The Bus Ride

The Bus Ride

Several years ago, a pastor accepted a call to minister at a church in Houston, Texas. A few weeks after arriving in the area, he took a bus from his home to the downtown area of Houston. It's on that ride that this story takes place and provides a sobering lesson for all of us.

When the pastor sat down in the bus, he discovered that when he had paid his fare, the driver had accidentally given him too much change. As he considered what to do, his first thought was "you'd better give the money back; it would be wrong to keep it". That was followed by another voice inside him saying "It's only a quarter, who would worry about such a small amount? And the bus company makes too much money, they'll never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God".

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then handed the driver the extra change saying "Here, you gave me too much change when I got on". The bus driver smiled and said "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I've been thinking a lot lately about going back to church and I wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday". The pastor stepped off the bus trembling at the thought that he had almost compromised when he thought no-one was watching and at the realization of the difference that compromise would have made.

In survey after survey, the number one comment made about Christians by non-Christians concerns hypocrisy, not living out what you believe. The Greek word that we translate hypocrite was originally used for an actor in a play, someone who was playing a part, pretending to be someone they weren't. It had come to describe someone who says one thing but does another.

In Matthew 23, Jesus describes the person who maintains one appearance on the outside while being a different person on the inside. Sometimes that can happen in Christians where they are one person at church and a very different person at home or at work.

Like it or not, we are the only Bible some people will ever read. Our lives are powerful declarations about what we really believe and about how important the Lord really is to us. Take the time to ask yourself the question "What message is my life speaking to others?" And if changes need to be made, start today to be man or woman God has called you to be.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church