Midweek: Work Has Been Canceled on Account of Words

Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.

~ Saint Francis of Assisi

NOT the words of St, Francis and NOT necessarily biblical. What he did say was (and I'm paraphrasing), Your actions should match your words. Now, that certainly has the support of Scripture. But have you ever tried to share Jesus with someone? People can resist --rudely.  

I know individuals who have the gift of evangelism. They see an empty chair at the DMV and before anyone has opportunity to object, they're sitting there chatting up those around them and sharing the Gospel. One of my sisters, with absolutely no hesitation, will grab a bottle of vitamins off the shelf at the pharmacy and ask, If you take vitamins for good physical health, what are you doing for spiritual health? No matter the reaction, she engages in those conversations with enthusiasm as long as anyone will allow. Talk about conviction and thick skin! If attempts to share the Gospel don't get you kicked out of the pharmacy, they could get you cursed out, spit on, laughed at, or pulled into the office for the "workplace decorum" talk. In short, the use of words can be unrewarding. Jesus warned His disciples they would be hated by the world (John 15:18) and called out folks motivated by earthly desires (John 6:2-27).

Actions, however, tend to be better received. You can walk away from handing out sandwiches to the homeless and feel as though you've done something truly useful. You can drive the folks to and from their appointments and no one will flip you the bird. As a matter of fact, you may be spoken of in terms of salt and earth. Serving others through good deeds has its visible results and its tangible rewards. And who turns down a freebie? The chances of getting taunted when you're donating money are pretty near zero, I would think.

I'm not saying helping others is without merit. Scripture clearly says we are to help others. But it is extremely important we are rightly motivated: for the glory of the Father, first and foremost. Whatever accolades or warm fuzzies we get out of the deal are His gift to us, a mere byproduct. Additionally, it's important we don't lead others to develop wrong motives. If Jesus had continued healing and feeding with nothing more than "God bless you", the people would have been conditioned to seek only gifts, ignoring --or never knowing --the Giver. Jesus directed folks' attention to the Father and they crucified Him for it! Are we any less responsible for the message we deliver? If we're not making it crystal clear who God is, we will be held accountable. Would the people you are currently serving be thrilled to listen to a sermon or sit through a Bible study before you handed out the free backpacks? Are we teaching people that the God of the Bible is bigger than physical needs? Do we accept that, sometimes, we're not supposed to help? What if God is trying to do something with someone's situation, in someone's situation, in spite of someone's situation? And here we come, on our white horse, ready to rescue every damsel and plug every leak. Much easier to plug a leak than walk with someone through doubt and tears week after week; to say again and again, Let's pray; to watch as they struggle.

Daniel faced lions. His friends entered the furnace. Because there was a message. That message is still important today, and it is meant to be delivered in the form of actions that uphold our words, not replace them.