Acts 2:41-42
That day about three thousand took him
at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves
to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal,
and the prayers.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
My young cousins, nieces and
nephews, and countless young friends are all members of organized
activities/groups like soccer, t-ball, swimming, scouting, and dance
troops. They have made the commitment to attend practices and
games/performances…to participate in events associated with the
team/group…to offer support and be an active participant…and to
encourage their fellow members. They are representatives of these
groups, and people form opinions about the organization as a whole on
the basis of how individual members behave.
In any organization,
there will be people who go “all in” and give their very best. They
make almost all of the meetings, participate in group activities and
invite others to join them. They support the members and do all that
they can to conduct themselves in a manner that honors the group and its
purpose/tenets. There will be a few who sign on and then fail to show
up…literally and figuratively. When this happens, they are often
dismissed from the group…either by quitting and forfeiting membership
and the right to participate - or by removal from the roster by the
group leaders.
When we give our lives to Christ and become
Christians, we are automatically a member of “Team Jesus.” Just as
there are members of any club or organization who claim to be
associated, then hang out on the fringes – or drop out altogether -
there are Christians who assert that they belong to Jesus and then go
back to their old ways. They don’t support others, much less minister
to anyone – especially unbelievers. Sadly, there are quite a few
“fringe Christians.” Many of them go through the motions…attend worship
services, contribute to a church and missions/ministries, participate
in Holy Communion, and sport a t-shirt or bumper sticker that proclaims
their allegiance. But it’s all essentially a show…there is no real
“heart” and commitment behind these actions. Others claim to be
Christians and don’t even make a half-hearted effort to go through the
motions of discipleship.
Unlike most organizations, you can’t get
kicked off “Team Jesus” for this. But it does sadden Jesus…and it
should sadden us as believers. Jesus suffered, bled and died for our
sins. He loves us unconditionally…meets all of our needs…feeds and
heals us – body, mind and soul…and prepares a Heavenly mansion for us to
enjoy for all Eternity. And all that He asks of us in return is that
we love and honor Him.
Jesus asks that we live in a way that
demonstrates our devotion to Him and encourages others to make Him their
personal Savior. Whether we go “all in” or not does not change our
status on the “team”…or make us better than the next believer. But it’s
a matter of personal and spiritual integrity. This is the most
important affiliation we will ever have. We ought to do more than
merely act like it matters.
Stop and spend some time today in
prayer and reflection on all that Jesus has done for you…all that He
does for you each and every day. Count your blessings and consider what
sort of “team member” you really are these days. Search for ways to
step up your “game/performance”…to honor and glorify the amazing gift of
Salvation and inclusion that Jesus has given you. Make this the day
that you move off the sidelines and into the thick of things with
Jesus. It’s what you signed up for…the time has come to make good on
your commitment!
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label active faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label active faith. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for October 12, 2013
Proverbs 6:6-11
You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We awoke to a thunderstorm and a dreary, rainy Saturday morning… perfect for hanging out in your pajamas or “sweats” and lounging with an extra cup of coffee. And there is nothing wrong with taking an occasional “day off” and being lazy. The problem is that many of us have made this a habit – if not our daily routine. There is every possibility that we did not intend to become this way… but as this passage indicates, we let a nap here and a day off there turn into a regular routine. And soon, we were not even making the effort to appear active and engaged. Our room/apartment/house is a wreck… we haven’t done laundry or mowed the yard in a month or better… dishes are piled high in the sink and there is little food in the fridge – and what is there has ruined. We rummage through the drawers and closets to find something clean enough for school or work… and we hurry home to put on our pjs or “sweats” and crawl back onto the couch or into bed.
I know this sounds extreme, but I am afraid that a lot of people truly live this way! And if you don’t feel that you fit into this description, let me ask you about your life as a Christian disciple. How is your relationship with God? Are you talking to Him every day and seeking ways to honor Him? Are you actually doing anything to serve God… to exercise your “faith muscle” and grow in Christian wisdom and strength? Or are you counting on others to do the work… depending on them to pray for you and those around you…expecting them to do the volunteering, teach the classes, study the Bible, and reach out to others in Jesus’ name? Are you essentially snuggled under the covers in your pjs, taking it easy…and expecting God to continue to bless you?
