Which "One" Are You?

         It's morning, the beginning of a new day.  You are in a wonderful mood.  You feel good - great, in fact - physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.  You have been particularly blessed over the past few days and everything seems to be going your way.  Maybe you just met a deadline at work or finally finished that project at home, or learned of a wonderful upcoming event.  Whatever the reason, you are on a high.   You are in the best mood you've been in for some time.  Then suddenly, one person comes along and says or does something to rain on your parade ... to burst your bubble.  And in a flash, your high shifts to a low.  
       Haven't we all had this happen at some point in our lives?  It seems there is always that "one."   We all know what I'm talking about .. that one person who can "get your goat," so to speak.  It seems there is always at least one person in your life who gets on your last nerve - who deliberately stirs up trouble or pushes all your buttons.  Oh, what power we give that one person!
       Conversely, suppose you are in a low state of mind.  You received bad news of some kind or you don't feel well.  Perhaps you made a terrible mistake at work.  Maybe someone has hurt you or a family member.  It doesn't really matter the circumstance, we all have our down-in-the-deepest-valley moments as well as our top-of-the-mountain-peak moments.  And when you are so low you don't think you can go any lower,  one person comes along to brighten your day.  One person shows you they care.  And in a flash, your low shifts into a little higher gear.  Thank God for the power of that one person, whoever it might be!
      Let's face it - one can be a powerful number.  One person can help change another's outlook.  One somebody can even help change a destiny.  We all know the power of our ONE GOD, and we were created in His image; so why should we doubt this?  The problem is we give the negative Ones way too much power.  We must always be ready to overcome those negative ones.  We can do that with God's help.  The Father is always there for us.  He has promised us that. 
      Jesus promised us that too.  Remember?  Well, Jesus gave us several beautiful promises; however two or three come specifically to my mind right now:
        Matthew 11:28-30:  "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  (NIV)
     A yoke is made for two.  If we will come to Jesus and take His yoke upon us, then He will help us bear our burdens.  We must learn from Him and strive to have a gentle and humble heart as He does.  Then we will find rest for our souls.  (Oh, what a beautiful thought!)  His yoke is easy and His burden IS light because He is the One who helps us carry it.
     
      Jesus said we would face trouble in the world, but Christ is always our ONE.  His power sees us through, because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)  Another passage that seems particularly relevant here is I John 4:4 -- 
        "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome
          them, because the ONE who is in you is greater than 
          the one who is in the world."  
Isn't that absolutely grand?  Whatever "one" who tries to defeat us will never ever be stronger than the One true and living God!!  
       The question for all of us is which "One" will we be in someone else's life?  We have the power of choice.  Will we be a booster or a bubble burst-er?  Will we be the "one" who steals joy or gives joy?   
       The power lies within us all to do good, lift each other up, to be depended upon to listen, to care - to LOVE.  What a wonderful feeling it is to the "one" who is a blessing to another's life!  When we choose to bring light and hope into someone else's world -- when we choose to be as much like Christ as we can be -- that is when we carry His power within us.  The good we do by being a positive One shines like a beacon in the night and brings God's glory to the world.       

            

Christ above all things, 
Robin   

     

    

        

   

       
      

Are You Charged Up?

     One of the gifts my Dad received for Christmas was a rechargeable spotlight/flashlight.  It was something he had hinted at, so he was quite happy with his gift.  Most guys love new gadgets of just about any kind.  As Dad and my brothers examined the particular features of the flashlight someone said, “I wonder if it already has a charge.”  Naturally there was only one way to know, so they all trekked outside and tried it out.  It so happened the battery was indeed already charged up.  Dad was pleased his spotlight came ready to be used immediately.

     Spiritually speaking, can we say the same thing about ourselves?  When we come to the Father are we ready to be used for His glory?  Christ is our Savior and our Mediator.  Imagine God asking His Son, Jesus as He entreats the Father for us … “Is she ready to be put to use?”  What a humbling prospect!  Are we ready?  Am I ready?  Jesus knows our hearts.  What would He say?

