Red lights and green lights (2)

Vincent’s passion for ministry led him to the Belgian coalfields where he preached to miners, fed the hungry, and earned a place in the people’s hearts. His church was filled to capacity with those eager to learn about Jesus. But his superiors weren’t happy because Vincent wore cast-offs, lived in a shack, and gave his salary to the people. “You look worse than the people you teach,” they said. “Wouldn’t Jesus have done the same?” Vincent asked. His bosses disagreed, and he was dismissed from the ministry. He was hurt and angry. His only desire had been to build a church that glorified God, so why hadn’t God let it happen? Then one day he watched an old miner struggling under a load of coal. Moved by the sight, he began to sketch the bowed figure. And although he didn’t realize it at the time, he’d discovered his real calling. The young preacher who was rejected by his denomination eventually became an artist the world will long remember—Vincent van Gogh. David said, “It was my desire to build a temple…but God said to me…‘Your son Solomon will build my temple’” (1 Chronicles 28:2-3, 6 NLT). When God gives you a red light, be sensitive to it. And when He overrules your plans to implement His own, say, “Amen!” F.B. Meyer wrote, “Are you in difficulty about your way? Go to God…get direction from the light of His smile or the cloud of His refusal…Wait there silent and expectant, though all around you insist on immediate decision or action—and the will of God will be made clear.”