Philippians 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
I was MAD! Where did my BRAND NEW signs go, that I just put out an hour ago? I left home at 6:30 am to put out yard signs in front of the church, advertising our open teen Bible study that afternoon. I put them out extra early so the teens could see them on their way to school as the buses drove past our property. A review of the church’s security system showed that a city work truck had pulled into our lot and pulled the signs just shortly after I put them out. I was not a happy camper. As I dialed the phone number to the city street department, there was a war raging inside of me. One part of me (the carnal man) wanted to give those people a piece of my mind and let them know just what I thought of them taking GOD’s signs out of HIS front yard. The other side of me (the spiritual man, aided by the Holy Spirit) was convicting me that the words I wanted to speak were not kind, they were not loving, they were not with grace, and they certainly wouldn’t edify anyone. As a Pastor, I represent the Lord, His church, and Christians in general. Whatever I said to the person who answered the phone was going to represent Jesus. At that moment, I did not feel like being like Jesus, but by faith I chose to be what He wanted me to be and to say what He wanted me to say. After a pleasant conversation, I was informed where I could pick up my yard signs and where I was allowed to place them by the streets, so that the city workers wouldn’t take them down again. Teens, you are not always going to feel like being like Jesus, especially when you have been wronged or have been offended. Let me just say Thank You in advance for doing the right thing, the Spiritual thing, the thing that Jesus wants you to do even when you don’t want to.
Robert Pophal | Pastor
Rose Park Baptist Church | Holland, Michigan
roseparkbaptistchurch.com