Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Get Off the Bench


"Holding on to faith and a good conscience.  Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." 1Timothy 1:19

"No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:27

Few verses make my blood run cold like the two above. My heart's cry is, "Oh God, don't let that be me!"

Aside from missing salvation altogether, what could be more tragic than being permanently benched by God--never to be called upon as a vessel worthy to be used to do great things for Him? For the enemy never to hear the Father say, "Have you considered my servant Georgia?"

Lord, don't let us get flabby and jiggly with cellulite in our soul! Save us from ourselves! Fan the flame of passion for You in our hearts. Forgive us for being too lazy to spend time with You daily when all is going well, and then having You on speed-dial when things go bad. Pardon us for prostituting our energies on everything else and throwing you the leftovers after all you have done for us.

God, we call you Lord, Lord! Help us to do what you say.

How do we keep from being spiritual lightweights?

The 1 Timothy verse says to hold on to faith and a good conscience. Have you been taking your faith to the gym of God's Word everyday? What about your conscience? Are you drowning out that still, small voice that gently tries to pry away the deep-fried gristle of compromise? Ignore the Voice long enough and you won't hear it at all.

The 1 Corinthians verse suggests it's possible to be busy helping everybody else to the neglect of our own spiritual health and be disqualified. What area of your life needs to be adjusted so the scales are balanced with self-care and care for others? Running on fumes works for only a short time before you crash.

Notice also that Paul has to show his flesh who's boss. Like a fat lazy child, the flesh wants everything to come easy with no effort on its part. Self-control ( a fruit of the Spirit) drags the flesh off its bed and makes it do what's needed until it becomes what's wanted. Can you relate?

We all get off track sometimes, but we should never be content to stay there. Are you ready to get off the sidelines?  You know what you need to do.

It's time to get off the bench!

Talk About It: How can YOU tell you are getting away from God's best? I can tell something is wrong when my patience starts getting short with people,  and I lose the spirit of gentleness.