I’m a routine guy. I get up at the same time every day (except Sundays). The Blonde gets up before me and she spends about an hour alone with Jesus and then she comes in and wakes me up, “Rise and shine!”
We then meet at our brand-new dining room table. Jennifer reminded me the other day it’s the first table we have ever purchased. We have only had three tables in 40 years of marriage. Our first one came from a garage sale that my in laws bought us when we first got married and the other two we still have and are family heirlooms. If you’d like to know we went with a retro design from West Elm, a glass top with a wood base and bought some black modern looking Windsor chairs.
I’m sorry I have digressed, after making it to the table I sit and scroll while drinking some home brewed Cafe Du Monde coffee out of my favorite coffee mug. After about 30 minutes we pray together (one of the best things I do all day) and then it’s time for a quick shower and t hen I’m off to the home office, blah, blah, blah.
I’ve been reading in 1st Corinthians, and I love what the Apostle Paul says towards the end of this chapter book. In 16:13-14 he writes to this highly dysfunctional church, after 14 chapters of rebuke he says, “Hey, guys: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
When I read that it’s like Paul is saying, “Ken, as you go to work don’t forget to be alert, be on your guard today. Don’t be a dead Christian, unsympathetic or having no interest in spiritual things.”
Then he says, “Stand firm in your faith today, be a person of conviction.”
That makes me think: When was the last time I did something that was the result of my convictions? When was the last time I did something that required faith? Does that make sense?
And then Paul says something odd, he tells the church to, “act like men.” Say what? This has to do with maturity, simply put, act like a grown up.
Earlier he had told these Christians they were fleshly and immature so now he encourages sitting at the adult table at the next family function.
The last thing he says in verse 13 is, “be strong.” We rely way too much on our strength (mental, emotional, physical) don’t we? It is through Christ we can do all things, right (Philippians 4:13)?! Again, when is the last time you did something that you could only do as you depend on the Lord?
Finally in verse 14 we are told to, “Let all that you do be done in love.” Saint Peter told us, “Above all things have an intense and unfailing love for one another, (1st Peter 4:8).” More than anything we are to love. Love until it hurts, love especially when it hurts.
We need to be equipped for our days, they can be long and hard. We need some goals. We need to take with us in our days faith and love if we are going to be successful as we strive to follow Christ every day.
There’s a story about Charlie Brown playing baseball, he strikes out yet again and as he walks back to the dugout he says, “Rats! I’ll never make it to the big leagues. I just don’t have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the major leagues, but I’ll never make it.”
Lucy tries to console him by saying, “Charlie Brown, you are thinking too far ahead, you need some immediate goals.”
Charlie Brown asked, “What are immediate goals?”
Lucy said, “Charlie Brown, start with the next inning, when you go out to pitch, see if you can walk out to the pitcher’s mound without falling down.”
I guess that’s what Paul was saying to us. Have some immediate goals like: Be watchful, stand faithful, act like a grown up, be strong and oh yeah, don’t forget to love today as well.
He told me to tell you that.
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