Here’s the thing… #1) this is not how God operates. He didn’t call you to be a disciple of Christ so you could sit on your duff all day and take Him – and the gift of salvation and its promise of eternity in heaven – for granted; and #2) why would you want this kind of existence in the first place? Spending your life on the sidelines is not truly living! Not only are you missing out on the wonderful gifts that God wants to bestow upon you in this earthly lifetime while you are lazing around… you are forfeiting the amazing blessings that He wishes to share with you as you grow in His wisdom and learn more about His grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love.
I don’t know where you fit in this picture. I certainly don’t know how or when you got where you are. But if you find yourself in some state of laziness… physically, mentally or spiritually, I encourage you to make the conscious decision to change. Ask God to show you how to do this. Let Him guide you as you “get off the couch” and get going again. You will be amazed at how much better you feel… and you will be truly astounded at what awaits you as you develop new habits. You can still spend an occasional Saturday morning on the couch in your pjs… but I’m betting you’ll find far more exciting things to fill most of your time. With God’s help… I’m quite sure of it! Are you ready to get up and get going?
©2013 Debbie Robus
You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We awoke to a thunderstorm and a dreary, rainy Saturday morning… perfect for hanging out in your pajamas or “sweats” and lounging with an extra cup of coffee. And there is nothing wrong with taking an occasional “day off” and being lazy. The problem is that many of us have made this a habit – if not our daily routine. There is every possibility that we did not intend to become this way… but as this passage indicates, we let a nap here and a day off there turn into a regular routine. And soon, we were not even making the effort to appear active and engaged. Our room/apartment/house is a wreck… we haven’t done laundry or mowed the yard in a month or better… dishes are piled high in the sink and there is little food in the fridge – and what is there has ruined. We rummage through the drawers and closets to find something clean enough for school or work… and we hurry home to put on our pjs or “sweats” and crawl back onto the couch or into bed.
I know this sounds extreme, but I am afraid that a lot of people truly live this way! And if you don’t feel that you fit into this description, let me ask you about your life as a Christian disciple. How is your relationship with God? Are you talking to Him every day and seeking ways to honor Him? Are you actually doing anything to serve God… to exercise your “faith muscle” and grow in Christian wisdom and strength? Or are you counting on others to do the work… depending on them to pray for you and those around you…expecting them to do the volunteering, teach the classes, study the Bible, and reach out to others in Jesus’ name? Are you essentially snuggled under the covers in your pjs, taking it easy…and expecting God to continue to bless you?
Here’s the thing… #1) this is not how God operates. He didn’t call you to be a disciple of Christ so you could sit on your duff all day and take Him – and the gift of salvation and its promise of eternity in heaven – for granted; and #2) why would you want this kind of existence in the first place? Spending your life on the sidelines is not truly living! Not only are you missing out on the wonderful gifts that God wants to bestow upon you in this earthly lifetime while you are lazing around… you are forfeiting the amazing blessings that He wishes to share with you as you grow in His wisdom and learn more about His grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love.
I don’t know where you fit in this picture. I certainly don’t know how or when you got where you are. But if you find yourself in some state of laziness… physically, mentally or spiritually, I encourage you to make the conscious decision to change. Ask God to show you how to do this. Let Him guide you as you “get off the couch” and get going again. You will be amazed at how much better you feel… and you will be truly astounded at what awaits you as you develop new habits. You can still spend an occasional Saturday morning on the couch in your pjs… but I’m betting you’ll find far more exciting things to fill most of your time. With God’s help… I’m quite sure of it! Are you ready to get up and get going?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for September 6, 2012
James 2:24-26
You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Early in the summer, a spotted toad appeared on our back porch. He took up residence in a decorative bird house we keep on a glass-topped coffee table sitting there. One night, I discovered him pressed belly-side down against one of our picture windows, catching bugs that collected there in the light from one of our table lamps. I did a little research and learned that “Frodo,” as I named him, is a Great Plains Toad. Most likely, he moved into the bird house because his normal habitat… moist, damp earth… was not available in this summer’s drought.