      Are we truly ready to worship Him when we attend the assembly with our local church family?  We should come fully prepared to focus on Christ and God.  When we sing praises to the Father those words of love and adoration should come from deep within our hearts.  With each prayer we hear, our focus should only be directed to the Father.  When the lesson from God’s Word is presented we should desire to truly understand God’s message for us.  Our hearts and minds – our whole being should be “used” in worship. 

     What about other times in our lives?  Do we stay charged up and allow ourselves to be used every day?  Do we only use prayer as a crutch to get us through tough times, and then when the storm is over forget to honor Him through our service?  Christ died to save us from our sins.  We should always strive to live for Him – through all our times, whether good or bad. 

      In my dad’s hands, that spotlight is under his control.  How many times do we actually put ourselves into the Father’s hands and allow Him to take control?  Many of us live very faithful lives and dedicate ourselves to His service.  But I know I could do so much better. 

      As a newly baptized Christians, we come to the Savior with a sense of commitment and enthusiasm.  Usually, we are excited and charged up.  We are so happy to know that our sins have been washed away and we are new creatures in Him!  We get a brand new lease on life.  We are thrilled at the prospect of living for Him. 

      Ah, but then everyday life sets in on us again.  The world around us has not changed.  We still must go to work or school.  We still have responsibilities … things to do, people to see, places to go.  We are still tied to the world, and it is difficult to resist the temptations of it.  The new wears off and suddenly we find ourselves too busy for the work of the Lord.  For instance, it’s been quite some time since I posted on this site.  I don’t want to dwell on that; I’m just using it as an example. 

      Perhaps we begin to make excuses about attending Bible study on Wednesday night.  We might tell ourselves that we’re too busy or too tired to help cook a meal, teach a class at VBS, send a card, check on a member who is shut-in ….. I could go on and on, but you get the point.  We lose our “charge.” We aren’t ready to be used anymore. 

      I’ll share another illustration.  A couple of days after Christmas, it was time for my son to return to his home in Nashville.  But when he got into his vehicle to leave, it wouldn’t start.  He lifted the hood and he and my husband discovered the problem.  One of the battery cables was loose.  His car wouldn’t start because the connection to the power source was weak.  It wasn’t “wired in,” so to speak.  After tightening the connection, he made it safely home.

        In order to be ready to serve – to be ready to let our light shine – we must stay connected to our power source.  We have to be “wired in” to the Savior.  If we don’t do this, our batteries will not hold their charge.  We can keep our thoughts aligned with the Savior’s when we study God’s word.  We have to stay in touch with Him or we might become discouraged or get so bogged down in our busy-ness that our light dims. 

        We know what to do to stay connected and keep that charge.  However, I have to be reminded often.   We come so much closer to God when we engulf ourselves in His word.  It is “quick and powerful.”  God never changes.  His word never changes.  As we go through our lives – that alone becomes such a comfort.  How wonderful it is to know that regardless of what happens, no matter how topsy-turvy this old world gets, God is always the same.  And He is always there for us when we turn to Him. 

        Prayer is a vital part of staying connected to our Savior and to the Heavenly Father.  Spending time in earnest conversation with God will tighten our connection to Him.  It will increase our faith in our power source.  Our love for God will grow as we pour our hearts out to Him.  As our love grows, so will our desire to serve.  We become more and more willing to put ourselves into His hands, under His control, so we can do His work.  

        Our faithful Christian friends can also help us keep our charge.  There truly is strength in numbers.  Being around others who are strongly connected to the Lord strengthens our connection too.  We get charged up when we are with Christians who are ready to be put to use for the Savior.  Enthusiasm is contagious and encouragement builds us up.  
     Christ did not mean for us to face this world alone – that is why He built the church.  We can support and encourage each other.  Enjoying fellowship with one another gives us the strength we need to face the world.  It tightens our connection to our power source, which is God.  It helps to prepare us for use in His service. 

        Let’s put ourselves in the hands of Jesus, our Lord and Master.  Get charged up and be ready to be used.  Tighten your connection to the power of the Living God, because with Him ALL things are possible – only then we will make it safely home …

Christ above all things,

Robin