I ran into an old classmate, and although he had aged, he really hadn’t changed all that much. Our conversation consisted of the usual small talk, How are you doing? How’s the family? and What have you been up to?
His answer to the last question surprised me and was the incentive for four cups of coffee and the occupying of a secluded table in the corner of our local Starbucks. What he had been up to was nothing, absolutely nothing.
The last time we had met, he had shared with me that he was about to be promoted to Chief Operating Officer of one of the fastest-growing airplane parts manufacturing companies on the West Coast. He was going to be moving to Southern California to help start a new plant there and expected to be named CEO once it was completed. He was a man with his eyes on the future, but this was not the same man.
He said that the economy had brought plant construction to a halt, causing cutbacks even in the upper ranks of the company. His layoff put him in a tailspin emotionally and economically, and soon he just gave up, putting his life in neutral, happy to just coast along.
He isn’t unique. People are tired of Covid, the economy, cultural changes, and crime. Unhappy with the direction the world is going, they’re just unplugging and giving up. They’re not going out and making a difference. They’re staying in and talking about the differences that need to be made. There’s nothing they can do so why try? Right?
The Bible says that God will always provide a remnant, those who will take a stand for righteousness and truth. Our world is changing, it always has. There is a lot of good taking place, and it needs to be supported and promoted. There are also a lot of things that are not so good, and those need correction. One thing is certain, nothing will improve if God’s remnant remains silent behind locked doors waiting for someone else to step out and make a difference. You are that remnant.
Life isn’t easy, but that doesn’t justify apathy. If you’re not doing something, then you are part of the problem. God created us to be productive, glorify Him, and edify one another. We are to be a tool in His hands, bringing relief to the heartbroken, sustenance to the impoverished, hope to the hopeless, and salvation to the lost.
For the next three weeks, at the end of each day, ask yourself this question: “How was I used by God today?”
A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:32-33
So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Romans 11:5
