Hello Church
Yesterday some of the McConnell children decided to rearrange their rooms. Mostly on their own, they spent the afternoon moving around furniture, posters, baskets, and toys. They threw out some clutter, and put new items on their shelves. When I got home from work they practically knocked me down at the door, so excited to show me what they had done. Of course I’ve seen their rooms every day for the past year that we have lived in this home, but I will say that the difference was tangible. The biggest change was the enthusiasm level of the kids for their little bit of space in the house. What was boring the day before, now seemed to be revived. Of course many of us adults have experienced this phenomenon. It’s the same furniture, and same material – yet everything feels somewhat new just by moving it around! It is really quite stunning how refreshment and energy can come from a simple, new arrangement.
This morning I was contemplating how this could be helpful in our relationship with Jesus. The bible tells us to ‘not grow weary of doing good’ (Galatians 6:9), yet the very presence of the command tells us that it is possible to do just that. Christians who are maturing in faith will often find themselves in ruts along their path. In these times, doing what is good could seem like a chore. Perhaps we do it anyway, trying to push through; or perhaps we wake up one day and realize we have drifted away from where we started. Let me be clear, I believe that spiritual life comes from the Father and His Spirit living through us, because of faith in Jesus. So in a dry place, the critical task is to seek the living water of Christ (John 4:14). But when you recognize that your energy to even seek what is good is waning, allow me to encourage you that it may be time to seek refreshment through a new arrangement. A few small, simple changes may be exactly what you need to energize your walk with Christ. Maybe it is beginning something new, like getting up a bit earlier to meet with the Lord before the chaos of the day. Perhaps you just need a change of scenery for your bible study, or a new place to walk while you talk with God. It could be that you need to make a way to take a short daily retreat, try fasting a meal, or begin meeting with someone once a month for coffee and fellowship. Or maybe you need to try taking the last 15 minutes before bed to worship and pray with your spouse and children.
The point is – if you find yourself growing weary in your walk with Christ, consider how even the smallest of changes could refresh your journey. As a church, we aimed to do something new this year by joining together in a bible reading plan. We have not mentioned this in several weeks, but I hope those of you who began this work have not grown weary. But if you have, today is a great day to restart the process. I have fallen behind several times, but have pressed onward and found that God has spoken to me clearly on many occasions. Verses that I have read dozens of times, are jumping off the page at me with new revelation. So let’s keep moving forward in the word together, trusting God’s Spirit to grow us as a church.
Yesterday some of the McConnell children decided to rearrange their rooms. Mostly on their own, they spent the afternoon moving around furniture, posters, baskets, and toys. They threw out some clutter, and put new items on their shelves. When I got home from work they practically knocked me down at the door, so excited to show me what they had done. Of course I’ve seen their rooms every day for the past year that we have lived in this home, but I will say that the difference was tangible. The biggest change was the enthusiasm level of the kids for their little bit of space in the house. What was boring the day before, now seemed to be revived. Of course many of us adults have experienced this phenomenon. It’s the same furniture, and same material – yet everything feels somewhat new just by moving it around! It is really quite stunning how refreshment and energy can come from a simple, new arrangement.
This morning I was contemplating how this could be helpful in our relationship with Jesus. The bible tells us to ‘not grow weary of doing good’ (Galatians 6:9), yet the very presence of the command tells us that it is possible to do just that. Christians who are maturing in faith will often find themselves in ruts along their path. In these times, doing what is good could seem like a chore. Perhaps we do it anyway, trying to push through; or perhaps we wake up one day and realize we have drifted away from where we started. Let me be clear, I believe that spiritual life comes from the Father and His Spirit living through us, because of faith in Jesus. So in a dry place, the critical task is to seek the living water of Christ (John 4:14). But when you recognize that your energy to even seek what is good is waning, allow me to encourage you that it may be time to seek refreshment through a new arrangement. A few small, simple changes may be exactly what you need to energize your walk with Christ. Maybe it is beginning something new, like getting up a bit earlier to meet with the Lord before the chaos of the day. Perhaps you just need a change of scenery for your bible study, or a new place to walk while you talk with God. It could be that you need to make a way to take a short daily retreat, try fasting a meal, or begin meeting with someone once a month for coffee and fellowship. Or maybe you need to try taking the last 15 minutes before bed to worship and pray with your spouse and children.
The point is – if you find yourself growing weary in your walk with Christ, consider how even the smallest of changes could refresh your journey. As a church, we aimed to do something new this year by joining together in a bible reading plan. We have not mentioned this in several weeks, but I hope those of you who began this work have not grown weary. But if you have, today is a great day to restart the process. I have fallen behind several times, but have pressed onward and found that God has spoken to me clearly on many occasions. Verses that I have read dozens of times, are jumping off the page at me with new revelation. So let’s keep moving forward in the word together, trusting God’s Spirit to grow us as a church.
I love you all in Christ
David
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