Monday Meditation – Am I Useful?

Have you ever wondered about your usefulness? I know I have. One of my devotional readings this morning came from Revelation 3–the Church at Laodicea. You may not immediately recognize this church, but I’m sure one of the phrases from the passage will stand out to you.

“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” – Revelation 3:15-16.

These are some of Jesus’ harshest and gravest words to a church. But what is Jesus saying?

Jesus does not mean here that he would rather us to be for him (hot) or against him (cold) rather than lukewarm. Rather, this description highlights the geography of the region. Laodicea had its water piped in from Hieropolis, a city known in the ancient world for its hot springs. People would travel to Hieropolis to bathe in the hot springs as a means of healing and relaxation. Another city in the region, Colossae was known for its cold springs which people would drink for its refreshment. By contrast, the water in Laodicea (traveling from Hieropolis) was lukewarm and useless. It could not be used for for healing or refreshment. Jesus illustrated the church’s lack of usefulness in his kingdom’s work with the lack of useful water in Laodicea.

Jesus wants us to be useful. He wants us to be good for something in the work of his kingdom. This time of year affords us the opportunity to be useful for our Savior. Here are just a few ways we can be useful. If you think of others, feel free to share as a commend below.

  • Volunteer your time at a shelter or with a ministry that provides assistance for families at Christmas.
  • Give something extra to a ministry or to a family around the holidays.
  • Find a place to serve at your church.
  • Encourage someone who is grieving or facing a health challenge.
  • Pursue a closer relationship with Jesus so you can be more aware of needs and opportunities for ministry around you.

I’ll be posting regularly a Monday Meditation from my previous week’s devotion. Look for it. If it’s helpful to you, please share with someone else.

 

5 Thanksgiving Observations

imagesIn my devotions this morning, I was reading Psalm 92. The Psalmist begins,

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night”

This is a fitting verse for this week. We are blessed to live in a country where we set aside a day of the year especially to show gratitude. We have for which to be thankful. Following are several observations about Thanksgiving and our spiritual lives.

  • Giving thanks is a good thing. In fact, it’s one of the best things we can ever do. God deserves all the thanks we could ever give and so much more. It is right and good that we pause to express gratitude to God for his blessings.
  • Giving thanks helps us to be humble. It is so easy to live as if everything is about us and for us. When we give thanks (especially to God), we give credit to the one deserving and worthy. Thankful people are humble people.
  • Giving thanks should be daily. Yes, it is good that we set aside a “Day” for Thanksgiving. But declaring God’s love in the morning and faithfulness at night reveals that our gratitude should be much more regular.
  • Giving thanks can be evangelistic. When we give credit to God for our blessings and “declare” his “steadfast love,” we open the doors for sharing the good news about Jesus Christ.
  • Giving thanks helps us avoid being grumpy. To be honest with you, I wake up in a grumpy attitude far too often. I’m not a morning person. But when I think of the blessings of God, his love and faithfulness, and see the smiles of my wife and boys, it helps change my demeanor. Being thankful really does change us.

There are many, many more reasons we can and should be thankful. I’d love to read some of your suggestions. Please take time (this week of all weeks) to pause and thank God and to thank others who have made you who you are.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!