10.02.07
“BURNING DAYLIGHT!”
Ephesians 4:11-13
“It was He (Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
I recall watching some of the old time western movies, especially with John Wayne as the star. The trail boss was rousting his sleepy cowhands out of their lethargy to begin a hard day on the range. “We had better get started, we are burning daylight!” This comment was intended to imply that there are only so many hours during the day to accomplish all of the tasks.
Spiritually, we can loiter around the spiritual bunkhouse so long that we get nothing done. That is not pleasing to the Lord, who desires to get us busy with the tasks at hand.
As we note in this passage from Ephesians, not everyone has the same spiritual gifts. These five gifts Paul lists in Ephesians 4, “some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,” have often been referred to as the ministry gifts. That implies that we are called to minister to others. Certain of us have been given a more visible ministry gift, such as pastor or teacher, but others may minister without being so visible.
In God’s work there are many areas of spiritual service. So many in fact that the list never seems to end. We are surrounded by a world that is lost without Christ. Our enemy, the devil, has cleverly convinced people that they will go to heaven—all they need to do is just try to be “pretty good”. As some comedian once said: “You fail on both counts. You are neither pretty nor good!”
Serving the Lord does not necessarily require formal education. As a matter of fact, education may possibly be used as an excuse not to do God’s work. The religious hierarchy of Jesus’ day added to the Law of Moses, many of their own requirements that burdened the people and made it virtually impossible to draw near to God. Jesus made it simple so that anyone could draw near to God.
In Luke 18:13-14, Jesus made it clear that coming to God is a matter of faith and trust, not going through ritual. The Pharisee had prayed in a boastful manner about all the great things he had done for God. Look at the tax collector’s prayer and what Jesus said about it: “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ ”
The reality is that if a person has never received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they are doomed to spend eternity in hell! What are we doing to rescue them from this enormous disaster? The need is there, the strays are scattered, and we are burning daylight! Ride on pardner!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil