Time to Go!
I told this a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite stories, and it has to do with one of my favorite people, my fatherin-law, Joe. Don’t worry; he wasn’t hurt!
Some of y’all may be aware, several years ago, I managed Ron Nance’s buffalo ranch.
One day, I talked Joe in to helping us out at the ranch. The intention was that he would help out by doing a little light vehicle maintenance. I had told him he wouldn’t have to get involved in the buffalo action, but as things happen, well, things happen.
One day, in particular, we were out caking the buffalo. We always liked to use bags instead of a feed box as there was no human interaction with the push of the feed box button, and we were wanting the buffalo to get to know us! Brilliant, huh! Well, we were out in the pasture putting out a couple of bags of cake. Joe was trying to get the string pulled on the bag so he could get it opened up and feed it. I had tried to keep an eye on my one and only favorite father-in-law, but I guess I had looked away a little too long.
I looked back at Joe and there was massive ole’ Black Cloud, a very healthy and large specimen of a bison bull, about 6 feet from Joe and looking down at him and snorting like he was willing to take Joe out just for that measly 50 lb. sack of cubed cake. With a firm and calm and somewhat alarmed voice, I said, “Joe, drop the bag and carefully step back and then go over here behind the pickup. Black Cloud wants your cake and you need to let him have ‘IT’ and now!” Thankfully, Black Cloud was content to devour the cubes and we went on tending chores. When we are in a situation, we must be payin’ attention! You have to be ready!
You know, we as Christians, can get in the same fix. All of y’all, who are part of His Church, listen up. Satan is set on fooling and deceiving us. The evil one would have us to believe that we can just let someone else such as the preacher or the missionary handle the task of telling others about Jesus. Sometimes, we get to feelin’ guilty, so we send money. And supporting missionaries is a good thing, but we need to be on mission ourselves!
Jesus wants so much more out of us. I’ve heard this so many times and it is so true, “You may be the only Bible someone ever reads.” Wow, I just don’t know if others can see the Bible lived out in my life. But there’s more to it than just reading what the Bible teaches. We have to be willing to show and tell others. I had “experienced” Black Cloud before, and I was obligated to tell Joe that right now was time to stop step back!
I read awhile back where a youth pastor out in California was arrested for talking about Jesus at the mall. It seems the mall had some sort of rule about that. They also didn’t allow clothing that mentioned Jesus, either. Somebody might get offended by Jesus. Go figure. I’m guessing that feller didn’t stop sharing, either. We have a job, let’s do it!
If you look over in James 2:14-26, you will learn that our faith is not valid if there are no works to go with it.
Jesus taught us by His example that we are to go tell others. He commissioned us to go and make disciples and then baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Much like Joe had to drop what he was doin’ and go, we as believers in Christ, we must be willing to stop what we are doing and go do what God has for us. In a sense, we need to be going all the time. Just like I’ve shared before, concerning Acts 1:8, we are to share the good news of Christ in our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, and even our other side of the world.
Choose Jesus, choose life! And find a Bible believin’ church where you “fit in” and know, grow, and follow Christ! See y’all at church and keep PRAYIN’ for HIS HARVEST! And y’all KEEP PRAYIN’ for RAIN! Amen