More Appointment than Divine?
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I made a new friend at Starbucks today. I’ll call him Mr. Fret because he was quite worried about where our economy was headed and talked about it for quite some time. We traded war stories about how difficult things were in the market place. The conversation grew darker and darker regarding the looming world financial disaster.
I knew this was a divine appointment so I began to pray asking the Holy Spirit to show me what to do.
Well, we talked and talked and I wasn’t sensing any clear promptings about what to do. I even tried tossing out the question, “So, what’s the answer?” He proceeded to tell me what the answer “wasn’t”. I could have jumped in here and told him what the answer “was”, but this didn’t feel right to me.
I began to notice something unseemly about my own attitude while talking to Mr. Fret. I was more concerned about how I was going to “edge in” some kind of mention about God rather than truly loving Mr. Fret and having a sincere concern about his soul. Mr. Fret became to me more of a mark than a person deeply loved by God. Like I was some kind of Gospel Salesman that would strike if I saw blood in the water.
This is the danger of being intentional about sharing God’s kindness; our Divine Appointments become more Appointment than Divine. The true goal of our walk with God is our intimacy with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Out of that intimacy fruit will naturally result. That’s why our Acts Project meetings center on prayer and devotions.
While I was visiting with Mr. Fret I quietly repented in my heart about my misguided agenda and decided to listen to him and give him value just like Jesus would. It wasn’t long where 1 Peter 2:9 came to mind that says, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
I knew what I was supposed to do; I was supposed to proclaim the “excellencies of Him”.
I told Mr. Fret my own experience with the failed economy. I told him about the devastation that it brought to my personal finances and the modest life that I’m living in comparison to just a few years back; but yet the peace and joy that I have because of Jesus’ love for me; the way he’s walked with me through difficult things, and the fact that we have the promise of heaven.
Surprisingly he didn’t react. He just continued the conversation like I hadn’t said anything about Jesus at all. But that was alright. I visited with Mr. Fret quite a bit longer and I could tell that he was pleased that someone would take so much time to lend him an ear.
Lord Jesus, please help me to love like you do.
