followers that hunger never need to be hungry.

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

We have, first, in these verses, a saying of Jesus about himself. Jesus would have us know that he himself is the appointed food of a person’s soul. The soul of every person is naturally starving and famishing through sin. Jesus is given by God the Father, to be the Satisfier, the Reliever, and the Physician of our spiritual need.

With what divine and perfect wisdom this name is chosen! Bread is necessary food. I remember as a boy my mom served bread at every meal. In fact, she served Wonder Bread. She made sandwiches in my lunch box with Wonder Bread. She put spam, baloney, and tuna between my Wonder Bread. Sometimes she made a sandwich that I wondered what was between the Wonder Bread! We can manage tolerably well without many things on our table, but not without bread.

So is it with Jesus. We must have Jesus, or die in our own sins. Bread is food that suits all. Some cannot eat meat, and some cannot eat vegetables. But all like bread. It is food both for the prosperous and the pauper. So is it with Jesus. He is just the Savior that meets the needs of every class. Bread is food that we need daily. Other kinds of food we take, perhaps, only occasionally. But we need bread every morning and evening in our lives. So is it with Christ. There is no day in our lives but we need his blood, his righteousness, his intercession, and his grace. Well may Jesus be called, "The bread of life!"

Therefore, Jesus is the essential of life; he may be described as the Bread of Life. The hunger of the human situation is ended when we commune with Jesus and through him have communion with God. The restless soul is at rest; the hungry heart is satisfied.

Do we know anything of spiritual hunger? Do we feel anything of craving and emptiness in conscience, heart, and affections? Let us distinctly understand that Jesus alone can relieve and supply us. We must come to him by faith. We must believe on him, and commit our souls into his hands. So coming, Jesus pledges his royal word we shall find lasting satisfaction both for time and eternity. It is written, “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

³⁶ “But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

We have, secondly, in these verses, a saying of Jesus about those who come to him. What does "coming to Jesus" mean? It means that movement of souls which takes place when those feeling their sins, and finding out that they cannot save themselves, hear of Jesus. They apply to Jesus, trust in Jesus, lay hold on Jesus, and lean all their weight on Jesus for salvation. When this happens, any person is said, in Scripture language, to "come" to Jesus.

What did Jesus mean by saying--"I will never drive away"? Jesus means that he will not refuse to save all who come to him, no matter what they may have been. Their past sins may have been very great. Their present weakness and infirmity may be very great. But do they come to Jesus by faith? Then Jesus will receive them graciously, pardon them freely, place them in the number of his dear children, and give them everlasting life.

Over the years I have been near the bedside of those who are close to death. These are golden words indeed! They have smoothed down many a dying pillow, and calmed many a troubled conscience. Let them sink down deeply into our memories, and abide there continually. A day will come when flesh and heart shall fail, and the world can help us no more. Happy shall we be in that day, if the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we have really come to Christ!

3. Jesus speaks about the will of his Father

³⁸ “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."

We have, lastly, in these verses, a saying of Christ about the will of His Father. We are taught by these words that Jesus has brought into the world a salvation open and free to everyone. Jesus draws a picture of it, from the story of the bronze serpent, by which bitten Israelites in the wilderness were healed. Every one that chose to "look" at the bronze serpent might live. Just in the same way, every one who desires eternal life may "look" at Jesus by faith, and have it freely. There is no barrier, no limit, and no restriction. The terms of the Gospel are wide and simple. Every one may "look and live."

Therefore, we are taught that Jesus will never allow any soul that is committed to him to be lost and cast away.Jesus will keep it safe, from grace to glory, in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Not one bone of Jesus’ mystical body shall ever be broken. Not one lamb of his flock shall ever be left behind in the wilderness. Jesus will raise to glory, in the last day, the whole flock entrusted to his charge and not one shall be found missing.

Let the true Jesus-follower feed on the truths contained in this passage, and thank God for them. Jesus is the Bread of life—the Receiver of all who come to him; Jesus is the Preserver of all believers—for every person who is willing to believe on him; and Jesus is the eternal Possession—securing all who so believe. Surely this three-course meal is satisfying and its good news!

Let's look at this picture of Jesus today through the lens of the Lord's Supper. It must strike us as we read this passage that the life of Jesus—who described himself as "the Bread of Life"—is parallel to what is taking place in the Lord's Supper. There are four actions we take with the bread. These symbolize the life of Jesus, and they give us a great image of our own Christian life as well.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." –Mark 14:22.

Second, after the taking comes the BLESSING. On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread and blessed it. At the Last Supper, in the Passover ritual, there was a prayer of thanksgiving, a blessing said over the food, just like most of us do now. When Jesus took on human form to become our Savior, when he became the Bread of Life, his Father blessed him. After his death on the cross, he was exalted again to his heavenly glory as Lord of the universe. It was not an easy road—we'll get to that in a moment—but the outcome was certain. He was victoriously and abundantly blessed!
Aren't we blessed when we take on Jesus as our Savior? When we live in communion with Jesus, we have a life we couldn't know otherwise. It's a life filled with hope and love and joy and peace. It's a life that gives us strength for our trials and courage for our challenges. It's a life that will never end because our destination is exaltation, to follow our Lord Jesus into his heavenly kingdom. It's good to be a child of the King! How blessed we are to make the connection with Christ and his family!

