"APPOINTMENT KEPT"
Teach me your way, Lord, that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name. (Psalm 86:11)
The scriptures urge believers to glorify the Lord, to hold him in the highest regard. In his proverbs, Solomon offers concrete examples of what this endeavor involves. One reads, "He who is kind to the needy glorifies his Maker."
Jesus, the Son of God and a faithful Jew, lived out this ancient teaching. His entire life was devoted to glorifying his heavenly father and meeting people's needs — physical, emotional, spiritual, and above all the need for salvation.
Had we been among Jesus' companions, we would have complained that he was constantly interrupted by people who needed something. Jesus would have insisted the opposite was true. Despite appearances, Jesus worked by appointment — divine appointment — and he relied on the Spirit to place people on his schedule.
The gospels abound with touching accounts of what many would consider "chance meetings" but not so to Jesus. Whether he was attending a wedding, preaching to the masses, or teaching his unruly disciples, Jesus responded to individuals in need. Even when he longed for quiet time in a garden or a walk beside the sea, he was never too depleted to extend kindness.
Today many lives are so over-scheduled that divine appointments are ignored. If an electronic gadget guides our steps, rather than the Spirit, it is difficult to notice someone in need, and we are far less inclined to take time to extend kindness. We put off a phone call to a brother who lost his job. We forego coffee with a colleague who is noticeably troubled. Rushing about, we toss a quick hello to the child whose parent is serving in Iraq or a hasty "How are you doing?" to the man who lost his wife.
To glorify God is to view a person in need not as an interruption, but as an appointment — a divine appointment scheduled by the Spirit for that very moment. To glorify God is also to pause in gratitude for the kindness extended to us when we were the ones caught in the crosswinds of life.
The scriptures urge believers to glorify the Lord, to hold him in the highest regard. In his proverbs, Solomon offers concrete examples of what this endeavor involves. One reads, "He who is kind to the needy glorifies his Maker."
Jesus, the Son of God and a faithful Jew, lived out this ancient teaching. His entire life was devoted to glorifying his heavenly father and meeting people's needs — physical, emotional, spiritual, and above all the need for salvation.
Had we been among Jesus' companions, we would have complained that he was constantly interrupted by people who needed something. Jesus would have insisted the opposite was true. Despite appearances, Jesus worked by appointment — divine appointment — and he relied on the Spirit to place people on his schedule.
The gospels abound with touching accounts of what many would consider "chance meetings" but not so to Jesus. Whether he was attending a wedding, preaching to the masses, or teaching his unruly disciples, Jesus responded to individuals in need. Even when he longed for quiet time in a garden or a walk beside the sea, he was never too depleted to extend kindness.
Today many lives are so over-scheduled that divine appointments are ignored. If an electronic gadget guides our steps, rather than the Spirit, it is difficult to notice someone in need, and we are far less inclined to take time to extend kindness. We put off a phone call to a brother who lost his job. We forego coffee with a colleague who is noticeably troubled. Rushing about, we toss a quick hello to the child whose parent is serving in Iraq or a hasty "How are you doing?" to the man who lost his wife.
To glorify God is to view a person in need not as an interruption, but as an appointment — a divine appointment scheduled by the Spirit for that very moment. To glorify God is also to pause in gratitude for the kindness extended to us when we were the ones caught in the crosswinds of life.
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