When Jesus was ministering here on earth, there was a time when he desired to be alone with his disciples for a while, so they sailed away from the crowd to another location. But the crowds ran by land, and were waiting for them when they got there. Jesus could have been annoyed. He could have sent them away and told them not to bother him. After all, he deserved some time to himself, right? And that is what he went there for. Yet, Jesus had compassion on the crowds, and ministered to their needs.
I just traveled to South Carolina for a few days to be with my family for the funeral of my great grandmother. It was time of prayer, rejoicing, remembrance, and refreshment. In the airport on the way home, I saw a large number of Mormon Missionaries. Their uniforms and name tags not only advertised their need to hear the true gospel of of Jesus Christ, but also meant that starting that conversation would be easy. I was pricked in my heart. I knew my duty...but why now? I was on a break. This was a time to grieve, and to recoup. A time to reflect and renew my own strength. I almost let the opportunity pass. I went on through security without talking to them. But once again, Jesus had mercy on them when we would not. The Spirit of God convicted me, and when I saw them waiting at the gate for their flight, I thanked God for giving me a second chance. I went over and spent some time sharing the gospel with them, and challenging them with the truths of the scripture. It was a good conversation, and they talked with me right up until both our flights were leaving and we quickly parted ways in a last minute dash to our separate gates. It was a challenging reminder to always have a compassionate eye out for opportunities to meet the needs of and share the good news of Jesus Christ with anyone with whom we can find opportunity. It is not wrong to need time to ourselves, or to slow down once in a while, but that can never trump the compassionate heart of Jesus Christ. It MUST never trump that in our lives!
Well, I am back in town now, and should shortly be posting the next installment of the "firm foundation" series. Thank you all for your prayers and support. God bless you all.
Luke
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