EVERY CHANCE YOU GET --- BUILD A BRIDGE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
TEXT: I love word artist that can paint with words…
1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT) And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 (MSG) And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.
**WALL: A STRUCTURE THAT SURROUNDS AN AREA AND SEPARATES, something build to hold back, barrier, hedge, fence, something to isolate, obstacle.
**BRIDGE: a structure to overcome obstacles, something that connects, something that joins together, TO CROSS OVER.
** BUILD: to make greater, to put parts together, unite, to develop, to increase, to make progress,
EVERY CHANCE YOU GET BUILD A BRIDGE… TEARS? IN THE MID 1980’S I PASTORED A SMALL MOUNTAIN MISSION CHURCH.
Galatians 6:7 (MSG) Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— 8 harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. 9 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. 10 Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
I had been concerned about several in and out, up and down young Christians. They were emotional and spiritual YO-YOs. I had been praying and teaching on a root structure that will hold through storms and droughts.
One night I had been praying for these young couples while I went to sleep. Later that night I dreamed: I SAW 20 FEET HIGH NEON LETTERS GLOWING IN FRONT OF ME… FOUR LETTERS… R… A… Z… E. RAZE? What did that mean? RAZE.
I WOKE LINDA UP AND WE TURNED ON THE LIGHT AND GOT THE DICTIONARY… we looked up RAZE. The word at that time was totally unfamiliar to me.
**RAZE: TO UTTERLY DESTROY, TO TEAR DOWN, TO BRING TO RUIN TO BULL DOWN. AS A BULLDOZER DESTROY A HOUSE.
I saw 4 families very clearly. I drove at 4 am and beat on a door. The couple came in the front room. I told them my dream. They agreed it was from God. We talked and prayed. They played church, they attended occasionally. That family got involved in deep sin. They hid from me when they saw me. They went through an ugly divorce, remarriage, broken, lost everything. He ended up at LaGrange Prison for many years. His crime was terrible. She died at a very young age, partying, drugs and alcohol, a sudden massive heart attack.
I drove several hours to go see him in prison. AS WE SAT AT A METAL TABLE, THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF HIS MOUTH WAS: PREACHER DO YOU REMEMBER THAT RAZE DREAM? He said I see RAZE every night before I close my eyes. I pray, I am forgiven --- but I THINK WHAT IF I HEEDED YOUR MESSAGE? I left the prison that day physical sick. I THREW UP. A prison guard came to ask me if I was all right? I said I COULD NEVER TELL YOU…
DO YOU KNOW WHY I LOVE LOVE? LOVE IS THE BEST THING ON EARTH? WHY? GOD IS LOVE…
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 (NLT) Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 (MSG) Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.
There were two brothers that really hated each other. There had been many misunderstandings between the brother’s families. When the parents’ will was read the brothers had bad feelings about the division of the huge farm. Their children had some squabbles, the kids got over it, but the parents stayed angry. The quarrels were often and never any resolve. The families would not speak or even wave at each other. They attended the same church together but they would never shake hands or talk to each other.
One day one brother won a 10 million dollar sweepstakes. The first thing the rich brother did was plan a month vacation to Hawaii. Before he left he call an old carpenter to come to his house. The old man was the best carpenter in town, but he was so old he was hard hearing. The rich brother told the old carpenter to build the highest wall possible between his farm and his brother’s farm. Build it strong and build it to last many years. Spare no expense and have the wall finished when he returned. So the rich brother left for a month.
So the carpenter drew up the plans and hired a crew to build. The old carpenter either did not hear or he forgot what the brother had ordered. They worked overtime and build with the best material on the market. He was so proud of his work. The date neared when the rich family was returning. It was all finished.
When the rich brother pulled in his driveway his brother had a huge meal prepared. The other brother had maintained his farm, put up the hay, kept all of the animals for the whole month. See, the carpenter built a BRIDGE from the rich man’s farm to the other brother’s farm. It was a huge, strong bridge. The other brother could easily understand they loved each other is why the bridge was built strong.
