Friday, June 30, 2006

I hope I never meet a snake charmer

I turned around. I called myself a thousand kinds of stupid as I turned around, and I braced myself for embarrassment, but I turned the car around and I pulled up at a strangers house. I had driven by it moments before and saw a man watering his yard with some special bottle attached to the water hose and noticed that his yard was nice and green. I drove past as this voice in my head - or heart maybe - suddenly began screaming GO BACK. God didn't seem to be listening to my logical arguments about how I didn't know the guy and whoever he was probably didn't want company while he tried to work on his yard. God didn't listen. Just kept screaming at me GO BACK.
So, as I've already stated, I turned around and went back. I'm sure you can imagine he was surprised to have company, no more surprised than I was to be his company. I complimented him on his nice yard and we talked gardening for awhile. I don't know much about gardening, little to none, so I listened to him talk about it mostly. Asked questions about how I could make my yard look nicer, and heard about his grub worm infestation that was indeed making strange brown circles all over his yard.
I arrived home after talking with him for about 15 minutes and asked God what on earth that was about. When suddenly the concept came to me, that to the gardener, I was to become a gardener. I don't know when I'll go back. Maybe it won't be until September when I plant the Rye grass he suggested I mix with my Saint Augustine grass. But I will go back. I will begin witnessing to people in my city. I am now a missionary. Hold on city here I come.

Though I preach the gospel, I don't have anything to glory of, because the necessity of it is laid upon me, woe is unto me if I don't preach the gospel. If I preach the gospel willingly, I will have a reward, but if I do it against my will I'm simply completing my responsibility. What would my reward be then? When I preach the gospel, I make the gospel of Christ without charge, so I won't abuse my power. Though I'm not a slave, I have made myself a servant to everyone, that I might gain all the more. So unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; and to those that are under the law, I was as one under the law, that I might win those that are under the law. To those that are without law, I became as one without law (except for the law of God) that I might win those that are without law. To the weak I became as someone weak, that I might win the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do this for the gospels sake, that I might be a share the blessings with you. Don't you know that everyone runs in a race, but only one will receive the prize? RUN then, so you might win the prize. Every man that works to master something must be temperate in all things. Others do it to win a corruptible crown; but we do it for an incorruptible crown.
I run, with purpose, not uncertainly, and I fight, with my target in sight, not as one that beats at the air. And by God's help, I will keep my body under submission, so that God Forbid! when I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway.

1 comment:

Mountainbuilders said...

I don't know what to say. I'm moved beyond words.