John 21:15 (New American Standard Bible)
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him,
“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
It's one thing to goof. But it's another thing to do it
in front of a stadium full of people! In their book OOPS (The Rutledge Press,
1981), authors Richard Smith and Edward Decter tell of such slip-ups. One
occurred during a soccer match between two Brazilian teams. The first goal was
scored within three seconds after kickoff. What made the score particularly
hard for the team's fans to take was the fact that it was made while their
goalie was still on one knee with head bowed in prayer.
There is certainly a time for prayer, but this poor man
learned the hard way that there is also a time for action. In fact, both are
necessary in a well-lived life. As Gandhi once said, "I have so much to
accomplish today, I will have to meditate two hours instead of one."
Often, however, the best spirituality begins with the
prayer of the heart, then moves to that prayer which is lived throughout the
rest of the day.
Several years ago a bomb was detonated outside the huge
oak doors of a Greek Catholic church in Jerusalem. The heavy doors were blown
inward so that they careened up to the front of the sanctuary and destroyed the
chancel area. Windows were blown out, pews were destroyed and the balcony
collapsed.
Dr. Ken Bailey, a Presbyterian missionary scholar and
friend of the priest of the Greek church, stopped by to assess the damage. It
took little time to determine that the priest was in shock and unable to make
necessary decisions. So Dr. Bailey took it upon himself to ask seminary
administrators at the school where he taught to close classes and he invited
students to join him in helping the priest. They cleaned the church and boarded
the windows to prevent looting.
The next day, Bailey again called on his friend. The maid
confided in him that the priest did not cry at the bomb's destruction. However,
she added, "He did cry when you and your friends helped clean up the mess
it made."
Dr. Bailey has since remarked, "I did not teach any
theology that afternoon -- or did I?" If theology is about love in action,
he held one of his best classes that day.
The truth is...faith is never so beautiful as when it has
its working clothes on.
Dear Lord we pray today that we would put our faith in
action and do the work that You have for us to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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