Third, after the blessing comes the BREAKING. After he took the bread and blessed it, Jesus broke it. We repeat the symbolic action every time we gather at the Lord's Table: "This is the body of Christ, broken for us." We remember that we have the blessing of a relationship with God only because Jesus let himself be broken for us. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, we have no plea for our sins, we have no way to find forgiveness, and we have no hope of eternal life.
If we follow Jesus, if we seek to live his life in community, we have to allow ourselves to be broken as well. We have to become powerless before him so he can fill us with his power. This is a hard lesson to learn. We love to think we’re in control, that we’re self-sufficient, and that we’re rugged individuals capable of facing any challenge. But true spiritual transformation doesn't happen until we face a crisis of confidence and we realize that we're not in control, that we're not capable, and that all our resources aren't sufficient to meet the challenge in front of us. At that point there's a choice to make. We can either crash into despair, or we can admit to God that we're utterly and absolutely dependent on his help. Have we been there? Sure we have. We have to let go, surrender, and become "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20).

One of the first devotional books I read as a young Jesus-follower was Mrs. L. B. Cowman’s wonderful book, Streams in the Desert. She wrote, "Throw yourself helplessly at his feet. Die in his loving arms to your own strength and wisdom, and rise…into his strength and sufficiency. There is no way out of your difficult and narrow situation except at the top. You must win deliverance by rising higher, coming into a new experience with God. …There is no way out but God."

In the same light, Oswald Chambers wrote in his devotional book, Still Higher for His Highest, the disasters of communion with Jesus. “There are disasters to be faced by the one who is in real fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. God has never promised to keep us immune from trouble; God says ‘I will be with you in trouble,’ which is a very different thing. If you are experiencing the disasters of fellowship, don’t get into despair; remain unswervingly and unhesitatingly faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse to compromise for one second.”
When we’re facing a crisis of brokenness, remember Moses. He started out as a basket case. When we get to our wit’s end, we’ll find God lives there!

It's the God who brought us to this crisis of brokenness who will lead us through it. With God we will emerge victorious on the other side, because God lives on the other side. We’re to be broken before God, and he'll give us what we need.
Fourth, the last action of communion is GIVING. Giving is a two-way street. Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. When we take Jesus as our Savior, receive the blessing, become broken before him, God gives us life so we can give to others.

Jesus gave his life on the cross. He gives life to the world—to you and me—through his resurrection. We give our lives in response to his gracious gift. We respond in gratitude for all God has given. We're in communion with Christ and one another when we give.

In 1994, there was a genocidal massacre in Rwanda in which 800,000 people were killed simply because they belonged to the wrong ethnic group. The story is told of a pregnant Rwandan mother of six whose village was destroyed by the massacre. She was shot first, buried under the bodies of each of her six slain children, and left for dead. She dug herself out, buried her children, and subsequently bore her seventh child. Soon thereafter, she chose to adopt five children whose parents had been killed in the same massacre. She expressed her belief that her life had been spared so that she might care for these orphaned children after losing her own.

We don't know if that woman was a Christian. But we know she made a Christlike decision. Out of radical brokenness—the destruction of home and family—she could so easily have spent the rest of her days in hatred and bitterness. But she made the decision for life; she gave herself so others—orphaned children—could live better.

So what does the community of Christ look like? We’re a visual people. We need to see some pictures to make it real. This is what the community of Christ looks like. (show pictures of community in Christ at Christ First). This is what communion with Christ means: taking Jesus’ name as the fundamental expression of our being, blessing of a relationship with him, breaking like a loaf of bread before the awesome power of God, and giving ourselves to God for others. This is the picture we see in Jesus Christ. This is the picture we see in the church, when it's being the church. This is a banquet feast at its finest. This is the Bread of Life. This is our only hope. Amen!

Praise the LORD, my soul and forget not all his benefits"  --Psalm 103:2 [TNIV].


Soul = from the Greek psyche, the "breath of life."

It is my desire as Christ's undershepherd to share bits and pieces of my soul. I am sharing weekly, words of encouragement that help to stimulate the unfinished soul in all Jesus-followers.  It is my mission to serve suffering people by offering words of encouragement, comfort and hope through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


We live in a time when waiting is synonymous with waste.  When we wait, we feel we are wasting precious time.  I just returned yesterday from Yosemite National Park with 38 senior adults.  We spent four days together with an Awesome God in his awe-inspiring creation.  One of the days we had to wait for hours to check-in to our guest rooms.  It seems we were wasting quality time.  I even became argumentative with the young kid at the registration desk because our rooms weren’t ready.  The next day I went back to the young kid and apologized for my behavior.  He accepted my apology.  We enjoyed the beauty of the Yosemite Valley in spite of the waiting.

Yet for so many people in pain, waiting is the one thing they do—a lot.  I can identify with those who wait in the midst of pain.  They wait for the doctor.  They wait for test results. They wait for the medicine to work.  They wait for the world to take notice that they have needs.  They wait in line at the pharmacy.  They wait for life to return to “normal.” (If there is such a thing as “normal” in our fallen world.)  Their days are filled with waiting.

Something amazing often happens, however, to those of us whose days are filled with waiting.  We discover that life is best observed and cherished in the wait.  Our waiting gives God time—time to speak to us, to bring us to reflection, surrender and peace.  How I have experienced this truth first-hand in my unfinished soul in the midst of waiting through my cancer treatments.  Waiting allows us to gather the strength and courage we need to face whatever comes.  

No wonder the psalmist David cried out…
 

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.--Psalm 40:1

One of my favorite writers is the great pastor-teacher; G. Campbell Morgan.  He writes…
 

“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort.  Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given!”

An unfinished soul,
Pastor Bob