What do we do now?
May 20, 2023 by admin
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles
| By John T. McNeal |
| It has been a few weeks now since the pinnacle of Christian holidays has come and gone. The chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and colored hard boiled eggs are but a memory. It seems that another Easter has passed by, but what have we learned? Was there a life lesson that you can reflect on that happened during this holiday? |
| Some would say, “Sure, I learned that I should wait until the end of April before packing my winter clothes away.” The unseasonably cold weather front made me want to break out singing “I’m dreaming of a white Easter.” But what did you learn spiritually? Did the service reach out and stir your soul? Or, are you still worrying about things that happen at work or where you will be going for summer vacation?
Before reading any further, take a moment and reflect on your spiritual walk that led you to this moment. Has just going to church on Sunday, Wednesday nights, and community groups been enough to feed your spiritual body? Think about it. We feed our physical bodies three and four times a day in order to have the energy to accomplish our daily activities. How often do you feed your spiritual body? Twice a week, three, four, seven times a week? And yet it is our physical bodies that pass away and it is our spiritual bodies that go on to live in the eternal kingdom. So doesn’t it make since to feed our spiritual bodies more often? After experiencing Easter and the traditions that surround this holiday, now is a great time to start some new habits. Good habits such as a daily Bible reading, serving in your local church, and entering into a time of prayer and fasting to search out God’s will for your life. These habits can help you feed that spiritual body in order to improve your walk with the living God. A daily Bible reading can help you tune in to God’s will for your life. This can be a daily reading from the Bible, some people try to read it from cover to cover. For those who prefer a clear instruction, I suggest a daily devotional book that can be found at any local Christian bookstore. Involve others in this quest to feed your spiritual body. Start or join a Bible study, which will help you transform this new habit into a lifestyle. Your involvement in a group will allow others to help you be consistent with your studying habits. Another good habit to start after the Easter season is becoming a servant in your local church. Every church always seems to have a short supply of people serving the body of Christ. By serving in your local church, you will start to take ownership in your place of worship. After a short time of serving in the church, your attitude will likely change from “I have to serve in church today” to “I get to serve in Church today.” The last suggestion that will help you to improve your spiritual body is to use fasting and prayer to seek out God’s will for your life. Whenever I mention fasting, most people think of total starvation. Fasting can be denying oneself of food, but it can also be the denial of certain other pleasures in life, such as going without television for three months, or avoiding all caffeine products for a period of time. I find that a Daniel fast is good for those who cannot go without food for a period of time due to physical or medical conditions. A Daniel fast can be found in Daniel 1:12, 15, and 17. Whenever skipping a meal, use this time to pray and seek God. I have found that there are three things that help me to become a more spiritually sound individual as I try to grow while following Christ. I am trying my best to develop a daily habit of reading my Bible. I “get to serve” my church every Sunday in the children’s ministry. I have used fasting many times in order to seek out God’s will for my life. These are a few methods I have used to become more focused on the things of God. |
