Yes, they’re out there. They do exist. In fact, I’ve seen them. They can be difficult to spot, because they live their life without revealing their secret, they’re Christians.
- A fat Christian is someone who only “hears” the word of God, but never acts on it.
Rick Renner, in his book “Sparkling Gems from the Greek” puts it this way: “But the problem isn’t the Word! God’s Word was meant to be acted on. So if you sit and listen to more and more sermons, gathering more and more information but never acting on what you’ve heard, you’ll eventually become so over saturated that you won’t want to hear any more!”
Now that’s a problem. God says it like this: “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear.” James 1:22 (MSG)
Anyone, and everyone can say or do something that conveys the messages of God. A message of love, acceptance, encouragement, forgiveness, help, service, and just being there. God tells us to go out into the world and share him with others. If you don’t think you can then ask God to help you see the need, have compassion, and then do what you can or say to meet the need.
A big part of seeing the need is trusting God with your own issues long enough to look out from yourself, to see others.
Let me encourage you to go exercise your faith. You will find out it doesn’t hurt as bad as exercising your body. Also, being a follower of Jesus in good shape, is a healthy way to live your life.
Note: In the photo is Bob Hostetler. A real man of God who, yes, gave me permission to use the photo. I will never forget the day he said, after reading some material I had written, which was awful, “Mark, you’re a writer.” I am so grateful for him. He’s an author, encourager, and one of the best speakers ever! His website is: http://www.bobhostetler.com/
Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
I would go visit them, and before I knew it, they would be giving me a guided tour of their latest acquisitions. Antiques, what nots, weird things, but things that appealed to them. I would hear the story of where they found it, and why they liked it. The one fact that never went unnoticed was how excited they were over their latest find, and the one thing that always struck me funny was when they would ask, “You want to know how much I paid?”
Confession: I have never been inside a confessional booth. I grew up in a church where doing so was not part of our spiritual practice. I am at a temple where there is one. I am writing this blog post while sitting inside it. Not intended, but in order to see I brought a small, but bright LED light. It is casting such a white glow I think it scared a couple checking out the temple.
Old Testament time: Mankind was given “time” by God. He created light, and separated it from dark. He called the light “day”, and the dark “night”. That was day one. (Gen. 1:3-5) Pastor Robert Morris says, time gives us stability, and rhythm to life. During eternity, there will be no need for time. Jesus operates in a whole different realm than we do. He is not bound by time. He can go back in time, and forward in time, in no time.
There it is. Right there in front of you. It is unwelcomed, and even now, is unwanted, but there it is. A situation has developed in your presence. One that activates emotions. They seem to come out of nowhere, and they arrive so fast.
What do you charge for your LOVE? Is that by the ounce, gallon, hour, or some other form of measurement? Do people, or your family, feel you can’t be bothered? Your friends never ask for a favor, because they know you won’t help for whatever convenient excuse you flip to in your “excuse Rolodex”? LOVE is more than words. It is action. It does. It does whatever it takes. It does, whatever it can, for others.
It happened again. The explosive temper from one I am supposed to love, and I do, but the pain. I left their presence, but I was a “walking wounded”. I kept rewinding the scene and playing it over and over in my mind. Why? This didn’t need to happen. I begin seeking comfort.
brady, mark a. 