Keep Working

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14To keep birds away from our plants we purchased an artificial owl. I call him “Obie” to personalize his existence. He doesn’t do anything he just sits wherever we place him to keep the birds away. Well, we became complacent and the birds have figured out that Obie really has no power and they need not fear him. In fact, Obie never had any real power, it was our failure to do what was necessary that caused him to lose his effectiveness.As I thought about Obie and the role he held it caused me to think about our Christian walk and what causes stagnation in that walk. When we get saved (e.g. receive Christ), we are eager to learn and do more. We move around to various bible studies and prayer meetings, and may even serve on various committees because it is all fresh and new. However over time, we are like “Obie”, stagnant and ineffective. We do nothing to increase our faith and no longer possess the passion or the power to do what God created us to do.Faith in God should never cease developing; “For in the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith’ (Romans 1:17)”. All that we are must be entrusted to our Lord. Sitting idle is not an option, salvation came at a price and one we could never repay. It is our service that demonstrates our gratitude for all that God has done.