Fitted for action.
The whole point of fusion is not for us.
Sure we benefit from communing closely with God, becoming more like Christ, however its real purpose is to benefit the world. God so loved the world that He gave His Son, but the continuation of this love is that He now gives His church.
I wrote a blog the other day after reading Psalm 23. When doing so I noticed the following footnote in my Amplified Bible (a Bible that I surreptitiously acquired from my mum some time ago, she doesn’t realise that it is a permanent arrangement :o):
“It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. When mixed with perfume, the oil imparted a delightfully refreshing and invigorating sensation. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race. As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated, and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His ‘sheep’ with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, to fit them to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs--in heavenly fellowship with Him.”
Isn’t that awesome God’s anointing leaves us refreshed [every day], invigorated [and alert to what’s going on] and better fitted for action! The course of your race will be different from mine, but God’s anointing prepares us for the race perfectly and keeps us in shape. Whatever course lies before each of us, we are all called to live for Christ; to shine out the hope of salvation to those who live and work around us. There are no days off, no holidays, its full-time; 24-7-365. It’s life, real life! As a result we must take care not to burn out.
“Be good friends who love deeply… Don't burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.” Rom 12:10-12
Have you ever run a long distance race?
I have… well it was a ‘fun run’ really, but it was 3 miles!
Our office does this every year (why is beyond me), and a few years ago I was badgered into it. The only concession was that I could dress up as Patrick McGoohan from ‘The Prisoner’. The thought of this amused me for some reason. And indeed it did, but it was tough running 3 miles in a blazer and deck shoes! I looked good though :o)
What I learnt from this (aside from never doing it again) was to never stop running!
Never quit!
Running was tough. Keeping up a good pace was hard going. After a while the pack of runners had spread out and I was on my own (except for Rover – a white balloon that I had following me on a piece of string… if you have seen the show you will appreciate how funny this was). Never having run the course before I had no idea how to pace myself or how far I had left; I just had to keep going. Every muscle in my legs ached but they kept on going, I knew it was for a purpose; to reach the finish line.
Near the end though my legs got the better of my mind and I decided to stop for a breather and walk a little. BIG MISTAKE! I cannot stress this enough, if you start a race never stop – it’ll kill you! It felt good for a moment but when I tried to start running again I realised my legs had finished their race. Every stride I took was more painful than the previous and within no time at all I wish I had never stopped.
We must be wise of our time and physical limitations (it is only God who operates outside of time not us! – a simple but important thing to remember if you are tempted to cram 36hrs of stuff into a 24hr day! It’s impossible!!!). We avoid burning out not by stopping for a while in our race, but by refuelling; keeping ourselves and our faith aflame. How you do this may be different from me but it is essential.
Stay fuelled, stay aflame and keep running; keep on shining in the dark. Let the world see the effect of salvation in our lives! Let them see fusion at work; living, rejoicing, liberating.
Sure we benefit from communing closely with God, becoming more like Christ, however its real purpose is to benefit the world. God so loved the world that He gave His Son, but the continuation of this love is that He now gives His church.
I wrote a blog the other day after reading Psalm 23. When doing so I noticed the following footnote in my Amplified Bible (a Bible that I surreptitiously acquired from my mum some time ago, she doesn’t realise that it is a permanent arrangement :o):
“It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. When mixed with perfume, the oil imparted a delightfully refreshing and invigorating sensation. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race. As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated, and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His ‘sheep’ with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, to fit them to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs--in heavenly fellowship with Him.”
Isn’t that awesome God’s anointing leaves us refreshed [every day], invigorated [and alert to what’s going on] and better fitted for action! The course of your race will be different from mine, but God’s anointing prepares us for the race perfectly and keeps us in shape. Whatever course lies before each of us, we are all called to live for Christ; to shine out the hope of salvation to those who live and work around us. There are no days off, no holidays, its full-time; 24-7-365. It’s life, real life! As a result we must take care not to burn out.
“Be good friends who love deeply… Don't burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.” Rom 12:10-12
Have you ever run a long distance race?
I have… well it was a ‘fun run’ really, but it was 3 miles!
Our office does this every year (why is beyond me), and a few years ago I was badgered into it. The only concession was that I could dress up as Patrick McGoohan from ‘The Prisoner’. The thought of this amused me for some reason. And indeed it did, but it was tough running 3 miles in a blazer and deck shoes! I looked good though :o)
What I learnt from this (aside from never doing it again) was to never stop running!Never quit!
Running was tough. Keeping up a good pace was hard going. After a while the pack of runners had spread out and I was on my own (except for Rover – a white balloon that I had following me on a piece of string… if you have seen the show you will appreciate how funny this was). Never having run the course before I had no idea how to pace myself or how far I had left; I just had to keep going. Every muscle in my legs ached but they kept on going, I knew it was for a purpose; to reach the finish line.
Near the end though my legs got the better of my mind and I decided to stop for a breather and walk a little. BIG MISTAKE! I cannot stress this enough, if you start a race never stop – it’ll kill you! It felt good for a moment but when I tried to start running again I realised my legs had finished their race. Every stride I took was more painful than the previous and within no time at all I wish I had never stopped.
We must be wise of our time and physical limitations (it is only God who operates outside of time not us! – a simple but important thing to remember if you are tempted to cram 36hrs of stuff into a 24hr day! It’s impossible!!!). We avoid burning out not by stopping for a while in our race, but by refuelling; keeping ourselves and our faith aflame. How you do this may be different from me but it is essential.
Stay fuelled, stay aflame and keep running; keep on shining in the dark. Let the world see the effect of salvation in our lives! Let them see fusion at work; living, rejoicing, liberating.
posted by Andrew at 6:20 am
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