A great friend of mine wrote to me yesterday and in part said the following:
“Bob, I really appreciated your testimony yesterday as it helped me focus and it also served as discussion around our family dinner last night. It also reminded me of John Ortberg’s book “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” where he talks about segmenting your life into chunks….work, family, church, etc and how that’s NOT the way Christ wants it. He goes on to say how the goal is to put Christ in everything we do, all the time. What focused me on this was the gentleman’s question regarding what ministries you do outside of your prison ministry. It got me thinking all day (well, I think it was me listening to Him) about how easy it is to fall into that trap of believing that the check you write, or the mission trip you go on, or your time at church, is your time for Christ when, in reality, there is never a place, time or situation where He shouldn’t be our focus and our filter. I know that. I knew that. I forget that.”
Hmmm…I’m asked all the time how I come up with some of the topics that I write about in Words for the Day. As long time readers know, I never plan them out and simply write about whatever is on my mind any particular morning. I never seem to run out of material, because literally everything reminds me of the Bible and God in some shape, form, or fashion.
One time I wrote about driving home in horrible downtown Atlanta traffic after a torrential downpour. I discovered part of the problem for the horrendous traffic that was backed up for miles, when I saw a cyclist merrily pedaling down the middle of the street oblivious to the snarl of traffic crawling along behind him that was caused in no small part by his little joy ride.
Just as I approached him he finally exited the road and pulled over to the sidewalk to avoid a large puddle. With a sardonic grin on my face I immediately sped up, veered over, and ran my vehicle through the puddle throwing up a wall of water 12 feet high that thoroughly doused him with a shower of muddy water that was so thick and massive that it literally knocked him off his bicycle. I derisively laughed for three blocks as I thought about him standing there sputtering with his glasses askew and water streaming down his face shaking his fist and cursing at me.
Another time I wrote about being on a deer stand and watching a squirrel calmly eating a nut while a blue jay sat inches above his head noisily scolding him for no other reason than to try and torment him. I thought if I was that squirrel I would reach up and grab him and bite his head off and shut him up. Instead the squirrel continued eating his breakfast, moving his jaws 90 miles an hour, completely ignoring his noisy oppressor. Moments later the jay flew off to go bother someone else and the squirrel was left to his peace, unfazed by the tyrant and still completely oblivious to this small distraction.
Both incidents illustrate different methods of handling frustrating situations. My behavior towards the cyclist was not Christ-like, and the squirrel’s behavior towards the jay was, (yes, God showed me that one of his lowly squirrels was more of a Christian than me). Most would not even consider either of these incidents in this light, but to me it comes natural.
Matthew Henry wrote about Elijah’s harsh zeal as described in 1 Kings: “The wind, and earthquake, and fire, did not make him cover his face, but the still voice of God did. Gracious souls are more affected by the tender mercies of the Lord, than by his terrors. The mild voice of Him who speaks from the cross, or the mercy-seat, is accompanied with peculiar power in taking possession of the heart.” That says it all to me.
Hmmm…Stop, think, and meditate on this for a moment…Selah.
Getting back to my friend’s remarks, I think that being a Christian should mean that it should be a fulltime undertaking. God and His great cloud of angels and witnesses never leave us and we should look for Him and His lessons at every turn. As I mentioned God is not a screamer and He doesn’t normally verbally communicate, (at least to most of us – Please no more letters about God talking directly to you – I get it).
The Bible describes His standard means of communication as a “small still voice”, which can literally be translated as “a sound of soft stillness”. It may be soft and still, but His point comes through my heart with a roar.
Every morning I watch snow white ibis and majestic herons lazily flying across pristine Honey Lake while listening to Bobwhite quail merrily whistling to each other, and this time of year I can distinctly smell the jasmine that covers an arbor below my house. Others hear honking, sirens wailing through the streets, and the sights, sounds, and fragrances of busy cities coming to life.
What do you think of when you hear the sounds, see the sights, and smell the fragrances that surround you when you walk out your door?
Me, I think of God and what lessons I might glean from what is occurring around me. To me that is the normal state of being a fulltime follower of Christ versus a part-timer. If you only think of God and Christ when you get to church on Sundays, then you are missing out on more than you can imagine. God tells us in His Holy Bible that He is with us always. Look closely and you will see Him everywhere you go and no doubt find a lesson or two at every juncture. It is a wonderful thing.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
Zech. 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.