O By The Way

I was thinking about how God commands us to take what he is doing in us to the world around us and when we fail to heed that call.  It is so easy for most of us Christians living in North America in the 21st century to simply ease back, set things in cruise control and enjoy the ride.  But we stunt our growth and more importantly we truncate the growth of God’s kingdom when we live like that and horde for ourselves the richness of God’s grace.

It reminds me of the times when I would take a whole day to tend the garden.  I would rush out to the garden supply and get a big pile of fertilizer to help the plants and shrubs grow.  I remember coming home and shoveling the odious stuff onto my property just as the phone rang, calling me away to some more important task that many times took up the rest of the day.  The result was that this foul smelling pile would sit in that one place for many more days until I had the time to spread it around to areas that really needed its nutritious ingredients.  When I finally got around to completing my work, the potent pile had smelled up the whole backyard and burned a hole in my lawn!  Dang!  I hate it when that happens.  But I learned that the fertilizer is only effective, very effective, when it is spread around, actually becoming invisible as it feeds the hungry world of plant life.

It is a bit like the church in a bad season.  Here we have been given this wonderfully nutritious life, with the full intention of sharing it around.  God just loves to share his love with us in abundance with his purpose of sharing it with those who have not yet heard.  And too often, we receive it and we enjoy it and we are most careful and cautious to share little bits and pieces of it only with those we feel safest with, most of whom already know about this good news.  Remember, when fertilizer is all piled up in one place and doesn’t get spread around, it destructively burns a hole in the grass that always takes a long time to restore and it stinks to the highest heavens! 

Think about your life and the relationships God has blessed you with.  Many are people withing the Christian community who know the news and, with you, are trying to live it in the power of God’s Spirit.  On the other hand there are many who know the news and are discouraged or stunted in their growth in the faith.  And, there are many more who you are in contact daily, who are hurting and have not heard the news.  God is calling us to them.  With whatever we have, he is calling you to be a friend, an encourager, even perhaps one who helps another come to grips with some hard truths about themselves.  The bottom line is that God is ready to work through you as we come humbly to Him and then compassionately and understandingly to one another.  Don’t be satisfied being a pile that burns and stinks!