Monday, June 30, 2008

A Little Exhortation

I always used to slightly envy those who worked at Wal-Mart - they were the only ones allowed to go through the "Employees Only" doors. That is, until I became an employee of a business, and passed through one of those hollowed portals. It's not so glamorous as you might think - believe me. ;)

I think it was my dad who told me that once, when he was young, he saw one of those "Pedestrian Crossing" signs that you notice every so often. Mistaking "pedestrian" for "Presbyterian" he hollered indignantly, "Hey! Why don't they have Baptist crossings?"

It's probably not just me that's noticed it - there are a lot of invisible signs around that seem to say, "No God Zone" and "Shhhh. Non-Christians at Work". Nobody really has to say anything that blunt. Mocking and teasing seems to get the hint across just about as well. And while we often start out really good, weeks on end of the stuff tends to wear you down, until you'd rather just keep your mouth shut about anything Christian- they know where you stand, you know where they stand, etc. It gets hard after a while.

Well, here's a friendly "tough" to us all. ;) Keep it up, I say.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding {in the matter} for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
Whatever you do, don't ever stop speaking truth. You don't have to worry about their growth - that's God's work. It may take years and years, or you may never see anything at all, but nevertheless, you have a job to do - go into the world and tell what Christ has done for you.

Now, everything you do should be in love, of course. While it may be true that certain people, at the rate they're going, will burn merrily away in hell, we shouldn't go and smash that in their faces. That wasn't Jesus' way at all. "Turn or burn" wasn't His message. I think that His main point is easily covered in two words: Follow Me.

So just do that, and leave the rest to Him. :) And dance a jig or two on those signs.

No comments:

Post a Comment