Happy Saturday!
I pray your week was productive, letting the love of Christ
shine in you and through you. And, if you do not know Christ, I pray that the
light of God touched your life this week. Now, if you have visited this blog before, you know my aim
is to be as transparent as possible. This week was a bit of a challenge for me.
I experienced what I would call a slight power outage on Thursday. Understand, there was nothing wrong with
the power source – Christ. There was
a ‘connectivity issue’ … from my end.
Somehow,
in a sinful instant of gratifying the flesh instead of the spirit, I allowed
demands which were being placed upon me to cause a momentary short-circuit. It
resulted in me being short with a few people as I was not nearly as patient as I could have been or should have been. Now, I
immediately repented and went back to apologize to those individuals. Yet, it
got me thinking about what we need to do to avoid any flickering or variation
of the light we shine for Christ … and what to do when, despite our best
efforts, we have a less than shining moment.
MAINTAIN
–
A steady connection with the power source must be maintained at all times. This
cannot be said enough or emphasized too strongly. Bible reading, prayer,
praise, worship, reflection & meditation all do an effective job in keeping
us connected to the LORD God Almighty. There is a need to reflect upon the love
demonstrated by Christ and to draw upon the power which is made available to us
through the Holy Spirit. ‘Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His
face forevermore!’ (I Chr.
16:11)
MONITOR
–
Situations and circumstances must be monitored and there must be an
anticipation of how they might impact one’s life. Like an electric company
preparing for poor weather, we must understand and foresee that there will be
times when increased demands for light will be placed upon our resources. We must prepare in advance
to minimize the likelihood of any power outages or to avoid them altogether.
Scripture tells us that we are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices (II Cor.
2:11) and that we should not think it strange when trials come (I Peter 4:12-13).
We should be looking and anticipating … and planning a godly response before a demand
is made.
MANAGE – Godly responses can be achieved as we manage our light by remaining in a constant state of readiness. Many of us are familiar with the verse in Ephesians telling us to put on the whole armor of God. However, I like how The Message Version of that same text reads: ‘And that about wraps it up. God is strong,
and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you,
well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be
able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. This is no afternoon
athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of
hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil
and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle
on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so
that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and
salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them
throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.' Eph. 6:11-17
MSG
As
stated above, there are times when we will miss the mark. And it
is during those times where we have an almost equal opportunity to shine the
light we should have had glowing all along. There will be times when we must … MEND
So
what does this mending require?
Immediate
response – Ephesians 4:26 tells us, ‘do not let the sun go down on
your anger.’ This lets us know that our response, and part of repairing any
damage that has been done, is to respond with a sense of urgency. We must turn
immediately from anything which does not or has not reflected His glory.
Further, we must extend the reach of our response – not only making things
right with God, but making things right with man. ‘I AM SORRY…’ These are
three little words which can go a very long way when delivered timely and with
sincerity.
Restoration
of Power – We must go back into maintenance mode a thousand
times per day. Through prayer, fasting, repentance and godly perspective, we
can restore our connection to the Power Source. Again, there is never
anything wrong with The Source. He is glorious and perfect, shining
bright at all times. The problem arises when we allow the situations of life
to impact us to the point where we no longer allow Him to shine through us (see
Luke 11:33).
Effective
Damage Control – Go back to the individual or individuals to
ensure all is back on track. We cannot be effective ministers of reconciliation
(II Cor. 5:18) if there is discord … much worse if we are the cause of that
discord. Luke 17:1 tells us, ‘It is impossible that no offenses
should come, but woe to him through whom
they do come!’ Therefore, ‘if
possible, as far as it depend on you [on all of us], live at peace with
everyone.' (Rom. 12:18)
Restoration
of Service – The restoration of service is different from
the restoration of power. Our connection with and submission to the source of power, Jesus, is
our focus in restoring power. Our connection to others and our services to
them – shining the light of Christ – is the focus in restoring service.
I Kings 19 conveys to us the story of the powerful prophet Elijah who had just
come off the heels of an amazing victory for the kingdom of God (I Kings
18:18-40). However, in this section of scripture, Elijah has appeared to have
lost some focus, causing him to respond in an uncharacteristic manner – frustrated,
fearful, over-emotional, full of self-pity and weary to the point of death.
Yet, the LORD’s instruction [after addressing some of Elijah’s physical
and spiritual needs] was for him to ‘get back to work.’ Elijah responded
… and so too must we.
I pray you have tremendously blessed weekend and week.
Keep that Light Shining!
God
Bless …
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