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Monday, August 3

 

Out of Battery

I am old enough to remember life before cell phones. However, I cannot imagine living today without my cell phone. I depend on it for all sorts of communications and entertainment. Often times, I forget to charge my phone and I eventually run out of battery, usually at the most inopportune time. As a result, I have learned to always keep an additional charger in my car, in my office, and in my travel bag. A perfectly functional cell phone that is out of charge is of no help to me.

We can compare our lives to a cell phone in that they are capable of doing many good things, only if the battery is properly charged. However there is a difference; when our cell phone runs out of charge it just stops working but when our lives run out of charge we continue working but we tend to act contrary to our own principals and beliefs. When our lives run out of charge it is typically, in the area, that concerns our character and this is where we pay a price. You can tell you are running out of power when you start saying things like, “I’ve had it”, and then let everyone else have it. Or when we say, “I lost it” and then enter into all kinds of destructive behaviors. When our lives run out of charge, our character usually pays the price.

Charging Stations

When it comes to our cell phones, we take care to ensure they remain charged. This is why we have phone charges in our homes, in our offices, and even in our cars. This is why most airports and public places have charging stations; they know how important it is to keep our cell phones charged. If keeping our phones charged is so important, should we not we feel the same about our lives?

Galatians 5:19-20, 22 NLT

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Each of us is born with a sinful nature. Bad behavior is common in all of us. Have you ever noticed that we do not need to teach our children bad behaviors? That comes naturally to them, because it is part of our human, sinful nature. However, I have good news. Paul tells us that there is a solution to this problem and it has nothing to do with motivational speakers or self help books and programs. Paul tells us the solution is the power of the Holy Spirit, the same one that produces the right character in us. It is not something we do; it is the result of keeping life’s charging cables connected to God. So, if keeping our cell phones charged is important, how much more important should it be to keep our lives charged with the power of the Holy Spirit?