PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…AND PRACTICE SOME MORE…
If you are a Christian, in more than name only, then I’m sure you’ll understand what I’m about to say. I would love to say that in this earth suit that I wear, someday I will be perfect. But that just isn’t true. I know that the body that I have is a temporary one.
But there is hope in His Word, the Lord Jesus promised to return! His Word promises that some day we will have glorified bodies if we believe in Him. Those future bodies won’t wear out and they can transport in instant time and do amazing things that we can only dream of now. What fun that will be!
But, let’s come back to reality just now. In this life, I have to take responsibility. I must make the most of what I have and that means I have to take care of this body I live in. It is with this body that I can be the hands, feet, and voice for my Savior. It is with this body that I can feel and touch the heart of someone who is hurting or happy or just taking it one day at a time. It is with this body that I can sit and read of Him and the plans that He has for me, and that I can kneel in prayer and talk to Him and know what He desires of me. It is with this body that I can worship, sing and dance for Him! The choices are mine to make. I can either continue to step up and change things for the better or not. No one is forcing me. It’s my responsibility.
I need to be very careful that I understand my limitations. I will always need to self-evaluate what the next step is and make a way to get there, remembering to ask Him if that is truly what I am to do next. You see I have to surrender to my Lord every day! When my wants get in the way, I have to call on Him to help me find the way of escape. When others demand more of me than I can accomplish, I have to call on Him to deliver me. But He is not there just for me to call on when I get into a pinch. It’s all about my relationship with Him and He needs to know that I love Him with all my body (physical), soul (mental) and spirit (spiritual). My body must worship Him in song, dance and prayer. My mind must feed upon Him in reading His Word, studying and praying. My spirit must be allowed to soar with Him and not be hindered by any bondange from my body or soul. It is the spirit of God that lives in me that influences others whether I speak or do His will. He must know my love for Him as much as I know His love for me.
I am to be a holder of His light. Others will be able to see clearly because I am the "lamp light" holder. I can’t do everything that I can imagine to do. I need to take small steps and remember never to push too far ahead. God wants me to be in the right place at the right time for the right people. He wants me to shine for Him. He wants the same of you!
During all this, I need to have a good attitude. When I make a mistake, I need to get over it! Moping around all gloomy will not correct mistake! Sometimes I just need to chill out and laugh at myself for some silly thing that I should have known better about. Laughs are contagious! It’s amazing to me but since I started this journey with Joyce Meyer, I have actually smiled and laughed more than I have in a long time. I can’t explain why other than that feeling better makes you want to smile and it’s easier to have fun. I feel so much better than I did a couple of months ago. I only wish you could feel the difference I’ve experienced.
Oh my, and another thing that I’ve noticed is that the things I used to think were so important are really not so important. I mean things like this; fixing holiday meals for your family completely from scratch or serving processed foods that are full of empty calories and sodium just because it's quick, when I can grab a bag of prepared salad greens and top it off with quick chopped and shredded meats and cheese with a light dressing. (I’m not talking about going crazy here and just dumping on calories, we must measure and get used to the correct portions.) The thing is we are all busy and there are ways to do things without spending so much time doing them. We just have to look for the shortcuts that are still good choices and stop feeling guilty if we change a “family tradition”.
Lastly, I think about my own children and those who have looked to me as their teacher. What have I instilled into their lives? Are they better people for having known me? Did they grow (or are they growing) in positive ways? Will my lessons still ring in their ears when I’m gone? I’m sure it won’t be the things that I’ve said so much as the things that I’ve done and taken action for that will ring in their memories. I pray that God grant me the strength to keep holding the “lamp light of Jesus’ love” high for others. I pray that God grant me the courage to do what it takes to clean the lens of the lamp even when it’s dangerous or just not easy to do so. I pray that it will be soon that others take up their own “lamp lights” to help those they have an opportunity of influence for going in the right direction.
Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. James 1:22
May God grant all of us the power and the glory
to do His will and for us to shine brightly
in all of our callings from Him
in His Kingdom here on Earth and for His Kingdom we have yet to see!
Amen.
1313
No comments:
Post a Comment