Pleasanton Texas
Easter is a fun time for everyone. We enjoy sunrise services, Sunday morning celebrations, afternoon picnics, and Easter egg hunts for the kids. It is so easy to get caught up in all the activities, giving Easter baskets, and enjoying our families that sometimes we forget what we are really celebrating. Sure, we know that Jesus came, suffered and died on the cross, and was then raised on the third day to save sinners. What we need to do, however, is move that knowledge from our heads down to our hearts.
How often do we stop and think about the millions of people who have never heard the good news of Christ? People who are loved by God every bit as much as us, but are heading for destruction if they don't turn and follow Christ? How many people do we meet and work with every day that just need to be told? Who need for someone to take time out of their busy schedule to help them through the door of eternity?
I heard a very good illustration once of a preacher who was having a physical checkup. The doctor had just installed a new device that would broadcast the sound of your heartbeat out loud into the room. After he had hooked it up, the preacher listened carefully to the sound of his own heartbeat. It made sort of a "lube dube, lube dube," sound. This impressed him later on as he approached the Lord in prayer. He thought about the different programs in his church. They all seemed to make a lot of noise for the Lord. He thought of the Sunday School program, and the "clickity clack" sound that it made. He thought about the choir and its "clackity click," and about the youth program and its "clangity clang." His heart broke because none of these programs produced the "lube dube, lube dube" sound of the real heartbeat of God. He knew they were all good and helpful, but where in his church was the real heartbeat of God? The conviction of the Spirit of God gripped him, and he turned his heart and mind to seeking the face of God. The Lord began to show him city streets, and the people who lived on them. He cried as he saw the hurting, the hungry, and the naked all seemingly without any hope.
He cried out to the Lord, "I know, I know, I can see it!" He could see that the very heartbeat of God is people. People who need to hear the gospel, people who need a hand from the Body of Christ.
One of my favorite scriptures has always been the 58th chapter of Isaiah. It talks about true fasting, and how far away our concept of fasting is from that truth. The Lord asks, "Is it only a day for you to humble yourself? Is it just a day for you to bow your head?" The answer implied is a strong NO! Instead, He lists what he honors as a "true fast:" To loose unjust chains, to untie the cords of yokes, to set the oppressed free, and to break every yoke. He says we should share our food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter, and if we see one who is naked then we should clothe him. He goes on to say that we should not accuse or talk wrongfully about others, but should spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry, to satisfy the needs of the oppressed.
This is the very heartbeat of God, to see the needs of people met. James talks about the foolishness of trying to minister to the spiritual needs of a man without first meeting his physical needs. The Lord promises great rewards to those who will do the things he lists in that chapter. He even talks about the rewards in the same chapter -- read it! Then look to Him to see just what you can do in your own personal situation. Concern yourself with what He is concerned with, and you will be successful. Guaranteed. Just read the Lord's last sentence: "The mouth of the Lord has spoken!"