WHO HINDERED YOU?”

Late last fall, as my husband and I were en route to church, we mistakenly ran over what was clearly a young squirrel—or more accurately, he ran into us! Though he’d initially sped past us, avoiding sudden death, he apparently got confused and reversed course into our front wheels! We heard a hard “thump-thump!” Why didn’t he keep on going? What made him in about a split-second become a “kamikaze” squirrel?

His hasty change of direction reminded me of people who started out running well for Jesus, attending a solid Bible-teaching, Bible believing church, but after a while, you may hear that someone mistreated them—in their view—or failed to appreciate their service in some way, and they disappeared, leaving that church.

I always wonder, upon hearing of such “exits,” for whom were they doing those acts of service? Why did these individuals beat a hasty retreat, reversing course, (like that squirrel) for reasons that should never have loomed so large in their minds as to chase them away from a rich “banquet” of God’s Word, week after week! Did they even check first with the Bishop of their Souls [i.e. Jesus] before taking leave of that congregation? Surely, if there were more saints than darnel (troublesome) weeds in that place, they should not have vacated such a nurturing spiritual environment. Do these oftentimes hypersensitive people realize there’s a severe Word famine in the land? One who loves Jesus should endeavor from day one of their spiritual journey to keep their spiritual eyes and heart rhythms locked on Christ and pleasing HIM over all others! No other motivation exceeds that of our beautiful Savior!

PRAYER: Dear Abba, in this culture of saints and “ain’ts,” may we always trust in You to intensify our gaze on the highest priority given to Your kingdom people—that of worshiping, adoring, and serving You above all other concerns. Grant us wisdom in staying on course. Thank You; in Jesus’ name; amen!
By Sis. Denise Diggs