November 22 STAYING ALERT Colossians 4:2-6
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:2-6)
Has your Christian Life lost its excitement? Has the fire gone out and you sense yourself just going through the motions? Just a note: This happens to preachers, as well!! You know that the Christian life is the right way to live but the enthusiasm you once had, and know, you still should have, has waned. Is your church experience dull? Has boredom set in even about worshiping God? We need to look into God’s Holy Word and find out what is keeping us from experiencing the joy of constantly walking in the wisdom of God. The reason we are not making the most of our opportunities and just sleeping through so many other opportunities is because we have made a division between the life of faith and our daily life. We are to seek to serve God continually in our daily life. If we don’t, we will be living life for ourselves and not for God. How can we expect to experience full-time joy and peace of the Holy Spirit when we are only a part-time Christians? How can we expect to be always rejoicing in the Lord when we are living life for ourselves? Let how you live, as well as, what you share influence others into becoming a Christian. As they were on the way HOME FROM CHURCH a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the Preacher’s sermon this morning confused me.” The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?” The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" “Yes, that’s true," the mother replied. “He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?” Again the mother replied, "Yes." “Well," said the girl. "If God is bigger than us and He lives in us; wouldn’t He show through?” Would you like to live in wisdom, and speak with grace? Would you want your life to be an example of good stewardship of time? Would you like to make the most of the daily opportunities God gives you? Then you need to walk, to live in constant fellowship with Jesus, looking for opportunities, first to be thankful, then to share His love for others. The real answer is to cultivate intimacy with God by bowing to the supremacy of Jesus in your daily life. We won’t really pray until we see prayer as a way to express our love to Christ and recognize that He is even more eager to meet with us than we are to meet with Him. Likewise, it’s impossible to salt our speech with the deliciousness of Jesus when we haven’t been enjoying the taste ourselves. If evangelism is what spills over when we bump into someone, then we must make sure that what bubbles over is appetizing and truthfully appealing. Prayer and witness flow out of relationship. Are you growing in your love for Jesus? Find a friend in Christ with whom you can share an experience of growing. Agree to pray for each other daily. Ricky Anderson and I have just such a spiritual relationship. We have been praying, daily, for each other for over three decades and, as the scriptures tell us, “Iron sharpens Iron,” (Proverbs 27:17) so, Ricky and I are committed to “Sharpening” each other, on a daily basis! Pray that each of you would have a new awareness of opportunities the Lord is preparing for you. Commit yourself to recognizing and taking hold of these opportunities at home, at work, at the store - wherever you are. Consciously pray!! “Lord, what are You up to now? What do You want in this situation? What should I say to this person? Then at the end of the week, get together with your prayer partner and share what has happened. Folks, regardless of the issues of the day, our job, our calling, our duty; our lives are to be committed to honor our calling and to Glorify our Savior and God. Stay ALERT to serve and to make a difference! Please Stay Strong, Stay FOCUSED!! Our Commitment, Our Actions, Our Words, are crucial in the Call to Spread the GOOD NEWS! When we are committed…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!