My wife, our two boys and I all piled into our car to race down to the DVD store to drop off a movie that was overdue and would certainly rack up another fine against our account.
Why this is such a common scene, is beyond me. I get a feeling that when the weekend happens most families are a bit less organised than during the week; almost that it is a way to pull back from the structure of deadlines and targets, cooking and cleaning, homework and early nights. Maybe it's just us, but we seem to reject weekend time pressures and try our best to let things flow on the weekend.
We pulled into the parking area outside the DVD store and my eldest son raced in to drop off the movie while I did a 3-point turn to position us for a fast getaway ... poised with the engine running, suddenly I felt it ... a prick in my heart, a prompt, I'm not really sure but I looked up and saw a man walking past our car. I wish I could describe it better, but I knew what to do.
I wound down the window and called the man over and said that Jesus wanted to bless him through us and handed him some money. He took my hand in his and his eyes welled up with tears ... he said that this was the second time in two days that this very same thing had happened to him, and he thinks that Jesus is trying to tell him something. We spoke for a while and then parted; I felt special that Jesus had prepared a work in advance for me to do...but I could have missed it so easily, how many opportunities like this had I missed before ?
In late 2008, while praying one evening, the following came to me...
How will you spend your life ? If you consider the fact that time is the currency of life; how have you used your time and where have you spent it ? Have you spent it on Jesus ? What are you going to do now ? If there is only one life and one chance to 'spend' your time on earth, what should you be spending it on ? Are you squandering your time or spending it wisely? What return do you anticipate from the time you have invested ? Is it time to make a change and make an investment in Jesus ?
These questions left me with a feeling of urgency that I still have today. We are called to be both Salt and Light to those around us; but the world is geared to water down our saltiness and hide our light ... if we let it.
Matthew 5: 13-15
" You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. "
A wise man once said to me that "Jesus is after our Time, Talents and our Treasures".
What sacrifices can we make for the LORD who gave Jesus to die for us ?
CHRIS