“Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.” (Matthew 15:30 NIV)
Let’s make the effort not to schedule Jesus this week. What do I mean by “schedule Jesus?” I’m glad you asked. Yesterday, you went to church or viewed church online, and there is no doubt that you scheduled letting the Jesus come out in you; in your praise, in your thankfulness, in your God-consciousness, in your behavior, in your actions, in your expressions, and in your interactions. You have scheduled times to fall on your knees and pray to the Lord, even though you know that Jesus is on the mainline and His line is never busy. Yet, you still scheduled Jesus when it came to prayer. You were scheduling the Jesus to come out I you, following His example of looking up to the Father who art in Heaven. You have a reminder on your calendar about attending Bible Study this week, hopefully not penciled in, but in ink. In any case you are scheduling the Jesus to come out in you because of your awareness of how Jesus knew and used the Scriptures. You do your best to act like one of His disciples, but sometimes you pick and choose whether you will let the Jesus come out in you when the opportunity presents itself. If that is true, then you are scheduling Jesus. I had a pastor friend, one who has gone home to his heavenly reward. He said that he always would give to those seeking a handout, as opposed to giving them “the look,” the look that many of us give when our car stops by the panhandler. My pastor friend is a good example of not scheduling Jesus. He exemplifies letting Jesus come out anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. I have another pastor friend who is still laboring, living faithfully to his calling. One day he had stopped by the church to study and do other pastoral work. When he was done, he headed for his car, the sole vehicle in the parking lot. As he was leaving, a man dressed in ragged, rugged, and rough looking clothes. He asked my friend if the pantry was open. Pastor did not point to the posted pantry days and hours on a sign affixed to the church. Instead, he took the man, a complete stranger from the projects across the street, and brought him inside the church. He took him down to the kitchen area and fixed the struggling man a super meal. He might have had other things on his schedule, but he too did not schedule Jesus. He let the Jesus come out in him without any hesitation. God bless him for his example.
We are in the Christmas season and winter weather is approaching. There is a growing number of people suffering from food deficiency; both food for the body and food for the soul. There is an increasing number of people who fall into the category of the least of these. It is at this time of the year that people are scheduling Jesus. And to be honest about it, not all involved are doing it for the right reasons at all times. Just being honest about it. If you do go against my advice and schedule Jesus, at least make sure your motive is pure.
What are you going to do this week? Are you going to schedule Jesus? Are you going to look at Jesus, who never took a time out when it came to doing the Father’s will? I used the opening Scripture to show that Jesus did not schedule healings. No appointment was necessary with Jesus. Jesus, as always, is the perfect example about not scheduling how and when, and with who, that we let our light shine. The closing Scripture below is to serve the same purpose as the opening verse. The purpose? Let us see how well we can do in letting the Christ come out of us throughout the week, both day and night, Monday through Saturday, in the presence of saints and also in the presence of the ain’t folks; those who “ain’t” found Jesus yet. The latter need to see the Jesus in you, from night to twilight, and from twilight to daylight. Let me just say it this way: Just let the Christ come out in you all the time. A challenge? Yes! But an obvious compelling plea that we all do our best not to schedule Jesus. Enjoy your Monday! Be blessed!
“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” (Matthew 8:16-17 ESV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King