It has been too long since I set and poured my heart out over these keys. Don't get me wrong. I have been reading and listening to God's word, absorbing, then being busy about my business. The business of volunteer work. The business of doing my work tasks. Business of physical therapy. Business of complaining.... Busy being busy. Not the business of sharing God's words with you.
It is time to dust off the note pad and the keys. More importantly though, time to dust off my knees. If our knees don't need dusting off then the enemy is winning. While I have been recovering from surgery I have been doing a lot of reading. I am excited to be (soon) adding three new titles to my Favorites page. I will only speak of one here right now, though. This is an old one. C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.
For every moment we are busy just being busy and not busy in the Lord's work, we are giving the enemy an opening. We are called to do everything as though we are doing it for the Lord (Col. 3:23). Let me get back to preaching with my finger pointed inward, now, as this is what truly needs to happen. If I am busy just being busy, not allowing the Lord to arrange my schedule and my priority tasks, then I am not working for His purpose.
In the pages of The Screwtape Letters, Lewis writes letters giving a variety of ways the enemy, Satan, can creep into our lives and destroy our faith or, at the very least, our ability to witness, therefore keeping us from sharing this faith and leading others into a relationship with Christ. When I kept my feet planted firmly inside my house and kept my notes and thoughts to myself concerning those "ah-hah!" moments from God's word, Satan won. Day after day, he won. When I felt pity on my own situation and did not move and speak when God called me to do so, then I was by my own inaction, being disobedient to Christ.
Although the battle here was lost, the war is not over. Thankfully-and I say this with all reverence and praise-we serve a God who is always waiting for our return to His presence and back into His will.
In more reading from my February issue of Turning Points: "We are not here by chance. We are born at just the right time in the will and wisdom of God; our backgrounds are known to God in advance; our gifts and abilities are bestowed by Him...." Dr. David Jeremiah reminds his readers that Esther and Mordecai were much like you and I. Ordinary people. Living with fear and uncertainty. They were not born into wealth and a luxurious lifestyle. Esther, while burdened with fear and uncertainty, did what needed to be done to save her people, knowing it could mean losing her own life. Yet, as ordinary as these two were, they have left a legacy of courage and strength by faith.
Our story only becomes great when we are humble and obedient.
The takeaway here is to be ordinary like Esther, humble and obedient. Or ordinary like Malachai, boldly speaking the truth even when it is not what others want to hear.
Comments