The World's Bible

A friend recently asked me if I had gotten anything interesting from my devotions that week.  She and I share thoughts and insights from our Bible reading and I always enjoy hearing from her. The day after she asked me in the email, the Lord gave me a verse to meditate on. Colossians 3:23-24, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

For those of us who know the Lord personally and have had our sins forgiven through the cleansing blood of His Son Jesus Christ, we owe all we have and are to His glorious cause and the furtherance of the Gospel.  When I reflected on this verse and applied it to my own life I was ashamed of myself.  Most of us probably dress and act our best when at church or meeting with other believers, but how about at work or at home some evening with friends. When you're at work talking with co-workers would you be ashamed if another believer you respected was standing there listening to your conversation. Would you blush if they heard you laugh at poor humor? Or smile about a sinful action? I think all of us (myself included) would be ashamed if our pastor, siblings, parents, or someone we respected saw how we behave outside of Christian circles sometimes.  But what about Christ? What about the Heavenly Father? What about the Holy Spirit who indwells in our hearts? Would He be pleased with our conversation, thoughts, and actions among others. For some of us, we're the only Bible the world will ever read--will our lives be a mirror of the God we love and claim?

Your pastor, or parents, or friends may never know the things you say or do in the work world but you don't have to answer to them. You do have to answer to God however and He knows and sees all that we do and think. Are we living our lives to the honor and praise of our Lord Who will one day return? Am I?

God supplies us with all we need to accomplish His will, and no sacrifice on our part will ever go unnoticed or unrestored a hundredfold by the Omnipotent hand of our loving Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

 

The World's Bible

Christ has no hands but our hands
To do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet
To lead men in His way;
He has no tongues but our tongues
To tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help
To bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible
The careless world will read;
We are the sinner's Gospel,
We are the scoffer's creed;
We are the Lord's last message,
Given in deed and word;
What if the type is crooked?
What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy
With work other than His?
What if our feet are walking
Where sin's allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking
Of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him
And hasten His return?

 

Annie Johnson Flint