If you miss an opportunity to refer to God when someone opens the door for you to be a witness, God will let you know about it. How? The Holy Spirit will communicate with you, not to dismiss you, but to develop you, and direct you in a better way! All you need to do is respond accordingly and get it right the next time. You know, we all should be thankful for God’s compassionate help to get it right the next time we have an opportunity.
I shared this with our church’s Thursday and Friday Bible Study classes. What happened was after the Wednesday night class, so they have not heard what I am about to share.
Last week, since our Thursday class starts at 7:00 p.m. I decided to take my wife to a nearby restaurant. We ordered our food, ate without rushing, and headed to the checkout register. Before we got to the main aisle, one of the servers, a man who I have never seen before, abruptly asked me, “How long have you two been together?” I told him, “Forty-five years.” Now I’m probably too busy thinking, “Does he see us as old folks? Is it true that this restaurant is the next stop before heaven?” My quick inner thoughts ceased when the server asks a follow-up question, “How do you do it?” I just answered with one word, “Stay.” He laughed, gave me a fist bump and headed back to performing his job.
When I got home, the Holy Spirit, spoke to my heart, “You could have used a better answer than your one-word answer, or if you did use a one-word answer, perhaps you should have said, “God!” The Spirit’s admonition made me think, “Yes! Right! I could have, at the minimum, expanded on the word ‘Stay.’” For instance, I could have said, “Stay true to your vows. I learned that works.” Perhaps I could have said, “Stay true to God’s principles of love, forgiveness, and quick reconciliation.” Another option could have been to say, “Stay in the word, for when a married man and woman BOTH stay in the word, letting the Lord be in charge, you can reach many anniversaries.” Lastly, I could have said, in the event he was contemplating a second chance in marriage, “Stay with the Lord, for He is the One who can make a marriage start right and stay continuous on track.” I know I said “lastly,” but I just thought of one more thing I could have said, “Stay unmarried if you are not ready to commit to marriage, and in the meantime seek to serve the Lord, and seek His wisdom to make sure the next time will be true to your vows.”
Here is some general advice, beyond the marriage scenario. When you mess up believers, in any area, any area, God will let you know through the conviction of the Holy. At that point, or should I say from that point on, after we repent and He forgives us and cleanses us, we should try to live by God’s will going forward and allow Him to order our steps. More advice! Four words: Look! Listen! Learn! Live! Be blessed!
“But the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all II have said to you.” (John 14:26 NASB)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King