WELL-CRAFTED CHARACTERS AND SCENES help to make a good story. Intrigue, suspense, the battle between good and evil, and of course the “happy-ending,” all help make a great story. But the real key to a great story is having a great author. I realize that it may go without saying, but you can have great ideas and wonderful characters, but if you can’t craft the words, your story will never be as readable and powerful as it could be. I guess that’s why people with great stories to tell often hire ghostwriters to tell their story.
As followers of Jesus Christ we all have a great story to tell. The story about Jesus and our life in, and with, Him. We may feel that our story doesn’t have much to offer. We may feel that it’s pretty simple, and that nobody would really desire to “read” it. But, the truth is that we do have a wonderful story to tell because it is not just a story about us, but also a story about the great and gracious God who loves us.
As I mentioned above, one the sure ways of “writing” a great story is to be a great author, and while you and I may not be great authors, we have available to us the Author of all life. I guess we could say we have the Holy Ghost writer doing the writing of our story.
The key is for us to get our story read, it does little good sitting on the shelf no matter how gilded the cover may be. We need to get ourselves into the hands of people who need to read God’s story. We are to be open books for the glory of the Lord to be seen. All we need do is share the story the Lord is writing upon our hearts and let the Author do His work.
Time to crack the Book.
I HAVE RAISED PROCRASTINATION TO AN ART FORM. I can find lots of things to do to keep me from doing the things I am supposed to do. I can rearrange piles on my desk ad-infinitum; I can play Snood on my computer until I burn up a chip. I can put off phone calls, bill paying and lawn-mowing with the best of them. I have an earned doctorate in the field of procrastination.
But, this is not the course of study that our Lord desires us to pursue. The Apostle Paul writes, “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) The challenge is for us to work with diligence, for in God’s economy there is not much time to be wasting. That does not mean we are to work ourselves to the bone. Remember, the God who created work also created the Sabbath. The issue is not about work versus rest, but work versus waste.
Everything I good thing I have is from God’s gracious hand. The teachings and commands regarding tithing come out of this vital truth. Not only has God given me wealth, health and provision, but He has also granted me time. Time that is to be used for His glory. As I give to the Lord in response to what he has given to me, I am then walking in grate-ful obedience. Moses reminded the people of God, “Give generously to Him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 15:10) It is a reminder that we should heed as well.
So, what has God given you to do? Care for your family’s spiritual welfare? Spend some time in concerted prayer and the study of God’s Word? Finish those projects that you promised to do a couple months ago? Get involved in a hands-on ministry of the local church? Tell your neighbor what it is that really makes a difference in your life: Jesus Christ?
I don’t know what’s on your list. I don’t know what God is calling you to do. All I do know that procrastination is not the spiritual discipline that God seeks for us to develop. Again, the Word of God is our teacher, for it is written, “find out what pleases the Lord. . . Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise.” (Ephesians 5:10, 15)
Time to delete that game of Snood off my computer!
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THERE IS A “RULE” IN CHURCH WORK THAT STATES, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. This “rule” is often bantered around in minis-terial circles and at board meetings of church bodies, but is it truly a “rule” to be believed? I wonder. Sometimes I think it is thrown out as an ex-cuse without really considering what church work is all about.
As I write this I am running through my mind all those who faithfully serve here at Felton Bible Church. When I consider, AWANA staff, Wor-ship Team members, Sunday school teachers, ushers, greeters, kitchen workers, those who work with our youth, clean-up crews, those who pre-pare communion, VBS workers of all types, helpers at Parents Time Out and not to mention a good number of people who serve in ways we don’t know about, the number gets quite large. Now let’s add to that our Minis-try Team Coordinators and our custodians and the number grows in re-gards to those who keep this place running smoothly.
Now, I realize that there are some people who do more than one task, but even considering that, there are still many involved in the work of the kingdom, and that’s only the “seen” part of the Kingdom work.
What about the “unseen” part of the kingdom? The part where the real work of the kingdom of God is done. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) Herein the real work is done, the work of prayer. And when I consider prayer as the most critical work of the church, we are truly blessed with a wonderful group of intercessors. There is a group of faithful pray-ers who meet every Wednesday, and almost 75 people on our telephone and e-prayer chains, not to mention those who “just pray” without “officially” being asked, and you have lots of people doing the work of the Kingdom.
I can happily announce that the Felton Bible Church is doing its very best to debunk the 80/20 rule! Does that mean we can sit back and re-lax? By no means! Not until the entire Body of Christ is mobilized, not until the task of making disciples of the nations in completed, not until the Lord returns, or calls us home, can we stop. We must be the answer to our Lord’s command, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his har-vest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
To all the workers, “Thanks!” And let us join together in praying for the harvest is great!
MATERIALISM IS THE WORLDVIEW THAT MATTER IS ALL THAT MATTERS. It is the belief system that states that matter is the final real-ity. It can be summed up in such phrases as “The one who dies with the most toys wins,” or “When your life is over, it’s over.” Sadly, for those who hold on to this worldview, either philosophically or physically, nothing else really matters in life.
God takes another view. Which is quite understandable given the fact that God is spirit, not matter. In reality, He is the Creator of all matter, and thus of all that matters. Given that He is Creator, Sustainer, and not to mention Savoir, I guess it would be best to see things by His world-view, than ours.
A wise old wag once penned, “This life will soon be past, only that which is done for God will last.” This echoes words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
It is not the “stuff” we acquire here on Earth that makes us, but it the God-honoring work we do for His kingdom that will last. Someone once said that I might be true that we “can’t take it with us” but we “can send some things on ahead,” like that which we do for His kingdom and glory.
What really matters to you?
