Good morning and happy Saturday. May God bless you today and give you some time to catch up on things that didn’t get done during the week. Maybe you can even find some time to relax a little.
Recently I was at a local restaurant having an early dinner. Since it wasn’t too busy it was easy to see all that was going on in the dining area. I couldn’t help but notice the couple seated in the booth adjacent to us. It seemed like it was every two minutes that they were calling the waiter back over to their table. They would wave their hands until they caught his attention or simply just call out across the restaurant. Once there, it was a litany of requests: I need more ice, please refill this, freshen that. I want extra of this; I want more of that. It was a good thing that the place wasn’t busy because they were monopolizing the waiter’s time. It was borderline ridiculous how many times they called him over to their booth. But one thing I noticed was how good-natured he was about it. He continued to smile and attentively meet their requests. He responded as quickly as he could each time and his attitude never changed. Then I noticed something else. When the lady got up to use the restroom, she had a shirt on that said in large letters, “God got me.” I couldn’t help but wonder what the waiter thought about that. I mean it is one thing to expect good service, but it is totally a different thing to treat a waiter (or waitress) like they are your own personal servant. But, like I said, his demeanor never changed. He kept a positive attitude the entire time. That was impressive. And he wasn’t wearing a shirt announcing, “I am a super waiter” or anything of the sort. He just demonstrated it by his attitude and his actions.
Shouldn’t the same thing be true of those that follow Christ? If you want to wear a shirt announcing that you are a Christian that is fine. Just make sure that you remember that you are wearing the shirt. The same is true for the fish on your car and your WWJD bracelet. Beyond that, once we profess to being followers of Christ, our lives become a testimony to what we believe. The things that we say, the things that we do, the attitude that we have, all speak volumes to how much of a hold God really has on our hearts. One passage of Scripture that I love is found in Acts 4. It is there that the religious leaders of the day were trying to silence the early Christians. However, they soon realized that there was something different about these people. They were genuine in their beliefs. They were bold in their faith. They lived like they truly believed what they professed to believe.
1While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the mencame to about five thousand.
5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family. 7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”
8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done.
Wouldn’t be incredible if people observed our lives, our actions and our attitudes, and were able to recognize that we had spent time with Jesus? May we continue to study and apply His Word to our lives. May we seek to grow in our faith. Let’s do what we can to allow God to do His work in our lives.
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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