Here’s an honest question for us to ponder:
Does our profession of faith in Christ result in mere lip service or a living sacrifice?
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With a deadline quickly approaching – and a paper that needed to move out of the “rough draft” phase and into my professor’s inbox – I retreated to a coffee shop to finish my paper for class. I knew I needed to block out intentional time, away from distraction, so I went somewhere I less frequently visited to get it done.
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I received my drink and settled into my table. I opened my laptop and then my Study Bible to a passage in Ephesians. I worked for only about 10 minutes before I noticed a lady with a Russian accent placing an order while asking questions and taking pictures. As she took pictures of the food, the menu, and the scenery, I asked if she would like me to take a picture of her (I wondered if she was on a trip and documenting her time). I discovered that she wrote reviews of restaurants and other places and that was why she was documenting her trip. Soon she began telling me of all her travels and how she got started doing these reviews. As she began telling me of what brought her to this cafe, she asked me what I was working on. I explained that I was writing about a passage in Scripture for a college class, and my college class about studying the Bible. I shared that I enjoyed studying the Bible and writing about theology, etc. She told me she didn’t know much about theology or faith and then continued talking about travel, sharing many fascinating stories.
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As the hour mark passed by, I thought to myself, “I’m not getting any of my assignment done today. This might put me in a bind…” She was very kind, and I was enjoying our conversation. I closed my laptop – a small gesture to show that I wanted to be fully present in the conversation. As she shared of encounters she had, she asked me what “my theology” would say about a specific situation. Gesturing to my open Bible, I began to briefly discuss what Scripture had to say about the topic. Then we continued with more fascinating stories of her excursions and recommendations.
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Two and a half hours later, we both began packing up to leave; me for my appointment and her to go write her review. Before she left she told me that she was glad she came that day and that it made her day better. I handed her a tract I kept on hand that explains the Gospel message. I said, “You asked me earlier about what I enjoyed writing about; this explains why I’m passionate about what I’m writing, if you’re interested in reading it!” She accepted it and we continued to talk as we walked to our cars.

As I crawled into my car, I reflected on our conversation. I then thought about how much work before me I had to finish, and how I would not have time to do it that evening. But just as quickly as the thought came, this one followed, “What would it matter if you wrote about Scripture, but didn’t actually apply it in that moment?” ​
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I thanked the Lord for refining my perspective and for aiding me in making the wise decision to apply what I was learning, as I drove to my next appointment. Praise God for His faithfulness! I prayed for the woman I met and that she might accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. I prayed that God might use our encounter as a part of His good plan.
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Why do I share this? Certainly not to pat myself on the back. How quickly I can focus on me. If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get caught up in doing things – even good things (like writing about Scripture!) – but neglect the better thing. I think of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Or the passage I was writing on that day in Ephesians 5:15-16 that talks about walking wisely and making best use of the time. How appropriate of the LORD to remind me of how to apply the very passage I was studying and then graciously give me an opportunity to do it, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I’m writing to encourage you as Paul did: walk wisely, making the best use of the time. What does it matter if knowledge does not result in action?

If you’re looking for a great, brief read on Evangelism, I recommend the book “Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus”. You can purchase that book on Amazon here.

– Lizzy Blanchard

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