Building my Father's Kingdom

I went to Chicago for business this past week.  I became very self-indulgent while I was there.  My ugly old flesh reared its ugly head while I was there.  I whined about everything.  The training was bad, the people were rude, and the weather was horrible.  If I could find it, I would whine about it, if I saw it, I whined about it.  It was pitiful...after all that my Heavenly Father has given me and done for me, all I have to offer back is negative whining out of my mouth.  Wondering why He brought me to Chicago to be miserable...because you know, it's all about me.

So....on the Wednesday evening, when everyone else went out to eat and didn't invite me...one more thing to whine about...I was going to stay in for the night, but I heard the Lord speak to me to go out.  So I hired a cab, went and ate sushi, and hired a cab to go back to the hotel.  Nothing exciting had happened, I had my normal spicy tuna roll, my one enjoyment of the day. 

Then the cab picked me up, we were quiet at first, then he started to ask me questions.  He asked where I was from, why I was in Chicago...and somehow we got around to speaking about religion.  Hmmmm...Religion and politics, two of the most complicated and divisive subjects.  But I listened as he shared his belief that Christianity and Islam are the same since they are descendents of Abraham, who is a descendent of Adam.  He shared how he believes that Satan has played a game with all religions, causing division when God's ultimate plan was for us to be one big family. 

To some extent, he is correct.  God's original plan was for us to all be in His family, but because we sinned, and because we now live in a fallen world, we deserve to be damned due to the penalty of sin.  But, as I explained to Mohammed, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, because He suffered and died for our sins, we can be reconciled through our Savior to the Father.  All men can be reconciled with their creator, their Savior, their Father.  I had to make it very clear to Mohammed though, that there is a difference between Islam and Christianity.  If I didn’t…and he continues in his belief, he too will be damned.  I had to share the gospel as I know it.

We shared our Faith with one another for one hour, sitting out front of the hotel in his taxi cab.  He shared his heart about the last days and how the catastrophes are signs of the end, per the Quran. I shared about the book that I had just read about the twelfth Imam and how it is significant to the return of Christ.

He shared how He felt that when Jesus returns he and Allah will come together and bring the religions together.  Of that I know not, I spoke, but what I do know is that you have to believe that Jesus is the Savior and choose to follow Him to receive eternal life.  How, when or if Jesus reconciles the millions of religions out there, is in His hands, not mine. 

But then, the most awesome thing happened.  Mohammed shared that he and his wife were having some financial issues and that he needed some answers.  I asked him if I could pray for him...and he said yes...so here is the prayer that I prayed for him as I layer hands on him, and that I pray for you as well.

Mohammed, I pray that the Lord will pour out His favor upon you.  That He will lead you and guide you.  That he will speak His words to you and reveal Himself in new ways.

The amazing part of this?  The Lord spoke to me after I left the cab that "this is what you are here for....it has nothing to do with the job, the training, the career, it was so you ride in the taxi of this man Mohammed and speak truth to him.  What the Lord does with that truth is up to Him...it's simply up to me to be obedient and speak when He says speak.  What I do know is that my Father loved Mohommed enough to bring me to his cab and pray with Him.  That’s how my Father rolls.

What an honor to be used by the Lord God Almighty to do the work that He could do himself.