Devotion
September 2003
Our life in Christ!!!
A new life. We are tentative in our new life because we don’t know the rules yet. We have great excitement but we are scared (sometimes) to tell what we have discovered. It is new to us and we don’t understand all that we know. To know and to understand are really two different things. I know a lot of words in Spanish but I don’t understand the ebb and flow of the language when it is spoken by a native speaker. The joy of waterskiing. I remember watching others do it for a long time before I actually got up on the skis myself. The joy of it all. Skiing long enough to actually dry out before letting go of the rope and sliding back into the water.
Singing. That is one thing I love to do. I am not a solo singer but I love to sing. A choir is my favorite or a small group of a few voices that love to sing. We start out softly because we are not sure of ourselves. Will we be on key? Is my pitch right? How about the tempo? Too fast? Too slow? We practice and we get some help from someone who can coach us. As we progress we begin to surprise ourselves and as we get really comfortable in the work we begin to surprise others. That is what this life in Christ is like.
Watch and listen to this video clip and see the new singer as a new believer. See him start out softly and as he practices he gets better. But the only way to get better is to sing. To sing even when we don’t feel like singing. To sing in front of others. To forget the others are even there and to just sing for the pure joy of it. Even if we are not great at first it gets better until it is a beautiful thing to behold.
……………………. Video plays here………………………….
This was a video clip from Sister Act 2. It ran about 5 minutes and I would recommend it to anyone interested in seeing the whole picture (no pun intended). Go rent the movie and on a DVD it is scene that ends with Whoopie saying “and now we’re a choir”.
Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated– 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Our life in Christ is just like this. Now get out there and practice. Tell everyone how much fun it is to live for Christ and to learn from Him. He is our teacher, coach and leader. He is our life.
Oh, happy day!!!!
Jerry Robertson
Chaplain CMA Crossties