“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13
One of the worst parts of my day, every day, is waking up. I don’t know what it is but every morning when I begin to stumble out of bed, there is about 15-20 minutes of adjustment which I just hate. My head is foggy, my eyes are blurry, and inevitably I bump into something or someone. I am anything but alert. So lately I have tried to combat this by just taking a minute before I get out of bed and “shake out the cobwebs” before I get up and start the day. And it helps. I still hate mornings but it helps. But every now and again, I forget or I am too groggy to remember and I end up bumping into something or someone again.
We have to be careful during these days to be alert from this extended time of our “new normal” not to get lax or lazy in terms of our relationship with God. It has been frighteningly easy to kind of let somethings slip and then we find ourselves doing those things we don’t really want to do. We let our Bible study go by, we lose contact with our brothers and sisters in the faith, we begin to prefer to just watch church instead of being the church.
We have to be intentional in doing the things which enable us to KNOW Christ and make HIM known. We must continue to cover everything in prayer as we seek Him in all we do. We must focus on others in order to lift them up especially during these difficult days. We must keep the gospel centered in our lives and word in order to share His love, grace, and mercy with those around us. And, if we just do it simply, then it will be sustainable throughout our lives.
I am looking forward to seeing you again and working together with you. As we are trickling back into church, come when you are comfortable, do what you need to do, and be safe. But don’t forget to stay alert, stand firm in the faith, and be brave and strong.
Following Him,
Jeff