Growth

Tell His Deeds

Psalm 9:11 exhorts its readers thusly:

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!

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Most of us who regularly attend church services probably accomplish the first half of this statement pretty well, at least once a week. We are used to structure times of singing where the purpose is to give praise to the Lord.  I wonder how often though we practice the second half of this verse? Are we regularly telling others of God’s deeds? Or are we content to let our public praise of our great God and King be limited to Sunday morning worship songs?

Perhaps we are reluctant to wholeheartedly embrace this action because we think that we don’t know how to tell others of the work that God is doing. I have found that it is deceptively easy to do so. The other day I was visiting the cemetery where we buried my dad’s body. Every week the cemetery staff picks up flowers, pinwheels, flags and other paraphernalia that are used to “accessorize” the grave markers of the dead. As I pulled up to the location where all these are placed after they are removed from the grounds, there was a lady who was already there. For some reason, she started chatting with me about the sometimes unfortunate occurrence of other people taking items that did not belong to them. This started a brief conversation about the reasons that we were at the cemetery to begin with. As I shared with her that my dad was buried there and quickly recounted some of the circumstances regarding his Heavenly homecoming, I had the opportunity to share about God’s faithfulness to our family. It wasn’t eloquent nor was it drawn out, but the attribution to our Father was made. I realized afterwards that it was a similar approach that I would have used if I was talking to someone at church, where we are often more rapid about giving praise to our King. It was just in this instance, I had the conversation without knowing what the other person’s beliefs were.

I don’t know how God used that momentary encounter in the life of the woman I was conversing with, but I do know how He used it in my life. It was a reminder that the work of His hands should be the subject of my words on far more occasions than it currently is. Regardless of the setting or whom I am talking to, I can be telling His deeds among the peoples. After all, He has been so gracious and generous, there is plenty of stores to share, occasions to recount, and praise to be given. If only I am willing to do so.

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Growth Relationships

Making the Most of Our Time

Time is a funny thing. When we are young it seems to drag on forever. Summers appear to last for an eternity, and the gap between birthdays seems much more than 365 days. We make chains and charts to count down the days before anticipated events.

When we grow older though, time is a fleeting aberration. We strive hard to slow it down, to savor the moments, to complete our to-do list before another day expires. Birthdays come and go faster than we can keep track of them. We complete one event only to turn around and find the next staring at us in the face.

In the busyness of this frantic passing of time, it can be tempting to just get things done, as we mimic horses with the blinders on looking only straight ahead. The problem with that is that as time passes, people come in and out of our lives. Some of these individuals will be with us for the long haul. Others are there just for that particular moment, that specific slice of history. Either way, we know that unless they are believers, our time with them won’t be long. That’s why Colossians 4:5 tells us to make the most of it. Specifically it says:

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

There are two parts to this admonition.

First, we have to walk in wisdom towards those that don’t know Christ. This means that we have to be mindful and purposeful in our interactions. Our responses, the activities in which we participate, the manner in which we treat others can’t be casual or off-the-cuff. We should be wisely looking for opportunities to make a Kingdom difference in their lives – getting to know their particular situation and history in order to do this more effectively.

Coupled with that, we need to make the best use of the time. We need to not let an opportunity to minister to them pass us by. We don’t know how long our lives will intersect, and so we can’t put off until tomorrow what could be done today. When there seems to be a crack in proverbial door, we need to open it. When there is an opportunity to direct the conversation to things above, we need to take it. We can’t issue excuses for why now might not be the right time (although we can, and should, use wisdom, as indicated above, to manage the particular situation effectively); as far as we know this may be the only opportunity.

Colossians 4:5 is a seemingly simple verse; translated into English it is only 12 words. Yet doing this well, and consistently, can seem so difficult. However, we must remember we only have a limited time to put this command into practice. There won’t be any “outsiders” in Heaven.

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