Pastor Lee told a story about a woman who unexpectedly received $10 in the mail. While she was contemplating what to do with it she noticed a man out on the street that looked as though he could use the $10 more than she could. She slipped the money to the man without speaking to him. The next day she had a knock at the door. When she answered, it was the man that she had given the money to. He handed her $60. She asked what this was for and he replied that the bet had paid 60 to 1. This is how quickly we would we would like to see returns for living a good life, but that’s not the way it works.
We are short sighted and expect to see results quickly. We think if we are doing good today we should see results tomorrow or maybe the next day. At the very least by the end of the week. If we don’t see a quick return, we begin to wonder if we are wasting our time.
This reminds me of the parable about the three brick layers-
“A man came across three masons who were working at laying bricks. The first seemed unhappy at his job, working away and frequently looking at his watch. When the man asked what it was that he was doing, the first mason responded, rather curtly, “I’m laying bricks, and I can’t wait ’til 5 when I can go home.”
”A second mason, seemingly more interested in his work, was working diligently and when asked what it was that he was doing, answered, “Well, I’m laying bricks to construct a wall. It’s not bad work, but I’ll sure be glad when it’s done.”
”A third mason was working fervently, taking time to stand back and admire his work. He would carefully place each brick until he was satisfied that it was the best he could do. When he was questioned about his work he stopped, gazed skyward and proudly proclaimed, “I…am building a cathedral!”
“Three men, three different attitudes, all doing the same job.”
We need to remember that the work that we’ve been put here to do is part of a bigger much more wonderful picture. We are working with Christ building a cathedral. So we need to learn how to build from Him.
Three of His characteristic’s that we need to emulate are:
Compassion – We need to be aware of other’s needs and wants and show understanding.
Courage – We need to be willing to take risks following Christ’s lead and take action
Calmness of Spirit – Understand the God has our back if we will let Him and not lose sight of the end game. As Christians we are on the winning side.
This week’s Scripture, Mark 8:27-35
