With the close of the Old Testament, heaven went silent!  The world entered a period of four-hundred years without a prophetic voice.  Nothing.  How deafening silence can be.

The Jews endured by holding on to a promise delivered by the prophet Malachi, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1).  Without that sustaining promise, the temptation to give into despair might have been overwhelming.

The day finally came when the last divinely sanctioned prophet of the Old Testament era arrived on the scene.  There was no fanfare, even though this moment had been greatly anticipated for hundreds of years.  The Bible simply states, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John” (John 1:6).

Consider the ministry of John the Baptist.  As far as the biblical record goes -

• He did not perform any miracles
• He did not plant any churches
• He did not build any Bible schools
• He did not travel extensively
• There’s no indication he had any visions
• He did not write any books much less a book of the Bible
• He didn’t even have a radio or television ministry

And yet this man accomplished much for God.  He also received a pretty high commendation from Jesus.  “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).

So what was so amazing about John’s ministry?  Strap on your seatbelt because it’s pretty radical.  He testified to the truth (John 5:33).  John entered a world of darkness and told people the truth about Jesus.  And for that, Jesus gave him a glowing report.

As his fame increased, John the Baptist was pressed with questions.”Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:22)  But John refused the temptation to become the center of attention.  He wouldn’t even give his name.  John deflected the spotlight by stating, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23).  Did you hear that?  Not a face.  Not a name.  Just a voice.  That was John’s mission, and he fulfilled it.

Like John the Baptist, you and I have been sent by God into a world of darkness to be a witness for Jesus Christ.  Our job is to tell others the truth about Jesus.  Start with your immediate surroundings and go from there.  Be bold and speak up.  And don’t talk yourself out of the calling.  Be the voice of one crying in the wilderness.  As seen in the life and ministry of John, it’s amazing what God can do with one voice.

Pastor Todd Weston

For my native Florida friends, allow me to introduce to you the concept of seasons.  Actually, Southwest Florida has two seasons - one with snowbirds, and one without snowbirds.  Or as someone put it - hot and hotter!  Many places in the world experience all four seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.  Genesis 1:14 tells us the seasons are established by God and will continue as long as the earth stands (Genesis 8:22).

Just as seasons exist in the physical realm, they exist in the spiritual realm.  We all go through them.  There are seasons of spiritual growth and development where much progress is made.  And then there are seasons when it seems you have slipped into low gear and are grinding it out.  Some seasons of life are relatively easy.  Others are difficult.  With God in control of your life you can know that whatever the season, there’s a reason.  God is at work in your life and He’s doing something good (Phil. 1:6). 

Since seasons are a fact of life for everyone, here are a few helpful observations:

1. The seasons of life are always changing.  Winter doesn’t come to stay but eventually gives way to Spring.  You may be in a difficult season of life at this moment.  Take heart.  It won’t last forever.  It’s just a season.             
2. Every season has a purpose.  Nothing happens randomly in God’s universe, especially in the lives of His people.  There is a purpose for everything God allows.  Jeremiah 29:11 says it’s to give us a future and a hope.
3. It is not necessary to understand the seasons but to remain faithful through them.  Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:7, “It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”  He then told them to do what He had commanded them to do - to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father.
4. God wants our lives to be fruitful in all seasons.  Psalm 1 talks about the believer who is, “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season.”  No matter what season we are in, our lives can still be productive for the kingdom of God.
5. God makes everything beautiful in its time.  Those are the words of Solomon in Ecc. 3:11.  When the season God has allowed in our lives has fulfilled its intended purpose, we will look back and testify with those of Mark 7:37, “He has done all things well.”

While the seasons of life change, the God we serve does not!  He is, ”the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).  Through all of life’s seasons, maintain your trust in God.  He will see you through!

Pastor Todd Weston

The first recorded words of God in the Bible are these, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).  Up to that point the cosmos were full of darkness (Genesis 1:2).  So the first thing God did in His work of creation was deal with the darkness.

