Dear Friends,
Sometime ago I was listening to the radio and heard for the first time a song entitled “Walking in Memphis.” Marc Cohn writes some interesting lyrics, which includes the following:
Now Muriel plays piano every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would do a little number.
And I sang with all my might
And she said: “Tell me are you a Christian, child?”
And I said, “Ma’am I am tonight.”
I do not know what the author intended in these lyrics, but I do know what I heard them say to me, which is this: one can pick and choose the times one wants to be a Christian, or at least the times one wants to live out their faith. So playing a piano and singing some good old gospel music might very well speak to one’s faith and stir within a person their longing for God – at least for that point in time. Of course it is also true that at other times, when one’s heart isn’t stirred, one can do what one wants and choose not to be a Christian, or at least act like one, at that particular point in time.
I fear this happens all too often in our society with us Christians. There are times when we feel very close to God and affirm our faith by how we live. And then there are other times when we completely ignore God and do whatever we want. So today we might choose to be a Christian, but tomorrow we might choose not to be – at least in terms of our behavior. We decide not to let our faith influence how we act, how we speak, what we watch, how we live.
If this is true of any of us, it is not what God expects or hopes for in our Christian walk. The God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, wants us to live out our faith yesterday, today and tomorrow. There is to be no interruption in how we live out our faith. No pauses, no detours, no lapses. If we follow Jesus – truly follow – living our faith consistently is something we desire to do, not just today, but tomorrow as well.
To live our faith consistently isn’t easy to do, as most of us well know. In fact, we can only do so by the power of God in our lives. Here is the Good News: God provides that power for us. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20 these words: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask for think.” Indeed, with God’s mighty power within us, we can live holy lives.
Let us live holy lives, not just when it suits our purposes, but each and every day, each and every night.
Peace,
Pastor Jim
Sometime ago I was listening to the radio and heard for the first time a song entitled “Walking in Memphis.” Marc Cohn writes some interesting lyrics, which includes the following:
Now Muriel plays piano every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would do a little number.
And I sang with all my might
And she said: “Tell me are you a Christian, child?”
And I said, “Ma’am I am tonight.”
I do not know what the author intended in these lyrics, but I do know what I heard them say to me, which is this: one can pick and choose the times one wants to be a Christian, or at least the times one wants to live out their faith. So playing a piano and singing some good old gospel music might very well speak to one’s faith and stir within a person their longing for God – at least for that point in time. Of course it is also true that at other times, when one’s heart isn’t stirred, one can do what one wants and choose not to be a Christian, or at least act like one, at that particular point in time.
I fear this happens all too often in our society with us Christians. There are times when we feel very close to God and affirm our faith by how we live. And then there are other times when we completely ignore God and do whatever we want. So today we might choose to be a Christian, but tomorrow we might choose not to be – at least in terms of our behavior. We decide not to let our faith influence how we act, how we speak, what we watch, how we live.
If this is true of any of us, it is not what God expects or hopes for in our Christian walk. The God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, wants us to live out our faith yesterday, today and tomorrow. There is to be no interruption in how we live out our faith. No pauses, no detours, no lapses. If we follow Jesus – truly follow – living our faith consistently is something we desire to do, not just today, but tomorrow as well.
To live our faith consistently isn’t easy to do, as most of us well know. In fact, we can only do so by the power of God in our lives. Here is the Good News: God provides that power for us. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20 these words: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask for think.” Indeed, with God’s mighty power within us, we can live holy lives.
Let us live holy lives, not just when it suits our purposes, but each and every day, each and every night.
Peace,
Pastor Jim
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