No trifling...Day 1

The Lord awoke me at 5:45 this morning and something remarkable happened. I actually rolled myself out from under the warm covers and reported for duty before His throne!! Praise be to God on High....did I actually just beat my body into submission and put the Kingdom of God first?? Me? That calls for a Hallelujah...not just a regular old one either, the kind of hallelujah when you pronounce the "juh" Hallelooo Juh!

Today is an important day. I have had these episodes before when I've looked in the mirror and have been repulsed into making changes. The big difference this time is I'm not keeping it to myself. I have several spiral bound notebooks with new resolutions. But they are conveniently hidden in a closet somewhere beyond anyone's reach. No one knows about those resolutions but myself and God. This time around though, I am putting my resolutions out into public view. Granted, it's not like I'm taking a full page ad in the NY Times to tell the world about my commitments but it's something.

Now onto what God and I discussed this morning. Today I reached into my inheritance and laid hold of my pulpit ministry. That's right MY pulpit ministry. Here's some background...I'm a great public speaker. I don't say that with any kind of ego, this is a statement of fact. This is a gift God graced me with as I entered this world. I didn't know I was any different than anyone until I was in my mid-twenties but now I know, I have been graced with a marvelous gift of being able to speak powerfully to an audience. You can tell it's in my heart to do this because I feel more excited to do it if the crowd is bigger. So there it is...I'm a public speaker...and a good one. So what?

Recognizing that I am a great public speaker and resolving to pursue God as He deserves to be pursued can only mean one thing. Pretty soon, Max Miller will be preaching at a church near you! I find that terribly exciting to think about...I wonder what I'll say? I'm glad I asked...it just so happens that I have several messages that I've written over the years stored in a few different places. I could probably start preaching this coming weekend and not have to write a new message for about 6 months without repeating a message.

Today, the Lord gave me the beginnings of a message from 2 verses in the Book of Malachi-1:5 You shall see that the Lord is great beyond the borders of Israel. AND Mal 1:12...for I am a great King says the Lord of Host and my Name is to be feared among the nations. The first chapter of Malachi is about how the Lord's chosen people have taken the Lord lightly and have stopped giving Him the honor due Him....hmmm sounds familiar. It sounds like the Lord is telling me "Don't forget who you are serving. I am not some ideal or philosophy. I AM the Great I AM."

Thank you Lord for setting my priorities in order today and setting me free from all the erosive trivia that comes with pursuing some lesser goal. Today, I serve you, the Most High and I thank you for the privilege.