There was a huge reunion. The other brother invited all the family to the reunion. The pastor and all the church was there. For weeks they had planned this reunion for the return of his brother. When the rich brother and his family pulled in the drive way from the airport they was so surprised at the huge crowd. The other brother ran up to him and they hugged and celebrated with family and friends.
THE REUNION WAS ALL BECAUSE THE OLD CARPENTER BUILT A BRIDGE AND NOT A WALL.
1 Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 Corinthians 13:8 (MSG) Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit.
BUILDING BRIDGES MAY DEPEND ON OUR VALUE SYSTEM? WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? THERE IS POWER IN UNITY! THERE IS POWER IN DISUNITY!
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
I HAVE HOPE, BLESSED ASSURANCE. I LIVE WITH ANTICIPATION… I EXPECT, I TRUST THE UNSEEN HANDS OF A MIGHTY GOD… THE QUESTION BECOMES I CAN --- OR --- I WON’T!
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
COACH JIM VALVANO’S 7 WORDS: NEVER EVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE UP…
***INVEST IN PEOPLE…
***THE BRIDGE BUILDER (Unknown)
AN OLD MAN, GOING DOWN A LONELY HIGHWAY,
CAME AT HE EVENING COLD AND GRAY, TO A CHASM VAST AND WIDE,
THROUGH WHICH IS FLOWING A SWOLLEN TIDE.
THE OLD MAN CROSSED IN THE TWILIGHT DIM. THE SULLEN STREAM HAD NO FEAR FOR HIM.
BUT HE TURNED WHEN SAFE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND BUILT A BRIDGE TO SPAN THE TIDE.
“OLD MAN,” SAID A FELLOW PILGRIM NEAR.
“YOU ARE WASTING YOUR STRENGTH ON BUILDING HERE.
YOUR JOURNEY WILL END WITH THE CLOSING OF DAY.
YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN PASS THIS WAY. YOU HAVE CROSSED THIS CHASM DEEP AND WIDE,
WHY BUILD YOU THIS BRIDGE AT THE EVENING TIDE?”
THE BRIDGE BUILDER LIFTED HIS OLD GRAY HEAD: “GOOD FRIEND IN THE PATH I HAVE COME”
HE SAID, “THERE FOLLOW AFTER ME TODAY,
A FAIR HAIRED YOUTH, WHO’S FEET MUST PASS THIS WAY
TO THE CHASM THAT HAS BEEN NAUGHT FOR ME, TO THAT FAIR HAIRED YOUTH MAY A PITFALL BE,
HE TOO MUST CROSS IN THE TWILIGHT DIM,
GOOD FRIEND I AM BUILDING THIS BRIDGE FOR HIM.”
***I AM BUILDING A BRIDGE by Leroy Abernathy (A SONG FROM 1960’S)
I AM BUILDING A BRIDGE, God gave me the plan.
It is right in the book, I hold in my hand.
Each page that I read, helps me understand,
To build on the rock, and not on the sand.
I’m building a bridge, across the divide.
I am building it strong, I am building it wide.
I am following through, I will make it somehow,
My friend, how about you?
Some people I know cannot understand,
How I can go on and do his command.
It’s hard to explain the way that I feel
But I’ll not complain for heaven is real.
LIKE A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS… I will lay me down, troubles, tribulations, trials can become so intense… WHEN YOU ARE WEARY, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, turbulent waters and seas may crash around us, but THERE IS A BRIDGE OF PEACE ABOVE OUR TROUBLED WATERS… Friends can be bridges. Jesus is THE BRIDGE OF TROUBLED WATERS. JESUS SAYS: I AM ON YOUR SIDE. SAIL ON… SAIL ON… We have a burden bearer and a burden sharer… be a BRIDGE BUILDER.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
