Sunday, May 3, 2009

ACTIVE or INACTIVE?




I was asked a couple weeks ago to speak at the Young Adult gathering. I decided to tell my testimony and what the Lord has done in my life.




It's fun, because I've noticed that my testimony keeps getting longer and longer each time I tell it or each time I think about what the Lord's doing in my life. I know that it's not just because I'm long-winded, but He truly is working that much in and through me. Then He works all around me and gives me the priviledge to "see" the work of His fingers. Just AWESOME! I sure serve a wonderful God!




I feel like the Lord has done so many wonderful things, I just can't help but want to give back to Him. Wow, why would I not want to bless Him right back?! He blesses me so much, I want to almost "out-give" Him. Ha! If that even makes sense.




Okay, well I've been wanting to share with y'all ever sense it came to me to share at the meeting, because it really is something to think about. A few weeks ago, while I was washing my hair, I had this kind of epiphany...if you will. (Just stay with me here )




So.. I'm washing my hair and as I look up, I can see the shampoo bottle. Okay. It's Dandruff Shampoo, the Kroger brand.... and just for the record...it's not because I have dandruff. We'll just say that I use it once a month because it smells too good to use it more. Ha! But I don't have dandruff.. just this little .....oh nevermind...that's besides the point.




Moving on! I was looking at the back of the bottle and because I'm bored.. I just start to read it. You know the Active Ingredents, Uses, Warnings, directions, inactive ingredients, all those things on labels like that.




Okay.. well it occured to me that the ingredients in that shampoo bottle are much like who we can be in Christ... how we can grow. So, imagine with me....let's just say we're this little molecule in the bottle of shampoo. So.. yes, once we've accepted Christ we're in the bottle! That's done! We're in Christ. WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!! Happy dance!




Then as we begin to walk with Christ.... and start to come out of the shampoo... we have a choice to make. We can be active or we can be inactive. It all works together to make the suds...but it's only the active ingredients that perform the desired function. The entire purpose of the product.




I've learned that Faith is a like a muscle and we can grow it if we want to.




We can choose to be the active ingredients that accomplish the purpose of the Lord in our lives.... or we can choose to be inactive. We're still going to heaven, but we choose to not bear fruit in our lives..we choose not to grow our faith or live closely with God. All we're doing is creating suds as the body of Believers but not anything more than that.




However, with being an active ingredient we choose to be fruitful and to perform the desired function. Not only are we creating suds as the body of Believers, but we are getting down and dirty and fulfilling our purpose!




God's "desired function" in our lives is to trust and obey Him and to live out the Great Commission and spread the good news of His one and only son, Jesus Christ who came to Save us and give eternal life to all who call upon His name. As a product of God, that is our purpose...to be ACTIVE in our walk with Him!!




If we're not active.. we're still going to heaven. We're still getting all the benefits of eternal life.




But wow, to bless the Father and to be ACTIVE in what He wants and to experience the abundant living that only He provides in the here and now. It is just a wonderful way to live!!! And not only that, we are storing up our treasures in heaven. So...my logic is... if I'm only here for a little while.... and I'm in heaven for eternity... why not bear fruit, please the Father, and store up treasures in Heaven. I mean... I want the whole shebang! Ya know? So.. I'm choosing to grow my Faith and be an active ingredient in the body of Christ and just dare to serve the Lord with everything that I have!




Wow! Isn't that so cool!! Now, you'll never look at the back of a Dandruff Shampoo bottle and not think of this e-mail. *wink*wink*




But it's simple..... Do you want to be active or inactive?