Brighter Than Ever
It looks like our summer has come to a close. School is starting tomorrow and I know we are very excited about getting back into the school routine. For most of us that probably isn’t true. Even though summer seemed to have ended too soon, it was one to remember. The weather was pleasant, it rained, many of us went on vacations, we had a lot of fellowship activities with our spiritual family, we went to bible camp, had a very successful VBS, many families joined our congregation, and greatest of all, many individuals were obedient to the gospel and put on Christ in baptism. What an awesome summer we have had to see God working in our community and in our congregation. Even though God works in our lives all year long sometimes it is easier to see, when our lives aren’t so busy. Summer has been a great time to recharge, and fall is great time to let your light burn bright. Because of the school and community schedules there are activities throughout the week in which each of our families will participate. Our kids will be around their classmates and teammates, and we will be around more parents because of activities where our kids are involved. What a great time to take our momentum from summer and let our fire burn bright in our school and community. Here are three things that we can do as families to keep our fire burning bright throughout the school year.
Put God’s Word Before You
I know this sounds cliché, but the biggest quencher of fire is negativity and worldliness. When we fill our hearts and minds with God’s word we will see it overflow into our lives. If we let it, it will change the way we think and the way we act. In Luke 6, Jesus said that what is stored up in a person will come out of him. Fill our hearts with God’s word, so that negativity and sin doesn’t have anywhere to dwell in our lives.
Stay Close to the Body
I have never been in a deathly cold situation before but I did read a survival guide once. When individuals get cold they begin to hold each other close together. Instead of one individual striving to keep their body temperature up, two people huddle up together and they keep each other warm. In our busy schedules let’s not separate ourselves from the body of Christ. One of the purposes of the church is to encourage and uplift (Heb. 10:25). It is vital that we don’t let our busy schedules dim the fire that is burning within us. When we surround ourselves with Christians our fire is kindled. When we fill our schedules with the world we begin to dim. Don’t let anything get in the way of your fellowship with other Christians.
Lead with Direction
Through the grace, mercy and forgiveness that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ, we are promised a heavenly home. God wants us to know that we have a home with Him someday. That alone should ignite us. When we know our destination, it should change our direction. When I understand what God has done for me through Christ Jesus, I understand that I must turn my heart towards Him. Direction can be seen. Just as a person knows that when they see me on highway 62 going east, they know I am going to Lawton; so also when a person sees the direction of your heart they can see your eternal destination. When the direction of our hearts is pointed to God, it changes our world. It changes my family, my coworkers, my classmates, and my friends. We must keep our destination in mind, let that ignite our passion so that we can be on fire for God and turn the direction of our hearts toward heaven. If we do that we will lead those who want to follow, and we will be an example to those who don’t. -Daniel Ingram
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