I have a very close friend whom I have been trying to convince to do something for the Lord. He has made tremendous strides in the past year in his personal spirituality and is hungry for the Word of God and has been feasting on it. The Lord has rewarded him by blessing him beyond measure in most every area of his life and he is enjoying the peace of God for the first time since I’ve known him. But it has ended there. Now he just basks in God’s sunlight enjoying his personal walk with the Lord.
This guy has been a very close friend for many, many, years, thus I don’t hesitate to offer advice, solicited or unsolicited. Recently he went to a conference and one of the questions this group was going to try and determine was an answer to the question: What has God done in your life this past year?
When he told me about it I responded: “Hmmm what has God done in your life this past year? Well as an objective observer, I can say you have grown enormously spiritually on an individual personal level; however, you have not embraced the concept that now that your personal well-being is established, your life should not just be about you. I’m talking of course about how you are having a ball each day and enjoying the gifts of God and His blessings personally, but many, (in fact most), folks are struggling and having difficulty coping and desperately need help. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. You are wealthy, have a modicum of intelligence 😊, are articulate, and despite your looks 😊 could greatly contribute and provide help, but in my most humble opinion, you have not gotten serious about finding a ministry and larger purpose and have spent just a minuscule amount of time searching for ways to help others somehow instead of solely focusing on your own happiness. In short, if you spent half the time you spend planning trips and hosting parties you could be the next Billy Graham.”
His behavior reminds me of one of the tomato plants in my garden that has been carefully nurtured since it was first planted. It was placed in fertile ground where it can receive sunlight, it has been watered, fertilized, freed from any weeds trying to choke it out, and has all the ingredients necessary to produce the biggest, best, juiciest, tastiest tomatoes in the entire garden, and yet it just sits there enjoying its life without producing any fruit. I feel like jerking it out of the ground and starting over and just may do so unless it gets going soon. I wonder if God thinks along the same lines…
Jesus makes it clear for us that we need to accomplish our part of His mission: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together…
I received this email yesterday that reminds me of what might be accomplished for the Lord provided one is willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work. “It made my day when I learned that you are intending to continue writing words for the day. I was literally depressed when I had read that you were quitting. I believe your Words for the Day encouraged my husband Wayne to begin writing to our family and friends several years ago. We now have three books of his wonderful stories, and biblical insights that blessed many people each day for about seven years. Nothing compared to your emailing list but a huge blessing to those who read them. Your inspiration was the powerful impetus. His books are on Amazon titled Thoughts for Today, and Words for Tomorrow. Who knows how many other writers you helped birth? Wayne is now with Jesus, but his legacy lives on”.
During my dark hours concerning retiring from writing Words for the Day a good friend and another reader wrote: “Bob. We need you in the fight, not back in the barracks.” Ouch! I got a multitude of letters making that same point. I get it – and thank you for pointing out the obvious to me. I hope my friend will redouble his efforts to find his purpose and to realize it isn’t just about him and he will use his many gifts to help someone else who desperately needs it.
Hmmm . . . Maybe you need to do some soul-searching in this area like I did. Think about it!
2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.