MEDITATION FOR THE WEEK
MEDITATION FOR THE WEEK
Have you ever seen people who run to God when they are down and out but the moment their burdens are lifted they pull a Houdini and disappear from the church? During their trial and tribulation the church becomes their second home, they stay at the altar and can't wait to place their name on every prayer list. Obviously they have mastered the portion of scripture in Philippians 4:6 that tells us to make our petition known to God or the one in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which urges believers to pray without ceasing. The part they have forgotten about is to remember to come back and thank God when He lifts you up out of your despair. The Lepers in Luke 17 where eager to ask Jesus to heal them when they encountered him on His journey. They were also swift in following his command when he directed them to go to the priests, but once they were healed and no longer had a need, they all but the one forgot to thank the Giver of their blessing.
Church is not a free for all, where you come to get healed and be made whole until the next storm comes your way. God is not our personal ATM where we come to withdraw grace and mercy in our time of trouble but once we've gotten all that we need, we leave never to return again. We are not to approach God with a "handout" type attitude, only seeking what we can gain, but more with a hand up attitude to give Him praise and honor for the many things He has done for us, many of which we don't deserve.
God does not want to only hear your petitions, He also wants to hear your praise. He does not want to only see your tears of remorse but those of rejoicing as well. God is not always interested in what you need but what you are willing to give. So while you are at place of calm and peace in your life, deposit some praise points in your spiritual bank account so that the next time the enemy comes in like a flood you will have something to pull back out
.
Bank of the Savior
The word diligent is defined by Webster as a steady, earnest, and energetic effort; painstaking. It implies a consistent, committed and concentrated course of action. If someone is a diligent worker that means they are loyal to their job and devoted to seeing it through. The use of the word painstaking to further define this term indicates that in order to do something diligently one must be dedicated to a point of discomfort or distress. So in order to "diligently" seek God, we must be committed to His word and His way no matter the situation.
And the Winner Is...
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
Galatians 6:9
Have you ever watched the Olympics or attended a track meet? It is exhilarating to see the runners race so passionately to break that finish line tape. While all of the contenders are striving for the same goal, just like with many other sports, there can only be one winner. The amazing part of the race for me is to see the runners that start off good in the beginning but somewhere, about halfway through the race, they begin to lose steam. I am not so much shocked by their fading stamina because I can't imagine the energy it must take to do such a thing, but I'm more so impressed with their resiliency. No matter how far back in the race they may fall, they never give up or throw in the towel. They continue to run with the same passion and commitment as those who have passed them. Even though they may fall further and further behind, the runners continue to push and push to reach their goal, the finish line.
In Galatians it speaks about that same spirit of resiliency for believers. As Christians we must know that this walk of faith is not going to be easy. The bible tells us so, in John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
God shares these things with us because He wants us to know that He knows it is not going to be easy, but He is encouraging us not to give up. Just like those runners we must know that even though we may fall back from time to time in this race, we still have a chance at reaching the finish line as long as we keep trying. The enemy may knock us down or trip us up, but God is still waiting at the finish line for us with open arms. So today if you've drifted to the back or feel yourself losing stamina in this race for eternal life take a moment, remind yourself of WHO you are and WHOSE you are and what's at stake, then dust off your running shoes and get back in the race. There's still time to make it and plenty of space. Besides the difference between this Christian race and the Olympics is that at the end of God's race everyone receives a medal and a crown of glory!
Let the race begin!