A Shot In The Arm
Nine miles this morning…it was PAINFUL! I am gearing up for my 20 mile run on Saturday. (I will finish the run at Tillman Hall in Clemson at around 10 if anyone wants to come out and watch me vomit! Sorry…)
As I was running this morning I had this thought, “I wish someone could just give me a shot and it would make my run better, or even make me run faster and then be less tired when I finish.” There are just times when running is easy—honestly (I know there are those who do not believe me), and then…there are times when I feel like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. (Use your imagination!)
And I’ve tried supplements…vitamins, caffeine, energy drinks…and I have came to the conclusion that no matter what you do that there are some days you’ve just got it and some days you feel like its got you!!!
I think I see a spiritual parallel here…
If we can all be honest—there are some days that being a Christian is easy. You open your Bible and it comes alive. You pray and it seems that God answers your prayer in less than an hour. You tell someone about Jesus and they ask you, “Hey, I want to accept Christ—can you help me do that?” I am sure that we’ve all had those days.
And then there are the days when we just don’t feel like opening our Bible because either it seems like we are getting nothing out of it…or God keeps confronting us about something and we don’t want to deal with it. There are days when we pray and it seems to be hitting the ceiling. There are days when we are just not sure if God even cares. (Have you ever been there?)
Face it—there are days when, as Christians, we wish that we could just get a shot in the arm.
Well, two thoughts here…
#1 - Tonight Will Serve That Purpose
One of the things we have been able to do since moving into our new facility is have a “First Wednesday” service on the “First Wednesday” of every month. This time includes some passionate worship and a little more in depth teaching time…and it is an awesome shot in the arm. One of the most awesome things for me is that it is another time for the body to come together for worship and learning.
Let me say this—if you are stressed out or freaked out about an issue in your life…OR you are in the thought pattern that “God hates me,” then you need to be here tonight. The experience is truly going to be “out of this world.”
#2 - Every Sunday Serves That Purpose
Face it—we need one another. One of the only reasons I made it through my run this morning is because of the people around me…it is a lot easier to run in a group than it is by yourself.
The same can be said about our walk with God…I heard Andy Stanley say once, “You can’t maintain fellowship with God without maintaining fellowship with the people of God.” BOOM!
We need a shot in the arm—people to run the race with us…and God has given us the local church to make sure that we all run the race together. (And MANY other reasons as well!!!)
So…I hope to see you tonight. (Yes, I will see you—most of you have already selected the place where you sit every week!)
AND…don’t forget that THIS SUNDAY is THE SUNDAY to invite your family members and friends who do not know Christ. Trust me—get them here—whatever it takes…AND keep in mind that the service is going to be VERY different…so you will want to get here EARLY so that you don’t miss anything!!!
One more thing…IF you are having a hard time getting something fresh and exciting out of your Scripture reading time—two things—the first is pick a new place to read your Bible—TRUST ME, this helps…AND then pick a new translation. I usually read from the NIV—but for the past six months I have been reading from the NLT and the Bible has became new and fresh all over again!