Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost... Matthew 28:19
I heard a pastor tell a story of when he used to coach a girls’ basketball team. As one of the games progressed, he looked over to one of the girls who had been seated on the bench for quite some time and asked her if she wanted to go in. Her answer surprised him. She looked at him and said, “No!” She didn’t want to get into the game. She was content to sit on the bench and watch the others play the game. She probably felt like she wasn’t good enough to be a help; she might have felt embarrassed to let others see her play. Whatever the reason for her hesitation, she decided she would rather not have an influence on the outcome of the game.
Many Christians live their lives in the same way. They say they are part of the “team” because they are a Christian. They claim that they want to see the cause of Christ move forward, but they sit by and watch everyone else do the work of spreading the gospel. They let others take on the job of upholding godly standards or speaking out for righteousness. They don’t want to get into the game because they are afraid someone may reject what they have to say. They may not want to join with the other Christians who are doing the work because they are worried they may be viewed as weird by the rest of the world. They might stay on the sidelines just because they are lazy and lack the initiative to get up and go do something for Christ. There are a million excuses that people come up with as to why they cannot serve God. However, that is exactly what they are – excuses. Anyone can serve Christ if he has the desire to do so. No one is too young. No one is too old. No one is too rich, too poor, too disabled, too untalented, or too unqualified to serve Christ. He has a job that every single person can do that will help the cause of Christ move forward.
Those Christians who sit on the sidelines and do nothing are the ones who will stand before God someday and hang their heads when He asks them what they accomplished for Him. All the excuses are going to sound pretty silly as they try to explain their lack of service to God. Don’t be one of the Christians who stays away from the game and has no influence in bringing people to Christ. Life will not last forever, and we only have the time here on this earth to serve Christ. Get in the game and be useful today.
Read also: Matthew 28:16-20
Quote of the day: "There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you are committed, you accept no excuses, only results.”