Doers vs. Watchers

DOERS vs. WATCHERS

 

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand

elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house

of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the

LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor

and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those

whose walk is blameless.” (Psalm 84:10-11, NIV)

 

Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General

Stonewall Jackson’s famous valley campaign. Jackson’s

army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to

be on the other side. After telling his engineers to plan

and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his

wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon

train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon

master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence

rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before

daylight his wagon master told General Jackson that all

the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General

Jackson asked where are the engineers and what are they

doing? The wagon master’s only reply was that they were

in their tent drawing up plans.”1

 

There’s an old saying that there are three kinds of people:

those who make things happen; those who watch things

happen; and those who don’t even know that anything is

happening!

 

With God’s help, I want to be among those who make

things happen. In college days, I was attending a college-

age youth group in a church. The group was struggling

and I was asked by the leaders what I thought was wrong. I

said that I didn’t feel I had the right to criticize unless I

was willing to do something about the problems. Guess

what: I got heavily involved with the group and they

became some of my best college days.

 

So may I kindly suggest that you don’t be a knocker if

you aren’t willing to be involved. And to be a doer, start

doing something of eternal value, realizing that we serve

God by serving people. Begin, if so needed, by helping to

be “a door keeper in the house of the Lord,” or one who

looks for newcomers at church and goes out of your way

to welcome them.

 

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, please help me to realize

the importance of investing my life by being actively

involved in the work of your Kingdom, and to be a doer,

no matter how small and menial the tasks I do may appear

to be. And help me every day to be “as Christ” to

someone who crosses my path, and in some way to every

life I touch. And grant that my home will truly be a house

of blessing to all who enter in. Gratefully, in Jesus’

name. Amen.”

 

1. Pulpit Helps, May, 1991.