Things We Don’t See…December 18th

It was about 8:00 p.m. and I had just picked up fried chicken from Publix and about to pull into the driveway when I get a text saying there are fire trucks at the church. Well the word fire and church don’t go well to together so I raced over. I found them in the back parking lot. I asked, “Is there an emergency?” They replied, “Yes and you better move your car, because it is about to land on your head!” Then I heard it…a Life Flight helicopter was landing right where I was, in the parking lot of the church! It was incredible! Evidently there was a bad wreck on hwy138 and they were using the church parking lot as a staging area to get the patient to the hospital. They couldn’t land anywhere else.

First, I prayed for the person injured. Then I prayed for the firefighters and the paramedics and the person flying the helicopter. Then something dawned on me…I thought to myself this was really unbelievable to witness something like this first hand. When we see or hear emergency vehicles zooming by, we often think what an inconvenience, because I have to stop. We rarely think they are risking their life and limb to save others.

It made me think of what we see and don’t see. Jesus said it like this…

“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:1-4

There are two sides to this coin. Quickly look at both of them with me.

Jesus warns us not do things to be seen. When we do we are doing things for the wrong reasons. In fact, just do them, because God has asked you to do so. When you do this, GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN. However, when we wish to be praised by men, then Jesus says that is exactly what you will get. The world is filled with people who do things to be seen by others. How much humility does it take to do something anonymously so that only your Lord sees? How much spiritual strength will take, knowing you will never get a thank you from anyone, but only the satisfaction that you did it!?

The other side to this is that we need to be giving people a real break. Cut people some slack. We are quick to assume what people are doing. If I hadn’t seen first hand what those firefighters were doing then I might assume they were not doing much. We are good at this, because human nature only looks to what we are good at it. In other words, if I am not doing it then it must not be getting done or being done well. This is just nonsense.

So get out there today. Have one goal and that is only to please your Lord. Don’t let anyone else know. Just do good things. Do them, because God has first loved you. Then take the rest of the world off your plate. Yes the world will turn without your commentary all the time and things will get done. After all we are only in control of our own lives. Let’s make them shine as brightly as we can!

Love you all,

Rev. Jim