I so hoped that Frodo would hang around for Timothy’s visit in August… and he did. We enjoyed watching Frodo – and his new cohort we dubbed “Little Frodo” – as they moved in and out of the bird house. We laughed as we watched “Big Frodo” attach to our picture window at night and catch bugs. Frodo grew accustomed to us, and I even put out water for him in a little dish on the table. I know he enjoyed it, because we would find it splashed across the table the next day.
After Timothy went home, we were a little lonesome. Remnants of a hurricane threatened to move things around on our back porch, so we did some rearranging before the storm hit. My husband gently moved the bird house to the porch floor underneath the coffee table and surrounded it with bricks. Frodo played on the bricks and around the bird house… and then he disappeared. For several days, the toads were gone. I know it’s silly, but I was truly sad and missed them. I had grown fond of looking for them peering from the bird house opening each morning. I missed seeing the toad on the window at night. And I was a little worried… what had happened to Frodo during the storm’s wind and rain?
My answer came four days later when I happened to pass the window, and there was Frodo… perched inside the bird house with his head hanging out. He was back! He probably took refuge in one of our many potted plants on the porch. But I was so glad to see him. And I felt God saying, “I take care of my creatures… ALL of them.”
I know this is a little bit of a weird analogy, but I have faithfully taken care of this little toad and his buddy most of the summer. And yes, he is just a toad… but God has used him to teach me a couple of lessons about faith. We are all “toads” of one sort of another, but God uses us to accomplish many things… if only we will let him. Just as he used the prostitute Rahab, God uses any who willingly serves Him – in spite of our brokenness!
I’m glad that Frodo has returned. He serves as a reminder to me that God is in control… that if He can meet the needs of a tiny Great Plains Toad, He surely cares about my needs. I am encouraged to stay faithful… to be strong and confident… and to look for ways to serve God when He calls upon me. What about you… does your faith need a little boost today? Are you serving faithfully and confidently? Does your witness show others that God cares for all of His “toads?” Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Early in the summer, a spotted toad appeared on our back porch. He took up residence in a decorative bird house we keep on a glass-topped coffee table sitting there. One night, I discovered him pressed belly-side down against one of our picture windows, catching bugs that collected there in the light from one of our table lamps. I did a little research and learned that “Frodo,” as I named him, is a Great Plains Toad. Most likely, he moved into the bird house because his normal habitat… moist, damp earth… was not available in this summer’s drought.
I so hoped that Frodo would hang around for Timothy’s visit in August… and he did. We enjoyed watching Frodo – and his new cohort we dubbed “Little Frodo” – as they moved in and out of the bird house. We laughed as we watched “Big Frodo” attach to our picture window at night and catch bugs. Frodo grew accustomed to us, and I even put out water for him in a little dish on the table. I know he enjoyed it, because we would find it splashed across the table the next day.
After Timothy went home, we were a little lonesome. Remnants of a hurricane threatened to move things around on our back porch, so we did some rearranging before the storm hit. My husband gently moved the bird house to the porch floor underneath the coffee table and surrounded it with bricks. Frodo played on the bricks and around the bird house… and then he disappeared. For several days, the toads were gone. I know it’s silly, but I was truly sad and missed them. I had grown fond of looking for them peering from the bird house opening each morning. I missed seeing the toad on the window at night. And I was a little worried… what had happened to Frodo during the storm’s wind and rain?
My answer came four days later when I happened to pass the window, and there was Frodo… perched inside the bird house with his head hanging out. He was back! He probably took refuge in one of our many potted plants on the porch. But I was so glad to see him. And I felt God saying, “I take care of my creatures… ALL of them.”
I know this is a little bit of a weird analogy, but I have faithfully taken care of this little toad and his buddy most of the summer. And yes, he is just a toad… but God has used him to teach me a couple of lessons about faith. We are all “toads” of one sort of another, but God uses us to accomplish many things… if only we will let him. Just as he used the prostitute Rahab, God uses any who willingly serves Him – in spite of our brokenness!
I’m glad that Frodo has returned. He serves as a reminder to me that God is in control… that if He can meet the needs of a tiny Great Plains Toad, He surely cares about my needs. I am encouraged to stay faithful… to be strong and confident… and to look for ways to serve God when He calls upon me. What about you… does your faith need a little boost today? Are you serving faithfully and confidently? Does your witness show others that God cares for all of His “toads?” Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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