BE AND DO THE IMPORTANT!
BE AND DO THE IMPORTANT!
Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. —Psalm 22:20-31
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. —Acts 20:7
And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. —Acts 20:11
When was the last time you and I sat together listening to someone share God’s Word for hours? When was the last time we conversed over the Word of God for hours? I remember reading the book Heavenly Man about the underground church in China. Believers from the West would go over and speak at some of their meetings for less than an hour. People would travel quite a distance to gather together. Those from the West were asked— “If you cannot speak for at least two hours, please do not come.” People would travel that distance because they had such a hunger for God’s Word.
Do we have a hunger like that to read, listen and apply God’s Word? Our western Church culture is so wrapped around Sunday morning. I wonder how many people that will read this are active outside Sunday morning. You say, “I go to a small group.” Ok, great… How active are you outside that small group? See, we have a tendency to compartmentalize even our walk with Jesus. Have you met with Him today? Do you meet with Him every day? Do you talk with Him throughout your day? Following Jesus is a lifestyle and not moments here or there.
Paul spoke long and they conversed long. He was encouraging his generation and also the next generation with the expectation they would in turn encourage the generation after them. And so there have been faithful followers of Jesus who have passed His Word and Ways on to the generation after them. That is how the gospel came to us… through faithful followers.
Someone has said, “Show me your checkbook (or today… your bank statement) and I can see what is important to you.” I would also say, “Show me your calendar and I can see what is important to you.” If we could check Paul’s and so many of the early church’s “checkbook and calendar”, it would be obvious what was important to them. How about us? What would our “checkbook and calendar” reveal about what is important to us?
Dear Father, may my “checkbook and calendar” reveal that Your ways are what is important to Elaine and I. May this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son and my Lord Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQmsEE_2-s