A revisited blog from last year. With the threat of bad weather, I figured it would be appropriate.
The south has been ravaged by storms the past few days. Facebook is flooded with weather related status updates. Local news station weather anchors haven’t shaved in days. Kids are on edge. Vampires are playing a lot of baseball (that’s right a Twilight reference). And Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore.
The south has been ravaged by storms the past few days. Facebook is flooded with weather related status updates. Local news station weather anchors haven’t shaved in days. Kids are on edge. Vampires are playing a lot of baseball (that’s right a Twilight reference). And Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore.
I
fell asleep on the couch Saturday night (no, Lacey didn’t put me
there), only to be woken up by her because the tornado sirens were going
off. She is terrified of storms. It’s really endearing and cute.
However, I am not afraid of storms. I grew up outside of Owensboro by
the Ohio River where severe weather likes to travel, so tornado warnings
typically do not bother me.
Storms can teach us a lot about our relationship with Jesus. Here are six quick ones:
1) They disrupt our routine. Bad weather disrupts our daily activities: you stay inside until it passes, lights may be knocked out, showers must be delayed, and Facebook isn’t an option. Spiritual disciplines are great, but getting stuck in a routine (like going to the same spiritually dead church for 100 years), not so great. Perhaps your “spiritual routine” needs to be disrupted.
2) You have to prepare. You know bad weather is coming, so you have to prepare for it. Likewise, you know spiritual attack will come from the enemy, so get ready.
3) You have to listen, even when it isn’t convenient. Yes, we hate for our favorite show to be cut in by a weather alert, but there is a reason for them. We should always be ready to listen to Christ speaking to us, even at times when it is least expected.
4) You have to get low. If a tornado hits, the safest place is underground. If you don’t have a basement (like us), then you hide in the bathroom ducked down. Christian, every day you should get low. Every day you should hit your knees in prayer...you never know when the next storm may blow in.
5) They create space for faith. Do you really trust God? A storm can prove whether or not you do. Fear can show you what really matters. The disciples learned this lesson the hard way when they were crying like a bunch of middle school girls at a slumber party fighting for attention. What did Jesus do? He asked them where their faith was and then he calmed the storm. The weather is still subject to him. Where is your faith?
6) They make you thankful. It’s a great feeling when the storm has passed. This is something that God is challenging me in—being thankful for what I have. I am convinced that one reason God chose to use the Apostle Paul in such an extraordinary way was because Paul was always so thankful. You need to be thankful Christian.
1) They disrupt our routine. Bad weather disrupts our daily activities: you stay inside until it passes, lights may be knocked out, showers must be delayed, and Facebook isn’t an option. Spiritual disciplines are great, but getting stuck in a routine (like going to the same spiritually dead church for 100 years), not so great. Perhaps your “spiritual routine” needs to be disrupted.
2) You have to prepare. You know bad weather is coming, so you have to prepare for it. Likewise, you know spiritual attack will come from the enemy, so get ready.
3) You have to listen, even when it isn’t convenient. Yes, we hate for our favorite show to be cut in by a weather alert, but there is a reason for them. We should always be ready to listen to Christ speaking to us, even at times when it is least expected.
4) You have to get low. If a tornado hits, the safest place is underground. If you don’t have a basement (like us), then you hide in the bathroom ducked down. Christian, every day you should get low. Every day you should hit your knees in prayer...you never know when the next storm may blow in.
5) They create space for faith. Do you really trust God? A storm can prove whether or not you do. Fear can show you what really matters. The disciples learned this lesson the hard way when they were crying like a bunch of middle school girls at a slumber party fighting for attention. What did Jesus do? He asked them where their faith was and then he calmed the storm. The weather is still subject to him. Where is your faith?
6) They make you thankful. It’s a great feeling when the storm has passed. This is something that God is challenging me in—being thankful for what I have. I am convinced that one reason God chose to use the Apostle Paul in such an extraordinary way was because Paul was always so thankful. You need to be thankful Christian.
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