Onshore CEO

It was as if time stood still, something akin to a tidal wave over the conscious taking every thought captive to its crashing thunder.

The moment I am referring to is watching the entire countenance of a man instantly change over my invitation to join me for coffee and Bible study. I barely knew the man in question other than the fact he is an extremely successful CEO managing a worldwide portfolio. As a Christian, my operating power is the presence of Jesus living in me so when He prompts & pops a question through me everything changes.

God knows how to reach people if I am willing to surrender as a vessel He listens, acts & speaks through. My newfound CEO friend, like watching Lazarus come out of the grave, stopped “dead” in his tracks, my apologies, bad pun intended. In what seemed like an eternity within a handful of seconds, this leader saw his need for God and a desire for fellowship with His Creator and others who follow Him. God had just hit him with a spiritual rogue wave strong enough to sink a battleship.

But then, the ensuing rush of the undertow returned after the tsunami. The current had brought back all the lesser things that seem so important but in the end just perish.

“I wish I had time for that”, the CEO softly but emphatically proclaimed with all sincerity. The gravity of the truth was gone as I watched him slowly walk out the door into the ocean of “priorities".

I didn’t need to say anything else, when a wave of that size strikes us, it leaves an impression. As to what end pertaining to eternal destinations for this man, I may not know until I see him in Christ’s Kingdom to come or not. In the meantime, I can pray for him and realize that when God's Spirit moves over us in power, we can remain stuck if trying to stay anchored in the sinking sand of this world.

To help us understand further, a great seismic swell still surging today from the words of Jesus came when he was sitting alongside the ocean;

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

- Matthew 13:1-9

A little later in Matthew Chapter 13, The Lord explains to his disciples the meaning behind his seaside parable;

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

- Matthew 13:18-23

To embrace the seed of life of Jesus and desire to increase his yield of salvation through us towards others is truly the fruit that never fades.

All of us can become preoccupied with the fleeting cares of this material life. Worldly distractions and a litany of things that pull us away from pursuing God are abundant. Jesus is the Name above every other name. As that truth becomes more evident in my life, there will be more waves to come and more CEO’s to watch body surf from the Master of the Tides doing His work… somebody get me a wet suit.

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

- 1 John 2:17