Corona Devo 314

When was the last time you went sled riding?

Rosy cheeks, the rush of skittering down a hill on a sled, and the intoxication of adrenaline rushing through your heart and urging your feet right back up the hill to do it once more.  And once more.  

Sledding is a blast.  

It's also a lot of work.  Getting suited up with boots, snow pants, gloves and a jacket is no small feat (at any age) and this all occurs before we even set foot outside in the cold.

Zooming down the hill is exhilarating, but the climb back up the hill seems to grow a bit more arduous with each run.  Until, at some point, we realize that we are exhausted.  And we call it a day on the sledding hills...until next time.

Sledding is a fun adventure, but it is also a lot of work.  

As we thawed out with some hot cocoa, I defrosted the idea that our life-journey as Christ-followers has similarities to sledding.

As Christians, we must prepare.  We must become familiar with God's word and study it, and not only accept it into our hearts, but own it and live what He says.  The discipline of figuring out what His word says and means is hard.  And then living out what we believe God's word is saying to us can be more arduous still:  

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  ~James 1:22-25

Add on to that the command to share and preach God's word to others, and sometimes we can begin to feel weighed down, or even restricted, like when we suit-up with multiple layers and head out to go sledding:

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.  2 Timothy 4:2

The preparation and responsibility of faith and living-it-out-well is work.  No serious Christ-follower will tell you that it isn't.  

But don't forget the icy-chill-thrill and wind-in-your-hair freedom and excitement of careening down a hill blanketed with snow on a sled.  The prep becomes worth it.  The trudge up the hill (no matter how many times you have gone down it) is validated.  The outcome earns and exceeds the efforts put in to getting there.

Have you ever invited someone to church and then they came?  How exciting!

Have you ever invested in someone and talked to them about Jesus and how He has affected your life?  There is an icy-chill-thrill in doing this.

Have you ever prayed with someone to receive Christ into their life?  This is more exhilarating than careening down a hill on a sled!   

When we commit to memorizing a verse, I promise you that God will bring those words to your rescue or someone else's at just the right time: 

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  ~2 Timothy 3:16.

There are a million more ways that God will use our faith-preparations to bring exciting results.  

But day to day, we can become bogged down or sometimes just tired as we seek to live for the Lord.  Our journey-of-faith is a marathon throughout our lives, but often we want to approach it as a sprint.  It is only natural that at some point/on some days/in some seasons of life: we realize that we are exhausted.

But I encourage you today to come and sit by God's fire to warm your spiritual toes and thaw your possibly chilled heart.  The world and it's ways can have a frigid effect on our faith, but Jesus guards and warms our hearts with His truth:  “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  ~John 8:12.

Be revived in your faith today.  Be reminded of the exilaration of serving Christ and let this propel us forward with renewed gusto in doing so.  

It is worth putting on the layers of His word.  There will be days/times when we are exhausted from trudging uphill, but God's payoff is better than the best sledding hill you can remember.  The outcome earns and exceeds the efforts put in to getting there.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  ~John 10:10

Rosy cheeks, the rush, and the intoxication of adrenaline rushing through your heart and urging your feet right back up the hill to do it once more.  This is the thrill of following and serving Christ!  

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/