What are you doing?

I was reading in my book today "Escape the Coming Night" by David Jeremiah and out of a chapter, I read this story and a fire erupted in me. "Adoniram Judson, a missionary who served in Burma...He was arrested and falsely accused of being an enemy agent. Imprisoned in a tiny cell, he was forced to stand so others could lie down and sleep. The sun was unbearably hot, and since they were not allowed to bathe, the stench was horrible. One day the officials decided prison was not enough punishment for this infidel, so they hoisted Judson into the air by his thumbs- pain filled every fiber of his body. When he was returned to his cell, his precious wife, Anne, would creep in after dark and whisper to him, ' Hang on, Adoniram, god will give us the victory.' Week after tortuous week, Anne would come by every night to encourage him with the same words, 'Hang on, Adoniram, God will give us the victory.' One night she didn't come, and another night passed without a sign of her returning. Weeks went by and his loneliness grew to an unbearable level. No one told him that Anne was dying. Months later, he was released, a man whose body was so broken it was a miracle he could walk. he began his search for his beloved wife, returning to the place where they used to live. As he limbed toward his home, he saw a child sitting gin the dirt, a little girl so covered with filth that he failed to recognize her as his own daughter. He picked her up and staggered into the tent, his eyes squinting through the darkness. It was then he saw her, a bundle of bones and rags lying on a cot, so weak and frail that she looked like a skeleton. It was his Anne, her beautiful hair fallen out and her bright blue eyes staring blankly at nothing. Hugging his daughter to his chest, he knelt down and wept, his hot tears fell on her face and slowly her eyes began to move with recognition. She struggled to speak and her last words were, "Hang on, Adoniram, God will give us the victory.' That day Adoniram Judson lost his sweetheart, but not his faith. He lost his loved one, but not his courage. He began to preach again and soon was building churches. When he died he left scores of churches and hundreds of Christian converts in that Muslim nation." I took many different messages from this simple passage. The revelation I got while reading this was, What are you doing with your life? Are you letting your past dictate your future? Are you standing by while a woman and her children are starving because her husband can't find a job? Are you sitting on your hands not writing that note that God has instructed you to write as an encouragement to that prisoner? Are you becoming mute to the politicians that you know are doing injustice and wrong in our political and religious systems? I am a simple man who God simply confounded the wise and used. I am nothing more than a simple servant who God called to give you this message. I don't come on my own power because in my own power, I am weak but through His power, I am made stronger. Through that same power, you can do something. You can make a difference and you can change a life. Edmond Burk said it best,"All that is necessary for evil to triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Don't be caught not doing something for the kingdom of God. He doesn't require you to beat people over the head with the Gospel or drag them to church on Sunday. One of the greatest things that Jesus did was simply feed the hungry. He didn't say, "By God, you have to get to church and get baptized and saved before I can help you." Like the woman at the well, He spoke in her language at her level. He didn't speak down to her nor did He give her a tone of condemnation. What would happen to the world if our hearts were aligned with Christ? We would bring more to Christ if we had some sort of relationship with them. That's one of the reasons I am not big on street witnessing or going out and getting people saved. I believe salvation is very important, but sometimes we are so on fire to spread the Gospel, we forget about the relationship that we should have with people. So often, we are consumed with whether someone's not saved that we do not have a relationship to see the tree with the fruit. We are so quick to judge and criticize someone for not wearing their hair a certain way or their clothes a certain color that we don't get to know the person that we are condemning. Jesus didn't have a close, intimate relationship with the sinners that he dined with, but He went into their world and spoke their language and brought them to salvation. I am reminded of each disciple as they were recruited. Jesus didn't look for the elite but for the men who would simply follow. He didn't go to the mega church of Jerusalem. He went to the sea shore to a bunch of dirty men who were fishing. Simply, Jesus went into the world to save the world. Now, there is balance. You don't go to a bar and drink with a drunk to get him or her saved. But you love them where they are, pray for them, talk to them with compassion, and treat them with kindness. So often, we are ready to write someone off because these very things that I spoke about. I am sure by now you get the point that it's high time that Christians start acting like Christians. Get up, Get out, pray up, pray out, step up, step out, move on, carry on, and get ready because the King is coming.