He could have been any one of us, you, me - anybody. his name was Ben Putnitoff, and he was a full member of his local church. Morally, his life was blameless. Everybody knew he never told a lie; he didn't swear; never touched a drop of alcohol; never beat his wife, and he had never smoked, nor dabbled in drugs.
He paid his Income Tax without a grumble. He joined his local Bible Class and the House Church. He could be seen in Church twice every Sunday; if he wasn't there, you could guarantee there was an excellent reason. He put money on to the plate at every Service he attended. Bills were always paid promptly. He was never 'against' or opposed to, anything that was good.
One day, old Ben Putnitoff died, and stood in front of the Righteous Judge. The Righteous Judge frowned as he looked on Ben. "Ben, the charge against you is that you are trying to close the Church. How do you plead? 'Guilty?' or "Not Guilty?" "Not Guilty!!" pleaded Ben Putnitoff. "You must believe me! I didn't do a thing!" "Guilty, as charged," the Righteous Judge ruled. And then He went on. "Ben, you have confessed to the surest and most effective way ever devised, for closing a Church. You 'did not do a thing!' You did not ever visit the sick when they would have welcomed company. You did not give any encouragement to those who were weak. You did not do a thing to help the starving millions in the world. You did not kill malicious rumours or gossip that came your way. You did not reach out with the Good News of the Gospel, to those who had gone astray. You did not "love your neighbour as .......
"But, Judge," Ben pleaded, "I did mean to! I intended to! I intended to do all those things!! It was just that - well, pursuing my career took up so much of my time. Then, I needed some relaxation, and I got that at those Sports and Social Clubs I went to. I needed both to make a living and to enjoy myself. I did intend to do all those things though ... I just kept putting it off!"....
Jesus said, (speaking of Himself) that "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve" (Matt. 20.28). And, when his disciples had been arguing amongst themselves, as to their own self-importance, just the day before His crucifixion, Jesus "poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet……" (John 13.5) He performed the task that was usually performed by the lowest servant of all. The whole life of Jesus was spent, in service for others, not for himself.
What about us - His followers?
James, in his letter, writes, "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers." (James 1.22). What a pity Ben Putnitoff intended to, but kept putting it off!!
Let's ............................................
W.W.W