The Determining Factor
One of the easiest things a Christian believer can do is to lose sight of what is important. Why? Probably because it’s our human tendancy to follow a path of least resistance. We know that as followers of Jesus Christ we are going to be judged one day as to our faithfulness in service. But somehow, we are easily distracted and easily moved away from our sense of duty.
I remember as a young boy being sent out into our large yard on the farm to clip grass along the buildings and sidewalk. I would be out there clipping along until I saw a big grasshopper jumping around me or a butterfly that appeared catchable, and I was on to better things! At least that’s what I thought, until my parents would come out to check on my progress. I was always convinced in my own mind that my side interests were just as important or at least more interesting than the job I was given to do. Unfortunately, they weren't, and I came to realize this when inspection time came. Inspection time usually coincided with my "swim" time, and while my brother and sister were swimming in the pool, I was not allowed to join them until my job was satisfactorily completed. Unfortunately, it was usually when I was deprived of privilege that I felt the sting of losing it. So it will be one day for all believers who stand before the Lord to give an account of their service in life. Rom 14:10, 12 says,
For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God ........ So then each of us will give an account of himself (or herself) to God.
Our judgement will be a very painful and permanent reminder of what things we should have done as opposed to what we thought at the time! However, let me give us something to think about today that has the power to change all of this for the better. I shared with our readers a few weeks ago how to think Biblically about our liberty in Christ, that is, how we curtail our behavior in order to not offend the conscience of a young believer in our sphere of influence.
Let me add one other important element to this area of personal liberty that we must be conscious of if we intend on pleasing the Lord in all things. Paul stated it in I Cor 10:31 as he closed this chapter on Christian liberty:
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
If you need motivation today to stay faithful even when it’s not easy, think of all of those that are watching you. Remember that your impact can make an eternal difference in their lives! When you sincerely meditate on this, the butterflies and grasshoppers may not so easily distract you.
I remember as a young boy being sent out into our large yard on the farm to clip grass along the buildings and sidewalk. I would be out there clipping along until I saw a big grasshopper jumping around me or a butterfly that appeared catchable, and I was on to better things! At least that’s what I thought, until my parents would come out to check on my progress. I was always convinced in my own mind that my side interests were just as important or at least more interesting than the job I was given to do. Unfortunately, they weren't, and I came to realize this when inspection time came. Inspection time usually coincided with my "swim" time, and while my brother and sister were swimming in the pool, I was not allowed to join them until my job was satisfactorily completed. Unfortunately, it was usually when I was deprived of privilege that I felt the sting of losing it. So it will be one day for all believers who stand before the Lord to give an account of their service in life. Rom 14:10, 12 says,
For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God ........ So then each of us will give an account of himself (or herself) to God.
Our judgement will be a very painful and permanent reminder of what things we should have done as opposed to what we thought at the time! However, let me give us something to think about today that has the power to change all of this for the better. I shared with our readers a few weeks ago how to think Biblically about our liberty in Christ, that is, how we curtail our behavior in order to not offend the conscience of a young believer in our sphere of influence.
Let me add one other important element to this area of personal liberty that we must be conscious of if we intend on pleasing the Lord in all things. Paul stated it in I Cor 10:31 as he closed this chapter on Christian liberty:
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
If you need motivation today to stay faithful even when it’s not easy, think of all of those that are watching you. Remember that your impact can make an eternal difference in their lives! When you sincerely meditate on this, the butterflies and grasshoppers may not so easily distract you.
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