Battery Power

Battery Power

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised but stay in
the city until you have been clothed with power from on high"
Luke 24:49

Batteries for clocks and watches, cell phones, I-pods and laptops, the remotes and the flashlights and let's not forget the smoke alarm that beeps at 3:00 am when the battery dies at a suspiciously ridiculous hour. We are battery dependent and battery power, no matter how good of an "energizer' we purchase, is always temporary.

In the last two weeks, I've been reminded of that several times. In Washington, D.C., I was at the top of the Washington Monument when the low battery indicator on my camera began to flash red, giving me a few more pictures before the camera shut down. And the "off-brand" replacements available at the souvenir stand lasted until we stood in front of the White House for our group photo and, you guessed it, ran out.

Then, last week, on the trip to Camp Michindoh with 43 7th graders whose parents were given my cell phone number to ease their fears, I forgot my charger. One last call from a dad who was worried about his son being away from home for the first time and my cell died at about 12:30 in the morning. It's at those moments that the importance of power, temporary or not, can be seen and appreciated.

Our strength in the natural is very similar to batteries in that, no matter how far we stretch it, it will eventually run out. And we were created by the Lord that way, needing sleep and rest to recharge our internal batteries, both being essential to our bodies functioning the way our Creator designed them to. Studies have shown the effects of sleep deficiency to be far greater than we realize, ranging from weakening the sharpness of our thinking to hindering our ability to handle stress and everyday problems.

Spiritual strength is no different. The strength to cope with the pressures and challenges of life needs to be renewed or we will face similar difficulties, finding ourselves making mistakes we never intended. It might be a word misspoken or a decision unadvised that is the result of our not keeping our spiritual batteries fully charged. Isaiah 40:30 tells us that "even youths grow tired and weary" but offers the promise in :31 that "they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength".

Just like Dave Auten tests our 9-volts every Sunday morning (with his tongue), we need to check our batteries on a regular basis, make sure we're staying recharged, and living with the strength and power, the wisdom and understanding that the Lord intended. The time invested in both rest and in the presence of the Lord will be well rewarded!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church