That seems to be God’s way.  Wherever God sees darkness He sends light.  Into a dark world God sent Jesus (John 9:5).  Into that same dark world Jesus sent us (John 20:21).

We have been chosen and sent for a purpose.  Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14a,16).  What Jesus said is true for every believer.  You are light.  

Light has one basic objective - to shine!  Jesus wants us to shine before people so they may see.  The whole point of shining the light is to enable people to see who otherwise cannot see.  This world is a dark place.  People are lost in the dark.  What a difference the light makes!

Jesus told us how to shine the light, “That they may see your good works.”  Jesus connected shining our light with doing good works.  I think it’s interesting He did not say, “That they may hear your good words.”  Good words are important, but the emphasis here is on good works. Why?  Maybe it’s easier for people to hear our good words after they have seen our good works.

And then notice the intended result of shining the light, “That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  The purpose of shining the light is not to be seen, but to enable others to see and glorify our heavenly Father.  It’s never about us.  It’s always about Him!

A boy was visiting one of the great cathedrals of Europe with his family.  He saw the massive stained glass windows with figures of the saints and how the sunlight shone through the glass casting beautiful colors on the cathedral walls and floors.

When he got home he told his friends about his trip and the cathedral with the stained glass windows with the figures of the saints.  When asked by a friend, “What is a saint?” the boy thought for a moment then said, “A saint is a person the light shines through.”

Never underestimate the power of shining your light.  Never overlook the significance of a good work done in Jesus’ name no matter how simple it may seem.  Be a person the light shines through so others may see and be drawn, and God can be glorified.

Pastor Todd Weston

Those of you who grew up listening to music from the 1970’s will remember Jim Croce’s haunting melody, Time In A Bottle.  The song was released in 1972 but was written two years earlier when Croce’s wife told him she was pregnant with his son Adrian.  Hearing that he was soon to be a father, Croce wanted to put time in a bottle and savor every day.  If you do a little research on the life of Jim Croce you will discover how ironically significant that song was. 

Jim Croce’s Time In A Bottle came to mind because my sons are both celebrating birthdays.  Nicholas turns thirty and Paul David turns twenty-seven.  Looking at what I have just written, it seems impossible!

I remember vividly the day they both entered the world.  Nicholas made his grand entrance in Kearney, Nebraska.  Three years and three days later Paul David made his debut in Springfield, Missouri.  Different as night and day, they were buddies from the start.  Nicholas was a little spitfire whose eyes sparkled with fun-loving mischief.  Paul David was a cute, cuddly little guy all the ladies in the church wanted to hold.

As they grew the differences in their personalities continued to increase.  While Nicholas was out in the woods hunting some poor creature trying desperately to escape his devious schemes, Paul David was busy designing and building intricate structures out of Lego’s.

And then came the day when Nicholas bought his first electric guitar, and Paul David bought his first drum set.  Our house would never again be the same.  The same could be said for our nearby neighbors!  

Then little sister was born and suddenly Nicholas and Paul David became “the brothers.”  While Nicholas was gleefully foreclosing on Tori in Monopoly, Paul David was dancing and singing with her.  Not much has changed over the years.  Nicholas still beats Tori in Monopoly, and Paul David dances and sings with her in the Estero Christmas Celebration.

Today Sheri and I have the rare privilege of having our boys serve on staff with us.  Not long after Sheri and I were married, a pastor we had never seen before and have never seen since came up to us at a conference with a word of prophecy.  That prophetic word given some thirty years ago was that our ministry would proceed from our home.  Prophecy fulfilled!

I thank God for where we are today and how God is using our family at RLA.  But I have to admit that there are times while watching my grown sons and daughter doing ministry I wonder where the years went.   

If I could put time in a bottle…  But that isn’t possible.  So I will treasure every day and savor every moment.  This I will do until we reach that land where time will be no more.

Pastor Todd Weston