Saturday, June 20, 2009
DC 09 Tour - Devotions for June 20, 2009
Come Follow Me
The kingdom of heaven is near.
As you have received, so then must you give.
Be not afraid with the Lord at you side,
For Jesus died so we may live.
He said, “Come follow me.
Come by yourselves to a quiet place.
Come follow me, that someday we may see His face.”
Those who are weary, take rest.
Look to Him for comfort and He will sooth your soul,
For He is gentle and humble in heart,
And Jesus died to make us whole.
Luke 9: 23-26
What is the one thing you do best? It might be a hobby, school subject, sport or special skill. How did you get to be so good at it?
Several years ago Earth witnessed the beauty of the Hale-Bop comet. Back in the late eighties the infamous Haley’s Comet passed earth. The phenomenon of a comet is brilliant and exciting. Trouble is a comet as bright as Haley’s Comet only comes around every seventy-five years.
This morning we are witnessing another phenomenon. We also experienced it yesterday and the day before that. And we will see it tomorrow and day after tomorrow. In fact, this astrological event has occurred every day of history and will continue until the earth is no more. I’m talking about the rising of the sun. It gently warms the earth and shines its light every day. It doesn’t make the papers or the newscasts, but what an unbelievable difference it makes!
You know if we’re not careful we can become “comet Christians.” What I mean is that our faith can easily become a sparkling-brilliantly-for-a-short-time-only-to-fizzle-out-and-not-to-be-seen-for-another-seventy-five-years kind of faith. Instead we need to try to mimic the sun in our Christian walk. We need to be consistent, reliable Christians – that’s the only way we can be good at it. It’s easy to be a part of the big exciting things as a Christian and church member- retreats, choir tours, mission trips. But what about weekly Bible Study, Worship, Choir, and Koinonia? What about daily spiritual reflection and prayer or seeking to help others all year long? These are just routine things, sometimes exciting, sometimes not. However, it is in the discipline of routine things that real faith is developed. You have developed skill at a sport, hobby or school subject because you have practiced over and over again. Sometimes that practice or studying wasn’t much fun, but you did it anyway because you knew what the result would be. Being a good Christian requires the same consistent, daily consistent discipline. That’s why Christians are called disciples.
Think of ways you can develop your faith every day. Ask God to guide and help you as we go back home, enjoy the summer, and start next fall in college or high/middle school. Ask God to let you feel the Spirit everyday and to follow Christ’s teachings in all you do.
Labels: Choir, DC09 Tour, FBCA, Youth
