Don't Cover Up The Spirit

 

Another cruise story! We went to see the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben in Mexico. The temples and other structures are between one thousand and two thousand years old. They were only discovered about 50 years ago. On our way out there, I was wondering how Mayan temples several stories high could go undiscovered for so long. Our guide at the site explained to us that, over time, the native vegetation grew over everything and covered it so completely that all you could see was some hills. The top picture is a building that was left covered up because it had too much damage to be restored while the bottom picture is a temple that was uncovered.

 

We are at risk of having the same thing happen to us spiritually. Jesus gave us the parable of the sower and the seed. Some of the seed fell among thorns. These are the people who “…..hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).  

 

In my last post, I talked about how the world tries to get us to believe in an illusion that worldly desires are the only goal in life. We may easily see through that illusion, but still get caught up in all the day-to-day tasks that can take up so much of our time and energy. We may start out with our service and witness shining out for all the world to see. Then the cares and worries of the world begin to creep up and start to cover over our spiritual lives. It’s an insidious process, born not out of any active renunciation of the cause of Christ but more out of neglect, a failure to see the harm that is being done to our faith walk.

 

There are things we can do to keep our faith alive and active. We should avoid compartmentalizing our lives, separating our daily activities from our spiritual lives. We should see everything we do as part of our ministry and witness. As Paul says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

 

We also must get our priorities straight. God rightfully has first priority on our time and our lives. When He becomes an also-ran to worldly activities, we suffer a loss and our spirit begins to feel its effects. We must make time for spiritual nourishment in the form of prayer, study, and fellowship, because the spirit needs it as surely as the body needs food and drink. In addition, we should be listening for God’s voice guiding us in all that we do.

 

May we always strive to be fruitful for the kingdom, not allowing the distractions of the world to cover up and hide our witness to those whose lives we touch.

 

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” (Luke 8:16)

-----

The individual posts in this blog have been collected into a book, Reflections From the Basic Truths Blog.  It is available for free as an E-book through Barnes and Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reflections-from-the-basic-truths-blog-james-yarmchuk/1147055811?ean=2940181202702, Apple Books, and multiple other book websites. It is available for a minimal charge on Amazon and can also be purchased as a paperback through them.