Get Up And Move!
Title: Get Up And Move!
Category: Devotion
Subject: Action; Accomplishment; Christian Living
Get Up And Move!
Every few weeks it seems I find myself reading a collection of moving quotes. They may come by way of email or the Internet, in a newspaper or magazine article. Some are serious, some funny, some thought-provoking. But each of these lists has something in common, one glaring aspect that makes them all the same – none, not a single one, has a quote from me.
Yes, I know. I'm shocked, too. After all, I write all the time. Surely I've said something somewhere worthy of remembrance; but, alas, nary a word. So I've worked hard this week to develop that one catchy phrase, that singular morsel of wisdom you will cherish to the point of jotting it down, posting it on the wall, sticking it on your refrigerator, maybe placing it between the pages of your Bible. And here it is.
Nothing will so motivate a person to "get up and go" as when the plumber says, "I've shut off the water."
OK, so maybe there's a reason why I'm not often quoted, but there is a lesson here worth remembering. It has to do with the idleness of talk, the ability each of us has to express (often for great lengths of time), our thoughts, feelings, fears, desires, wants, intentions and beliefs...yet never, ever do anything to make them reality.
Just as a hypothetical, let's say you have some plumbing work done to your house. As the nice expensive plumber finishes, he mentions the drought in the area has made many houses, such as yours, begin settling again and then points to the sewer pipe leading from your house. "Looks like a lot of pressure on that pipe. Might want to do something about that." You assure him you will...but you never do.
Then one bright sunny day you stroll into your basement to discover the foulest smell that has ever reached your nose. You look up and see what in other circumstances might have been a beautiful cascade of water; but in your case it is a cascade of water flowing down the foundation, splattering into a large pool it has created. You are not able to hear the splattering over the sound of your own scream, "Oh dear Lord, it's coming through the wall."
Heavy house. Lots of pressure. Small pipe. Much talk. Big crack. Too late. You get the picture. The moral of this story, hypothetical though it may be, is this: If all we do is take our time to talk, never using our time to do, we will lose our time to be.
It is easy to complain when things don't go our way. It is easy to cry when we are in despair. It is easy to blame and criticize when our world does not turn the way we feel it should. And it is easy to shout in anger when our lives are disrupted. There is a time to complain and cry, a time to blame and criticize, a time to get angry. But if that's all we do, what will we become? And what will happen to our faith?
In James 2:14-17, the brother of Jesus wrote about this. Very simply, this is what he said. “What good is it if you just say you have faith but do nothing? Will that faith save you? If you find someone with no clothes or food but do nothing more than talk, what good is it? In the same way, faith without action is meaningless. It does not exist. Words are not enough.”
I've been asked this week what I think the future has in store for my country, the world, and even Ciloa, for like most ministries we are seeing the worst year ever in terms of contributions that could result in us shutting down as well. After a lot of prayer and thought, here's my answer: Beats me. God has not given me that message yet. When He does, I'll let you know. But there is one thing of which I am certain. We are in a time when it is increasingly important that we be the very example of Jesus Christ to family, friends, communities, our country, and to the world. This time has not just begun; it has been with us awhile and will continue to be. And this time has not been brought about by one person, movement, or cause, but by the will of God...not for those who don't know Him, but for those who do.
It's funny and ironic that often when the plumber shuts off the water, we suddenly have the feeling to "get up and go." But, then it's too late. The opportunity is no longer there. Will the same now be true of us? Let us take this time to talk, use this time to do, and embrace this time to be followers of Christ.
Every few weeks it seems I find myself reading a collection of moving quotes. They may come by way of email or the Internet, in a newspaper or magazine article. Some are serious, some funny, some thought-provoking. But each of these lists has something in common, one glaring aspect that makes them all the same – none, not a single one, has a quote from me.
Yes, I know. I'm shocked, too. After all, I write all the time. Surely I've said something somewhere worthy of remembrance; but, alas, nary a word. So I've worked hard this week to develop that one catchy phrase, that singular morsel of wisdom you will cherish to the point of jotting it down, posting it on the wall, sticking it on your refrigerator, maybe placing it between the pages of your Bible. And here it is.
Nothing will so motivate a person to "get up and go" as when the plumber says, "I've shut off the water."
OK, so maybe there's a reason why I'm not often quoted, but there is a lesson here worth remembering. It has to do with the idleness of talk, the ability each of us has to express (often for great lengths of time), our thoughts, feelings, fears, desires, wants, intentions and beliefs...yet never, ever do anything to make them reality.
Just as a hypothetical, let's say you have some plumbing work done to your house. As the nice expensive plumber finishes, he mentions the drought in the area has made many houses, such as yours, begin settling again and then points to the sewer pipe leading from your house. "Looks like a lot of pressure on that pipe. Might want to do something about that." You assure him you will...but you never do.
Then one bright sunny day you stroll into your basement to discover the foulest smell that has ever reached your nose. You look up and see what in other circumstances might have been a beautiful cascade of water; but in your case it is a cascade of water flowing down the foundation, splattering into a large pool it has created. You are not able to hear the splattering over the sound of your own scream, "Oh dear Lord, it's coming through the wall."
Heavy house. Lots of pressure. Small pipe. Much talk. Big crack. Too late. You get the picture. The moral of this story, hypothetical though it may be, is this: If all we do is take our time to talk, never using our time to do, we will lose our time to be.
It is easy to complain when things don't go our way. It is easy to cry when we are in despair. It is easy to blame and criticize when our world does not turn the way we feel it should. And it is easy to shout in anger when our lives are disrupted. There is a time to complain and cry, a time to blame and criticize, a time to get angry. But if that's all we do, what will we become? And what will happen to our faith?
In James 2:14-17, the brother of Jesus wrote about this. Very simply, this is what he said. “What good is it if you just say you have faith but do nothing? Will that faith save you? If you find someone with no clothes or food but do nothing more than talk, what good is it? In the same way, faith without action is meaningless. It does not exist. Words are not enough.”
I've been asked this week what I think the future has in store for my country, the world, and even Ciloa, for like most ministries we are seeing the worst year ever in terms of contributions that could result in us shutting down as well. After a lot of prayer and thought, here's my answer: Beats me. God has not given me that message yet. When He does, I'll let you know. But there is one thing of which I am certain. We are in a time when it is increasingly important that we be the very example of Jesus Christ to family, friends, communities, our country, and to the world. This time has not just begun; it has been with us awhile and will continue to be. And this time has not been brought about by one person, movement, or cause, but by the will of God...not for those who don't know Him, but for those who do.
It's funny and ironic that often when the plumber shuts off the water, we suddenly have the feeling to "get up and go." But, then it's too late. The opportunity is no longer there. Will the same now be true of us? Let us take this time to talk, use this time to do, and embrace this time to be followers of Christ.
