(ThyBlackMan.com) Nearly every householder knows the absolute joy of moving into a new home, of having the decorations done exactly as you wanted, of having the surrounding, the hard and soft landscape done precisely to your requirements, and having the driveway and fencing look just the way you liked. When you stand back and look at your home, you are thoroughly satisfied, and wherever you travel in the world, it is always a pleasure to get back home. You can affirm, as the saying goes, that there is no place like home, sweet home.
But over the years your home suffers bombardment from the elements, and the hurly-burly of human habitation, and gradually mellows with age and falls away from its original pristine condition.
And that is to be expected, for man-made products tend towards dilapidation and demise, and need constant, ongoing maintenance to keep things intact.
No matter how hard you try, the time comes when your house needs refreshing. You may notice little stains here and there, some corners might be chipped, the paint or wallpaper gets faint and a little scruffy, a slight crack might appear here and there, and the woodwork might need some attention. Tiny nicks might be seen in some fittings and furniture, and on close examination scratches might be noticed on skirtings and baseboards and the likes.
The time will come when you have to face facts, and realize that your home is no longer in the pristine condition it once was, and, reluctantly or otherwise, you know you must refresh your home.
Here in Barbados, the people have a passion for refreshing their homes for Christmas, and the two or three weeks prior to Christmas there is ferocious activity at hardware stores, as people scamper hither and thither to get supplies, so they can enliven their homes by Christmas.
The elements batter our homes daily, and although our homes might be solid and strong, yet there is some degradation over the years. In the same manner, what is true of our homes, is just as true of our spirituality.
Our spirituality, no matter how grand to begin with, is buffeted daily from numerous sources, and often the damage inflicted is so tiny each time that they go almost undetected until a crisis point is reached. And like Samson, who when his hair was shorn still thought he could perform as normal, so too many believers stumble and fall at the moment of crisis because they have been neglectful of their spirituality.
The Bible is aware of believers being neglectful of their spirituality and suffering the consequences, and so gives this well-timed, vital warning, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
The truth is that believers sometimes forget the wonderful state they were in when they first committed themselves to Jesus Christ, and God often reminds us of that fact, by using one word in particular. REMEMBER.
Whenever God uses that word, remember, he calls us to refresh our thoughts, and draw our attention to a time past, that is of importance to our spirituality, or walk with him, or a reference point necessary for our benefit.
To refresh your spirit, to end lukewarmness and to be radiant again spiritually, you must seriously reflect on your conversion, that time when you surrendered to Jesus Christ and became a Christian, when you felt so much love and joy and peace that your heart could burst. John tells us to remember that time like this, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” (Revelation 2:5)
Jesus was saying, through John to the church, and therefore to you and I, go back to where you were at the beginning, back to that infilling-and-enlightening moment, back to that total commitment and fervour, back to that first, all-consuming love that you had at the time of your conversion, consider where you were then and get back to it.
As you go back to examine where you were in Christ, what the refreshing of your spirituality in practice means, you need to remember and look at some important things.
Remember the initial state of grace in which you stood. Nothing prepared you for that moment, and you could probably identify with my own conversion when, in a previous article I wrote: “My conversion was like a spiritual fountain, overflowing within, and producing wave after wave of indescribable emotion… It left me with a sense of thorough cleansing; energizing, uplifting, filling grace, hither to me unknown, but at the same time feeling so right, as if this is what I had always aspired to, and at last, had attained. I had accepted Jesus Christ, and made up my mind, come hell or high water I was going all the way with God.”
Remember the absolute love and joy you had in the beginning. At your conversion, God filled your heart with his love, and in turn, you loved him with a deep fervour for his love and ineffable compassion. As a result, that new relationship produced such deep joy and settled satisfaction that you knew from your own experience what the Apostle was talking about when he said, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)
Remember the passion you had for God and things godly. Your turn towards God was full and complete, and you had jettisoned the old life and all its attachments, and now your passion was totally for God and the things of the spirit. You gave up things you never thought you could, and you never missed them; you were free of them and there was no going back. Looking back you relished the new life in Christ and you thirst for things godly was unquenchable. Your silent prayer was, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)
Remember the zeal you had for the salvation of others. Once saved you had a burning desire to witness, in your own way, not just what God did for you, but you had a keen interest in helping others to meet Christ Jesus. Maybe you can remember the efforts you made, the results of those efforts, and how you have progressed or fallen away from those early beginnings. Can you still identify with Jude when he said, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:23)
Remember your willing, obedient, cooperative spirit. You were then a model of willingness to help, cooperating in every good work with others, willing to go when requested, found no task too demeaning, and doing every good deed for the sake of the one you loved Jesus Christ. You were then a model for believers, full of determination and zeal and could identify with what Paul said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
Remember also those that you had at first:
1. Your ready self-denial and personal sacrifice that were so heartening to believers.
2. Your unadulterated enthusiasm in private and public prayers.
3. Your indifference to material things and your deep love of heavenly things.
It is good to remember all these things, compare where you are now to where you were then, and do not rest until there is practically no difference between the two. God is faithful, and will demonstrate his grace to keep you fully committed, fervent, and on fire for him by refreshing you spiritually, so that you may, like all believers, “…mount up with wings as eagles…run, and not be weary… walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
If you need a reminder that all this is doable, then cast your mind back to the indefatigable Caleb, who, at the age of 85 years, not only took possession of his piece of promised land, but rid it of the marauding giants so feared by the surrounding peoples. Caleb’s energy, enthusiasm, fighting spirit and determination was as formidable after 45 years of travails as they were in the beginning. So remember his words:
“As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.” (Joshua 14:11) Remember this old man; and revive that consuming passion for God you once had.
Enough said.
Staff Writer; Henderson W.
You can contact this Christian brother at: HWard@ThyBlackMan.com.
