“Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us, ‘I heard your call in the nick of time; the day you needed me, I was there to help.’ Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all. Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-13 The Message Bible)
I’ll start with the hypothesis in the title, “Stay does not mean standing still.” Oh, we have stayed in the church, or at least stayed on the church rows, provided we have not been purged because of failure to be in the assembly of the saints for some time. We have stayed with our faith that led to our saving because of the grace of God. We have stayed in awe of the fact that the Lord blesses us in so many unexpected ways. Yes, we know where our blessings come from. We have stayed away from the counsel of the wicked, the path of sinners, and we have stayed away from sitting in the seat of scoffers. In many ways, we have lived out the meaning of the word “stay.” However, the passage above will cause each of us to re-evaluate how well we are doing and to determine of we are standing still or barely showing outward signs of movement; to the point that other who see us would say that we are standing still. I’ll say it again, “Stay does not mean standing still.”
Let’s form an evaluation checklist, inspired by the opening verses. This will be a DYI (Do Your Own evaluation, and the utmost integrity will be needed to make it beneficial.) Are your ready? Simply rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 by each statement, with 10 being the highest. Here we go!
- I am a companion in the work to spread the kingdom of God with other believers.
- I am not squandering (wasting) my life, focusing on everything else but the work of the Lord.
- I’m a good steward of my time, and “my time” does not leave out “God’s time.”
- I’m not frustrating the work of the Lord by throwing, as you say, “shade” over everything the saints try to do.
- I’m paying attention to the details of the work I am doing for the Lord.
- I’m doing my best to set things right in my life and the life of others; “right” being how the Lord would view “right.”
- My faith and projection of such faith is not fenced in by anything.
- No matter what the conditions, crisis, or circumstances that I face are, I keep pressing on.
- I am not limited by a self-sense of smallness, as an individual or as part of the church, when it comes to God’s work.
- I am committed to living openly and expansively in this sinful and dark world because after all, believers are the light of the world.
After you have completed the evaluation above, on your own, being accountable to God and not me, set some goals to increase your score. Review your progress periodically. You will be surprised how much joy you will feel when your score escalates. Have a wonderful, witness filled day! Be blessed!
After you have completed the evaluation above, on your own, being accountable to God and not me, set some goals to increase your score. Review your progress periodically. You will be surprised how much joy you will feel when your score escalates. Have a wonderful, witness filled day! Be blessed!
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King