“Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; but if we sit here, we will also die. Now then come, and let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, then we will die.” So, they got up at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. For the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, that is, the sound of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians against us, to attack us!” So, they got up and fled at twilight, and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—indeed the camp itself, just as it was; and they fled for their lives. When these men with leprosy came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver, gold, and clothes, and they went and hid them; then they returned and entered another tent, and carried valuables from there also, and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, “We are not doing the right thing. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent about it; if we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now then come, let’s go and inform the king’s household.” (2 Kings 7:3-9 NASB)
During my undergraduate college days, I worked full-time. I only say this to lead into my story. After driving to work, I took my car a few blocks down the street from my job site to leave it overnight for repairs. After work I walked back the same distance to the building where the School of Education classes were held. The major campus had not been completed yet and classes were held in multiple buildings; downtown, near downtown, and on the northside. I was blessed that particular day, in that I had only one class to attend after work. At the end of class, I was tired and sleepy. Good thing the bus stop was right outside the building. I rode the bus downtown and transferred to the bus that would take me less than a block away from my house. I sat in the back of the bus, even though the days that mandated that I do so had passed. I wanted plenty of room to stretch my legs and get comfortable after a long day. However, I got too comfortable and when I woke up the bus driver told me we were at the end of his route. Now I know he had to go back in the direction of my house, but void of mercy, he told me he was out of service, and I had to get off the bus. I did not argue. It was my fault. I didn’t stay awake. Therefore I did not see my stop. Consequently I had a long walk home, worn out from work and with much of my energy depleted after class. It was night time and there was little light. Thank God that It was not as dangerous as walking down the streets in these times, but one’s safety could not be taken for granted. If only I had stayed awake to see my stop.
Let’s draw some relevance from my experience some fifty plus years ago. Spiritually, you have to see your stop. You must not close your eyes as you ride through the pathway life, for you may not see your stop. Unlike me and my bus experience, you have some help! You have the word of God that you have hidden in your heart. You have the benefit of the Holy Spirit bringing God’s word to remembrance. You have the blueprint for righteous behavior and are alerted when you are approaching your stop. Stay alert and see your stop. There are some benefits in seeing your “stop.” Your stop might be to cease from some type of sin. Your stop may be to end your procrastination to do the things you promised the Lord you would do if He brought you out of something! Your stop could be treating people like they treat you rather then how you would like to be treated. Your stop might be to stop looking at the speck in another’s eye, while you have a log in your own eye. Your stop could be living like an “ain’t” instead of a saint. Your stop may be where you have really not got into studying the word and have resorted to only reading the word and therefore you are missing the true intent of the word in context. Your stop may be emphasized arriving at the conclusion that the four lepers came to in the text above, “We are not doing right.”. Your stop may be to end a behavior that does not show the love described in the closing verses. I don’t know your “stop,” but whatever your it is, see your stop and act accordingly. Thus, you will avoid some consequences that come from missing your stop. Short Monday? No. Strong start on a Monday morning? Yes! Have a wonderful day! Be blessed!
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King