What am I?

Have you ever left church thinking,  "Wow, I think the pastor (or Sunday School teacher) was speaking to me (and only me) the whole time this morning!"  Well, that was me this morning!  I was exhorted to take a good look at myself and my life in the arena outside of my church life.

We have been going through Acts for the last bit, and are currently on Chapter 9 (where Saul was struck down by God on his way to Damascus and in the process of turning into Paul).  Today's teaching points were #3 Focused on Service & #4 Be Filled with the Holy Spirit (of The 6 Characteristics of a Transformed Life).   I was challenged to not put off the things that I ought to do today (in my service or obedience to God) until tomorrow, because I can ALWAYS come up with a "good reason" why I don't have time right now, to deal with that character issue or that bad habit that I've been meaning to break.  In addressing being filled by the Holy Spirit, Matthew used the analogy of how the Holy Spirit is like the wind, and that if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we would be like the sailboat that catches the wind in our sails, allowing the Spirit to guide, direct, and MOVE us where God wills.  How often I am so afraid that I am not going to like where God's going to take me, so, I lower my sail!  Ugh.

Pastor Mike is teaching through Matthew 5.  Today, we were studying through what it means to be "The Light of the World".  We, as Christians, are God's design and tool in influencing and impacting the world for the Gospel.  I found it interesting that God calls us to be salt AND light to the world... in that, we are to influence and impact not only as SALT (that works invisibly and from the inside out), but also as LIGHT (working obviously, visibly, and illuminates externally).   I think I'm pretty good at being "salt", but it is harder for me to be "light".  It takes great effort for me to be bold and obvious in taking a stance when all the baseball moms are standing around discussing gay couples and other social issues.  It's so much easier for me to talk through social, political, and Biblical issues in the comfort and safety of my own home/car with my kids (or our carpool kids :)).  

Lord, help me to not be a "secret Christian", but to be bold and strong.  Help me to be willing to be put on a lamp stand to reflect Your light and glory to the world.  I want to be known, first and foremost, as "a servant of Christ" (even before I am know as Matthew's wife, or Isaac/Seth/Abby's mom, or any other titles/labels that people might associate me with)!  May I be willing to hoist my sails high and pull up my anchor and ask Jesus to take me where ever He would take me!  Father, may my view of Your greatness and my trust for You in my head be transferred into my heart, and then flow out through my actions.  May You use my life to magnify You!

 

1 Corinthians 4:1  ...Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God...