An estimated 500,000 tons of water rush over Niagara Falls every minute. However, on March 29, 1948, the falls suddenly stopped. People living within the sound of the falls were awakened by the abrupt silence. Some believed it to be a sign the world might be coming to an end.
It was thirty hours before the rush of water and the overwhelming sound resumed.
What happened? Heavy winds had set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion. Tons of ice jammed the Niagara River entrance near Buffalo and stopped the flow of the river until the ice shifted again.
In much the same way, the flow of God’s grace and blessing in our lives can be stopped by cold indifference. And it doesn’t take as much as you might think. We let our guard down, we let up a little on our spiritual disciplines. We skip a day or two or a week of having time alone with God each morning. “I’ll catch up tomorrow.” Sound familiar?
We miss a Bible study group meeting and then something comes up, and before you know it we realize it’s been months. Or we let the kids’ activities take precedence over the church’s youth ministry. We miss a couple of weeks tithing and giving because we were out of town or sick. Before you know it we’ve started spending God’s money on ourselves and wake up one day realizing it’s been weeks or months since we gave faithfully, cheerfully and enthusiastically to God.
Or we forget to pray at night before going to sleep or we stop praying before meals. We can’t remember the last time we actually spoke to someone about Jesus or our church. We used to jump out of bed Sunday mornings because we couldn’t wait to get to church to worship, serve and enjoy the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now we find ourselves finding fault with the very church we gave some of the best years of our life to. We’re dragging ourselves to do the very things you couldn’t drag us away from doing.
As we move through the final cold days of the year, don’t let anything or anyone keep you from being on fire for the Lord and His church. And when it gets warmer in the spring and summer, don’t cool off in your commitment to Christ.
The words of Paul serve as great counsel for every season of the year and every year of our lives: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Blessings,
Pastor David
It was thirty hours before the rush of water and the overwhelming sound resumed.
What happened? Heavy winds had set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion. Tons of ice jammed the Niagara River entrance near Buffalo and stopped the flow of the river until the ice shifted again.
In much the same way, the flow of God’s grace and blessing in our lives can be stopped by cold indifference. And it doesn’t take as much as you might think. We let our guard down, we let up a little on our spiritual disciplines. We skip a day or two or a week of having time alone with God each morning. “I’ll catch up tomorrow.” Sound familiar?
We miss a Bible study group meeting and then something comes up, and before you know it we realize it’s been months. Or we let the kids’ activities take precedence over the church’s youth ministry. We miss a couple of weeks tithing and giving because we were out of town or sick. Before you know it we’ve started spending God’s money on ourselves and wake up one day realizing it’s been weeks or months since we gave faithfully, cheerfully and enthusiastically to God.
Or we forget to pray at night before going to sleep or we stop praying before meals. We can’t remember the last time we actually spoke to someone about Jesus or our church. We used to jump out of bed Sunday mornings because we couldn’t wait to get to church to worship, serve and enjoy the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now we find ourselves finding fault with the very church we gave some of the best years of our life to. We’re dragging ourselves to do the very things you couldn’t drag us away from doing.
As we move through the final cold days of the year, don’t let anything or anyone keep you from being on fire for the Lord and His church. And when it gets warmer in the spring and summer, don’t cool off in your commitment to Christ.
The words of Paul serve as great counsel for every season of the year and every year of our lives: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Blessings,
Pastor David
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