Batteries

This last weekend I had a fun thing happen to me - I put the batteries in the microphone for church. Isn't that funny? Well, it isn't. What was funny is the bell started to ring and I did exactly what I do each service when the bell rings - I turned the microphone on. When I turn it on the light turns green. That means it is ready to go! When it is yellow, it means it is muted but on. So I held the button down and waited for the light to come on. It didn't. I held it down again. It didn't. I pulled it out of my pocket and held it down - nothing! What? It is time for the mic to work. I put the batteries in. They were charged. What is going on?

Now before I go on with the story let me ask you, "What do you do to help yourself to grow in your faith?" Read a devotion? Read the Bible? Attend worship? Receive the Lord's Supper? Nothing at all? You are a child of God, a believer in Jesus Christ, a person who follows the Lord with your heart and life each and every day. You know the power that the Lord gives to you. You are certain that you are doing things "just right" to make your faith grow.

And what happens, it seems that nothing happens. No matter what you do it seems that your faith is just what it is - not growing at all.Why not? You do all that you are supposed to do but nothing happens. You are sure the problem is with God.

The microphone was broken. Something was wrong with it. I was sure of it. I held the button down, no light came on, no sound came out of it. I did everything I was supposed to do to make it work so the problem is with the microphone. One last ditch effort to see if I could get it working before the bell quit ringing was to check one last thing - were the batteries in correctly? I opened up the mic and found that I had put the batteries in correctly! What was wrong? Then I looked closer. Wait a minute. That doesn't look right. Both batteries were in the same direction. That isn't supposed to be that way. They are supposed to be put in opposite directions. Who put them in wrong? Can't "they" get them right? Wait a minute, no one else put those batteries in - I did. I was the one to blame. It wasn't the mics fault. It wasn't the fault of someone else. I had to accept the blame. It was my fault there was no power for my mic.

Think about your spiritual life. Are you just going through the motions in your life? Is worship something that you go through without any thought at all? Are you "doing" devotions but not actually letting the devotion mold or shape your spiritual life? Do you have a Bible but never use it to feed your walk of faith? And when nothing happens, are you quick to blame God?

Now I am not making judgments here. I just am wanting you to take time to reflect upon your walk of faith. The Holy Spirit does amazing things through those Means of Grace. He is the power of our lives. When we mess things up (like putting the batteries in wrong), we can't blame Him. Reflection - how does your spiritual walk? I pray it is going well through the power of the Holy Spirit, His power!