Matthew 25:34-36 (NKJV)
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Do you ever sit and stare blankly into space or at a video screen without knowing how much time has passed? How about just sitting back waiting for the next great opportunity to fall into your lap? Maybe you’re finally getting organized, but you pause to take a breath and by the time you get started again you realize how long your pause really was?
More and more people these days struggle with similar situations to those in the questions. Plus, in today’s modern society the age of those staring blankly at a screen keeps getting younger and younger. Then if we are not losing time because of our phone, computer(tablet), or TV, we want to add the countless activities of daily life.
All these high paid doctors and influencers are always quick to say we need to eliminate, but half their advice only seems to add to our list of things we now need to do. Most of them start with by asking us to reflect and write down the things that are occupying our time. In some sense this seems wrong because we are making a list to see what we can eliminate off the list.
There does have to be a starting point, but we don’t really have to make that type of list. Most of us know what’s important to us or the things that we enjoy doing. We have to be careful that we don’t have too many activities that just center on us or even isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. More people than not want some type of fellowship even though our modern society has many of us doing it through some sort of device.
This is why many of us need to take our eyes off the screen and open them to the world around us. We need to stand up and get moving rather than keeping ourselves planted letting time pass by. Even when we do put together a plan to get things done, too often we get sucked back in to that sedentary semi-comatose state.
I have suffered from this too many times with excuses ranging from I’m tired to I don’t know where to start. More and more I have been taking everything back to God and asking for the strength and motivation to get moving. He is always quick to remind me of Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
This often leads to the question, am I sitting back and waiting for the Lord to present opportunities for me or am I opening doors and setting plans in place to create opportunities? Many of us may ask the same question in things we do throughout life and usually come to the same conclusions that we miss more than we create.
When I take time to ponder, I know I have been blessed in many ways and need to share that with the world around me. Whether it is reflecting my faith in my everyday activities or serving with the church, it starts with the love God has for me and me for Him. When we carry that love in our hearts, people notice.
Before Jesus the Old Testament law was somewhat complicated. Even if you just went with the Ten Commandments, our human inclination is to argue the many shades of gray as the government does with the Constitution. Jesus made it much easier to understand in Matthew 22:36-40. Some of us have this memorized, but we like to shorten it to “Love God, love people.”
Loving God may be easy for us but loving the people around us can be a very difficult task. Never mind the annoying family member that you can’t be in the same room with, there are so many that we ignore or pass by because we choose not to see. Even missed opportunities to help lead a group or be part of an effort because we choose not to listen.
We not only need to open our eyes and ears, but need to see and listen with God’s love that is in our hearts. From the opening verse we see that there are so many lost and hurting people in the world who need to know that God still loves them. Let me take a half step back and rather the world, there are so many people in our communities that we can be reaching out to.
Do you remember what Jesus told Peter in John 21:15-17 after He asked him three times if he loved Him. “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, and “Feed my sheep.” He wants us to do the same. Share that love with everyone whether they are followers or a lost sheep that we were sent to find.
Do as in Matthew 18:12-13, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”
So, stand up and get looking. Start creating those opportunities to share Christ’s love. Help other believers to deepen their relationship with Jesus or lead one of the lost sheep back to Him to join in heaven’s celebration. Now also please enjoy, “Bring Them Back To Me.”
BRING THEM BACK TO ME
Relaxing in the shade as I stare at the clear Blue sky.
Taking some time to reflect as I ponder the question why.
Why do I continue to sit when there’s so much I can do?
Why was I not there when I could have comforted you?
Why did I not raise my hand when it came time to lead the group?
Why does it feel like I’m going in circles caught inside a loop?
I’m not getting anywhere as this list of questions keeps growing,
Lord, I am so uncertain of which direction I should be going.
My child, it is not the direction but the fact that you are waiting,
You are missing out on opportunities you could be creating.
Every day you walk around with your eyes toward the ground,
Not really seeing what help is needed by looking all around.
There are so many kind deeds or moments that could have been shared,
The joy you get from reaching out with my love cannot be compared.
So, know my words and testify to everyone you see,
Gather the lost and the hurting and Bring Them Back To Me.
Simple Faith Christian
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Simple Faith Christian 