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Monday Meditation-Am I patient and faithful?

My family and I shared a wonderful experience at the Ark in Williamstown, KY. It is built to biblical specifications and it is massive! I loved seeing the wonder and amazement on my boys’ faces as we walked through and attempted to relive Noah’s experience. Imagine how loud, smelly, and challenging life on the ark was. Day after day, week after week, month after month, Noah and his family feeding, watering, and cleaning up after animals. It had to be difficult. 

It took Noah 120 years to build the ark. After looking at it today, I can understand why. Can you imagine a single assignment from God that took you 120 years to complete? 

In today’s culture of microwave meals and fast food dinners, we want everything immediately. I’m afraid we even want our discipleship to happen quickly. We become uncomfortable and impatient when things don’t happen quickly. Contrast our culture with Noah’s 120 years of obedience. God’s business with us is never rushed. Let me offer some recommendations from Noah’s example.

  1. God isn’t rushing our spiritual development, so we need to think about our spiritual lives as marathons and not sprints.
  2. God cares about us and the process of our growth, so we need to be faithful and obedient wherever he’s placed us. 
  3. God used a flood and an ark both to judge and protect, so we need to remember God can use anything as elements in our spiritual development. 
  4. God promised not to flood the world again and gave us a rainbow to affirm it, so we need to trust God’s promises and faithfulness as the basis for our Christian living.

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.