I know we all have a lot on our plates. We have family obligations, work duties, social groups to tend to, home repairs, and a whole assortment of odds and ends that keep us busy, busy, busy. How do we squeeze one more thing into our day? Do we leave something out? Does something get neglected? Have we prioritized everything correctly?
There’s a lot to consider, when it comes to how we spend our day.
I’ve started a practice at the end of my day that I want to offer up to you. There is a thing called accountability in the Christian life. When John Wesley first organized the people called Methodist, he placed them in classes. These were small groups that met every week to share with one another their successes AND failures while living as God would have them to live. These groups held one another accountable, and also supported each other in their respective journeys. I don’t think they had soccer games, cheerleader practice, or TV back then.
Does that sound a little archaic to you? I can only imagine what I would hear from everyone if I suggested we once again follow that pattern.
I do have a group of friends I share with when it comes to all that I go through. That’s a fairly healthy thing to do in my estimation.
What I’ve started doing though, at the end of my day is to ask myself a question. How have I furthered the kingdom of God today? In other words, I’m asking myself, what did I say to someone else that revealed the God who lives in me to them? Was their day better, or worse after we spoke? What did I do today, that showed Christ through my actions? Did I help the poor? Did I show attention to the neglected? Did I see someone on the margins of life, and do or say something to make the kingdom come alive for them?
The Prophet Zechariah tells us in chapter 7:9-10, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
We know that the poor, the marginalized, the foreigner are very close to the heart of God. What did I do or say to any one of these children of God, that made their existence better? Did I pass them by, or did I deride them because they were illegal or different? How did that action further the kingdom?
In Deuteronomy 10:18, it is clear how we are to act. “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”
As I reflect on my day, I have to wonder where I’ve executed justice for those who are cast aside? What part of the kingdom of God have I shown them today?
Just a few thoughts for us as we head toward Thanksgiving. If the kingdom of God is to truly come to bear in this world, it will only come through you and me. May the God who loves us, who walks with us, who cherishes us, move us to compassion and kingdom living in all our interactions.
I told you I’m offering this exercise up to each of us, and believe me I fall short in my answers each and every day. But God picks me up, dusts me off, and sends me right back to the work of revealing the kingdom.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom