Chosen Sample

The cesspool became a garden

Christianity is not for lazy people; we agreed on that yesterday. Taking up your cross and following Jesus can sometimes imply doing something that seems impossible. But God is the King of impossible assignments! Isaiah was called to speak to a people who would not listen, to people with calloused hearts—the appointment itself was impossible! 

But what happens when, besides having an impossible task to do, you are also compelled to do something you do not like? What if you were imprisoned for preaching the gospel and, to make things worse, also assigned to forced labor, such as cleaning cesspools? This was the task George Chen, a Chinese preacher, was assigned by local authorities. And he did it for eighteen years! 

He was given the worst task you can have in prison, and yet, God used these moments to bless his life and show him His glory! At first, George felt alone and forsaken, but within days, he felt different. He survived because he was alone with God. In those years, while doing hard labor, he used to sing the song “In the Garden.”

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

 

The cesspool became a garden—a garden where George Chen experienced joy and sweetness in the presence of the Lord. He understood that he was God’s own. A place of human excrement became his garden. In that hideous place, he came to know God, to really know Him. 

We are chosen because when God uses us, He defies darkness and extends His Kingdom. God chooses the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak to put the powerful to shame. What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. We will never be able to say, “I did this,” or, “It was because of my skills or capabilities.” The higher the task and the calling, the more God will reveal himself to you in a mighty way. 

Be encouraged today to take up your cross. Step out of the observer’s role and become a participant. God will take your small things to do His great work. The night before the crucifixion, Jesus was at the Garden of Gethsemane and said: “...My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42, ESV). May this prayer become our prayer. Thy will be done in our lives, Father. To You be the glory and honor forever. Amen. 

For more on this subject please visit: https://vimeo.com/371725633