“I
will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through
Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay
with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey,
wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see
you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord
permits. 8 But I will stay in
Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for
effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries”
(1 Cor. 16:5-9).
As
I read this passage in my morning devotions, I was struck by verse seven
where Paul communicates to the Corinthian believers, “For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some
time with you, if the Lord permits” (1 Cor. 16:5-9). Paul desired to visit with the church in
Corinth. However, he didn’t just want to do a drive by. He communicated, “I don’t want to see you now just in passing.”
Paul
understood the vital need and effectiveness of spending quality time with other
believers for mutual encouragement and edification. One of the most, if not the most loving and
impactful things you can do with another person is to spend time with them. It
takes time to know a person's heart and to communicate your heart with another
person.
In our modern age, there are other ways to communicate with another
person and we should take full advantage of them for various reasons. However,
nothing compares with setting aside quality time to meet with another face -to-face. The Apostle John wrote to believers in his day, “Though
I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and
ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to
face, so that our joy may be complete” (2
John 1:12).
There
are many reasons why face-to-face communication is more effective than other
forms. Face-to-face communication is more engaging, more real, more personal, and
more heart to heart just to name a few. But in order for this to happen we
must prayerfully plan and use our time wisely. Paul had a plan, he looked to
God to permit him to execute it, and he discerned well when God was opening the
door. He didn’t want to spin his wheels. He was also aware that there would be
many adversaries to effective face-to-face ministry.
I
have four grown sons with busy schedules. Although we all live in the same
house, I see them in passing. That’s not enough. They need their Father’s
listening ear and wisdom and I need them. This morning I sent them all the following message: “In 2019
with your cooperation one of my goals is to meet with each of you once a month
for some Father and son time. Here's my plan. The first week of the
month I meet with Andrew, second week with Adam, third week with Aaron and
last week with Alex. We will work it out on Monday mornings what day
of the week is best.”
In our day and age, the technological tools that can be helpful in communication, often rob us of time needed or become cheap substitutes for spending quality time with others. Being in the same room with our faces in our cell phones is not the same. We need to be present with our love ones. Don’t just see them in passing. Make time for those who need it. You need it too.
One more thing: Before you look into the face of another or talk with another person, make it a habit to first seek the face of God and hear from Him.
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