Colossians 3:23 (New King James Version)23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,Twas the week before Christmas and all through the church, not a single person was quiet as we prepared for the Christmas program. There was a buzz of excitement and an air of expectation to make sure it was just right. The voices, the timing, the sound, the lights, the speaking parts, the costumes, everything had to be flawless.
In dress rehearsal, the choir members were lined up on the stage with care, in hopes that a crowd would soon be there. The program was nearly perfect, everyone felt good about themselves. It is awesome to see how things come together, let's listen for the applause.
The lights come up and to our amazement there is no applause. To our astonishment there is no crowd, just one lonely figure sitting about halfway back on the aisle.
As our eyes adjust to the light and begin to focus, surely not, it can't be, but it is, it is the the Lord Jesus sitting there. I take a hard swallow and begin to walk toward Him. In disbelief I don't know what to say or how to respond, so I just blurt it out, " Lord, we welcome you, we are glad you are here. Well what did you think?"
As His eyes met mine I could sense it coming. "You welcome me here? You didn't even take the time to ask me to be here or to bless the service? It was a nice program, good participation and a very festive performance, but always remember, there is an audience of one that you should try to please. I could have heard the same thing at the local civic gathering tonight or school production."
If you want this year's program to be special, then you have to give it to me and and do it for me. Pray before you do things, and ask me to prepare your hearts, and the hearts of the people who will be here. Regardless of the size of the crowd, in all you do, do it for me. It is then that you will know that the audience of one has been pleased."
No comments:
Post a Comment