After one of my daughters was born, I remember sitting in the hospital holding her and thinking, “Boy, it seems like I have done a lot of thinking in the hospital this last year.” I had made several visits to hospitals for various reasons. But, you know, you have to take inspiration when and where God gives it. Right?
Some of these thoughts may seem random but they all go together, just be patient and read on. I was thinking, and this is what I came up with. I was holding my daughter and I thought, “WOW! This is a new life. How incredible it is that a little person like her could come from two half cells making one and growing into this beautiful little girl.” I still think that about all of my girls. I remember everyone who came to see her would tell us how precious and perfect she was, she really was. You know how it is when someone has a baby. Everyone just “oohs” and “aahs” over the new little baby, for a period of time and then it kind of trickles off.
Well, this is kind of how it is with new Christians. We tend to make a fuss over the ones who have just given their lives to the Lord and then after a period of time we stop. Not only do we praise and dote over them but, we also seem to encourage them more in the time right around when they make the decision to believe in, and accept Christ. This lasts for a while and then our praise and support slowly tapers off.
This doesn’t only happen with our interaction with others, it also takes place in our own lives. We are excited and all fired up about our newfound faith or new revelation from the Lord and then after a short period of time we seem to lose the fervor and vigor. I think that we allow the world to creep in and ruin or make less important the thing that should be the most important. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father should be the most important thing in the world to us. Luke 9:23 says, “Then He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’.”
We all sometimes forget that being a Christian, having a relationship with Christ, is a daily decision that we have to make. We also forget that we must choose to take hold of the joy that that relationship provides us. There is a song that young and old alike know and it is a good one to remember. It goes like this: “I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart”. This is so true, if we choose to take up our cross daily and follow Christ then there is that joy that will always be in our heart.
I want to challenge you to do a few things every day for the next month.
1. Take time to pray and surrender yourself to God.
2. Make the choice to live your life in a way that honors God.
3. Choose to have the joy that only Christ can give and let it show.
4. Encourage someone in their walk and faith.
5. Whenever you come to church make it meaningful, not just a routine habit.
We, who have Jesus in our heart, are family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, so let's start loving and encouraging each other like family should.
One last word that comes from Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. “
Let us dote over one another’s faith and encourage each other to live daily in faith for Jesus Christ, allowing the joy that He gives to dominate our lives.
BXFC
(Be Xtreme For Christ)
Pastor Sean