This past week, I spent time with my daughter and her family. Her husband coaches the JV basketball team at Mars Hill, and so, I heard quite a bit about his team. One of his team members had an unhappy mother because he was asked to sit on the bench rather than to play, and she thought that was unfair and that her son should be out on the court. My son-in-law explained to her that her son was not putting in the effort that the other players were. He had potential, but he did not want to put in the work.
What do you think God would say about you? He sees where our priorities are, and He sees where our efforts are. He knows our potential. He sees the time we actually put into winning souls and serving others (Matthew 6:21). Are we more concerned about worldly things and activities when there are souls dying all around us every day? Are we neglecting our most important responsibilities and expecting to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21–23 NKJV) when this life is over? God does not tolerate lukewarm Christians. Revelation tells us He will ‘vomit them out of his mouth’ (Revelation 3:15–16).
Yes, God sees our efforts and so do those around us. Let’s make sure our efforts match our words so others will be able to see whose team we are really on. One day, we will either be told to “depart from Me” (Matthew 7:23) because you were never on My team, or Jesus will say, ‘Come into my courts with praise’ (Psalms 100:4).
