“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6
“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT… STOP!!!!!!” Mr. Wise was telling me to go… then STOP! To proceed… then WAIT! Dan is my pistol shooting instructor AND my friend in Christ. When we get to the range, we trade places and HE becomes the teacher and I… HIS student. It’s been that way for almost 2 years. But now… he was MESSING WITH ME! FOR A PURPOSE!
There’s a shooting competition coming up and my teacher wants me ready. Apparently, he got info from somewhere that practicing distractions prepares one for the real thing. I guess being unflappable at practice makes one unflappable in the real competition. But being with him for so long, all it made ME do… was LAUGH! Which is distracting.
Being at our church Bible Study, last night was an overwhelming honor! With a room FULL of Jesus Warriors-in-training, we began to learn HOW to be wise, to make the most of every opportunity and to be graceful in reaching people for Jesus Christ. All in a fun, easy, questioning approach. Which is opposed to an ‘in-your-face,’ confrontational battle. After it was over, I noticed a more open and much more interested attitude in the room.
It was afterward that Don (not Dan) came up to me and told me that before service, HE had apparently gone into the same store I had previously left. AND that HE had talked to the very same guy I had! Like a bolt out of the blue, I could hear Jesus, OUR Instructor, hollering out “WAIT, WAIT WAIT… STOP!” He was trying to teach me something! And it made me smile!
If you and I are His, and HE has assigned us the role to to out into the world and to share His Good News, THEN went on to add, “Surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” doesn’t it stand to reason that HE will be WITH me when I am talking about HIM? Will He not guide my heart, mind and steps to perfectly place me in a perfect position to do the job?? How was I to know that God would follow up MY visit with the check out guy, with Don’s visit? I couldn’t! But Jesus DID!
That was the point I was getting! Following Jesus means FOLLOWING Jesus! HE goes FIRST and I am supposed to follow in CONFIDENCE, realizing that HE has already set the path before me. Rather than be fearful, I should just be ready to SEE, with my own eyes, what HE has already started! THEN… to be interested in the person HE places me in front of! The rest is just WAITING for the opportunity to ask questions in order to be interesting for Jesus! Who knew that being interesting for Jesus could be such fun?
So… Mr. or Ms. Wise Guy… what are YOU waiting for?
