PHOTO FINISH

I have a bunch of old photos of family, friends, and special moments. They are priceless to me. I have been told I need to get with the times and digitize them, but I like my old school Polaroids. Since we live in a society of instant gratification, digital pics are the preference, but Polaroids are making a comeback! Polaroids instantly come out of the camera but are distorted and unrecognizable. They need more time to develop. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter, 3:18 NIV). If you want to speed up the development of a Polaroid picture, the secret is to add a little wind by shaking it. After a short while, you will have a tangible image to hold in your hand that is readily available to be seen, shared, and enjoyed. Spiritual growth and development are essential to having a Dashing Life. It is much like the Growth stage in our life cycle in that it requires parental protection and provision, DNA determines our traits, and individual effort is needed to move from infancy and to maturity. Spiritual immaturity looks like an undeveloped Polaroid, distorted by sin, looking like the world and not like Jesus. Spiritual maturity is the developed Polaroid that can be seen as an image of light in a dark world to be shared and used by God. What does your spiritual Polaroid currently look like? Do you need more time to develop? Do you need God to shake you to get you going? Or has the breath of God ignited your development? If your Polaroid is distorted and not developed, start putting forth the effort to grow toward maturity. It’s already in your DNA, and God is ready with protection and provision for your growth journey. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Jesus as an example of what I should look like. Thank You for giving me the time, tools, and teachers to grow and develop. Thank You for shaking me when I need it and breathing in my direction to give me wings. Thank You for the DNA that grafted me into Your family and made You my Father. I pray that I never take Your grace for granted and that I grow in the knowledge of Your will, Your Word, and Your way. All this I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

We are missing some screws.....

As a kid, I was constantly following behind my dad. I learned a lot from shadowing him. Just last year, I tried to use what I learned to put together a bookcase for my office. Looking back, I should have bought the assembled one on the showroom floor, but I just knew I could do it myself. So, I opened the box and got started. The instructions were straight forward with clear illustrations. However, within an hour, I had pieces everywhere and it looked nothing like a bookcase. Within two hours, it looked like a bookcase, but it was leaning. By hour three, I was done but it was obvious that some screws were missing. I don’t know if they were just not in the box or I lost them.

DIY (do-it-yourself) didn’t work in building my bookcase and it does not work with the church either. The church is not a just a building. It is a body of Believers that are interconnected and interdependent on one another. Therefore, your presence and your gifts are needed. When you are missing, others may start leaning in the wrong direction or to their own understanding. We as Believers should heed the clear illustration and instructions of the bible as it pertains to the assembly of ourselves.

Are you missing a few screws and possibly leaning? Are trying toDIY your life without fellow Believers or worst, without God? God has provided a toolbox called the Church, extra screws called fellow Believers and instructions in the Bible so that you never have to navigate this dashing journey alone. Isn’t time you open up your toolbox, read the instructions and utilize the tools available to you? When you do, God will enable you to build the amazing dashing life that he has for you.

Father God, thank you for providing the tools and resources that I need to follow you. I apologize for trying to DIY my way through life. I pray that you allow me to use my gifts, talents and blessings to build your Kingdom here on earth and in heaven. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

GIVING JUST ENOUGH FOR THE CITY

Growing up, one of my favorite artists was Stevie Wonder. I felt his songs made you think and wonder—thus, the name Stevie Wonder. I have always been a deep thinker, and to me, his name had nothing to do with him being able to play the keyboard without sight. I even joined his fan club. However, all I did was join. I did not go to his concerts, and I did not buy an album. My siblings did, so I listened to theirs. I did not go to fan club events. I did not read the club rules and bylaws, nor did I respond to fan club correspondence. I never made an effort to participate. So, was I really a fan or a fan of being a fan?

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, NKJV).

The Bible says we are saved by grace and faith in Jesus Christ. So, does that absolve us from doing anything beyond having faith? God gives us time, talents, money, and other resources to use in His service, for His glory and our good. Who knows how much good I could have done if I would have actually gotten involved in the fan club and gone beyond deep thinking into deeper service? Who knows how much it could have benefited me? Maybe I would have gotten to meet Stevie Wonder in person. Wouldn’t that have been something?

One of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs is “Living Just Enough for the City.” This song tells the story of people barely getting by with just enough to make it. Are you giving just enough of your time, talents, and resources to be called a fan of God? Isn’t it time for you to move from a fan of God to a child of God?