Missing It
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”- Romans 1:11-12
The other night Joanie made a family favorite, chicken cutlets and mashed potatoes, for dinner. As everyone was chowing down, we kept repeating how much we LOVED the dinner and how LONG it had been since it had been on the menu.
Like that delicious dinner, when we experience things that we have missed out on for a long period of time we realize how much we need and enjoy them. After two years, many people have cherished being able to travel and see family members again; our bodies and minds tell us how tired they are once we finally go on vacation; a person realizes how much they missed a relationship after having an uplifting visit and/or conversation with a dear friend; getting back into an exercise routine provides a much-needed outlet to stay fit and release tension.
As believers there are things we need to LONG AFTER and not allow to GO TOO LONG WITHOUT. In Psalm 42:1 the writer declares, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”
Missing out on reading God’s Word leaves us empty, mapping out life on our terms, and being influenced by the world’s many muddied messages. When we return to reading the Bible we find truth, wisdom, and promise to fix and fill our hearts. Psalm 119:131 says, “I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands.”
Missing out on being with God’s people leaves us isolated, scattered, and an open target of the enemy. When we return to attending church with our faith community we encounter God’s presence, promise, and power being released! In Matthew 18:20 Jesus promised, “For where two or three gather in My Name, there am I with them.”
Missing out on doing good leaves us absorbed with self, outside of God’s best, and absent of fruitful living. When we return to disciplining our life for the sake of His purpose, we will see amazing results and secure an incomparable reward. In 1 Timothy 4:8 Paul exhorts us, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both this present life and the life to come.”
Just as Paul countless times communicated a longing to do the Lord’s work and see the Lord’s people, let’s be a people that do not miss out on a life of intimate and increasing faith, fellowship, and fruit!