In 1965 Jack Exum and I went to a café to eat during the Abilene Christian College lectures. We were joking with the waitress who seemed rather frustrated with the crowd. We asked about her religion. She answered; “I quit attending church because I serve so many impatient Christians.” This hit me rather hard so I observed the customers and saw that they were rather rude and demanding. This taught us a great lesson.
9,000 Christians had assembled to fellowship. Our giants were there to lecture. The lectures were powerful enough to save anybody. Many new programs, missions and plans were announced. But this lady didn’t hear those sermons. She saw 9,000 demanding, rude, loud overbearing people! She felt that if this is Christianity, she wanted nothing to do with it.
Perhaps this was her excuse! God will be the judge! But I am persuaded people are saved or lost on trivial courtesies or the opposite than by good or bad sermons. The best sermon on earth is the impression we leave behind to those who serve us and those who observe us going about our daily lives.
It is the little things in life that count. The smile, the thoughtful acts, the patience, remembering a name and a handshake…Trivialities can be tragedies, the frown, the hard statement and rudeness. Christians are thoughtful, courteous and kind. “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust in much.” Luke 16:10. CHRISTIANS, BE CAREFUL! God is watching! Children are watching, friends are watching and total strangers are watching!
By: Charles Hodge, Jr.
