Regarding Deeds and Destiny
August 17, 2009
The story is told of a preacher who accepted a new job with a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after his arrival, he was riding a bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he noticed the driver had accidentally given him fifty cents too much in change. The preacher considered what he should do. He thought to himself, “You’d better give the fifty cents back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it — it’s only fifty cents. Who would worry about this small amount? Besides, the bus company’s fare is too high, and this reduces it a bit. Maybe I’ll just accept the change as a gift from God and keep quiet.” When the bus arrived at his stop, the preacher paused momentarily at the door and handed the fifty cents to the driver. “Here,” he said, “you gave me too much change.” Smiling, the driver asked, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?” “Yes,” said the preacher — rather nervously. “Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you in church on Sunday.” When the preacher stepped off the bus, he stumbled toward the nearest sign post, leaned upon it, and prayed in painful exasperation. “Oh God, I almost sold your Son for fifty cents!” Friend, what would you have done had you been in this preacher’s position? Think about it. We know God has given us a wonderful opportunity in downtown Richmond to effect change in his name. But we must also remember that our deeds impact our destiny. People are interested in our message; but they are also interested in our morals (Rom. 2:21-23). Understand today that you are the only Bible many people will ever read (2 Cor. 3:2-3). As such, let us do all we can to ensure that our affirmations match our actions. After all, a “bus driver” may be watching. —JLNJR (Resource: Internet forward, 8/11/09).
