Imitators

Satan was the most beautiful creature to ever come from the hand of God and of all God’s creatures he was given the most.  Yet, it wasn’t enough.  There came a day when Satan questioned needing God and sort to be his own god to live free under his own authority.
Well, what sort of a god does Satan make?  As he seeks his self-sufficient existence from God, he depends on God to uphold the universe.  He demands God deal with him honestly and fairly, yet he himself deals in deceit.  As he seeks freedom from God, he enslaves those around him.  As he seeks his independent power, he steals power from others.  While he intends to never again bow down before God, he demands that everyone else bow down to him. 

Of all the illustrations that can be used to illustrate mankind; sadly, Satan is the best.  Let us not fool ourselves, before we are born-again (saved) we are all imitators of Satan.  Happily, this status-quo doesn’t have to remain that way.  As we advance in the Christian life, we hopefully shed the old ways for something much, much better.  Ever so slowly, as we progress by keeping our eyes of Christ, we stop imitating Satan and start exhibiting the perfect qualities of our Lord.

Spiritual Batteries

The purpose of a battery is to transfer stored energy into something else.  When a battery goes flat it serves no functional purpose unless it can be recharged from another power source to be used over and over again.

As Christians, we are like batteries.  We may have a little power stored but if we are not recharged regularly, we will soon be drained.  Christians are ‘energy dependant’ – God recharges our spiritual batteries so we have the power to continue our daily walk with extra energy to pass on to discouraged or the ‘spiritually dead’.  God brings many ‘spiritually flat’ people into our lives to recharge.  Often, these people need a lot of attention and encouragement.  They are frequently rude, demanding, obnoxious and thankless.  They take much of our energy and give little or no energy in return.  If we rely on our own (human) power, it won’t be long before people completely drain us.  Then, just like the flat battery, we no longer serve any functional purpose.
The only way we can stop everyday-life from exhausting us, is to continually recharge our battery from the all-powerful Energy Giver (God).  If we tap into the divine spring, we will have an endless supply of encouragement and grace for those who have not yet plugged into that omnipotent source of power.

Living Signposts

If a traveler is lost, they are generally on the lookout for a signpost that can point them in the right direction.

As Christians, God has asked that we be Living Signpost in a lost world – for our lives to be a beacon to life’s lost travellers who are desperately seeking the way to the glorious place of Salvation.  By our gracious conduct, our confidence in God and our higher sense of purpose, the lost traveler will deduce that we are citizens of Salvation and we can point them to the right path.
However, if we are walking through life without compassion and grace, looking lost and bewildered, we shouldn’t wonder why no one is asking us for directions.

Unsuspecting Insects

The spider is a cunning insect.  It spins an almost invisible web across the path of their prey and then patiently waits for unsuspecting insects to come to it.  When a bug falls into the web it soon becomes entangled and is at the spider’s mercy.  Even though the insect is caught, the spider wraps it securely with more web and, at leisure, sucks the nourishment from it.  

Satan is the biggest spider of all.  He lurks unseen in the background and relies on his many webs of lies and deceit to catch his prey.  Like the spider, he doesn’t usually chase his prey – he waits for his prey to come to him. Satan has spun many ingenious and near invisible webs to entangle us (insects).  Webs that appeal to our pride, our self righteousness, our lust for power, success, popularity, wealth, fame, etc.  No matter what sort of person we are Satan has spun a web that can catch us.  Once entangled, we are at his mercy and it’s very hard to break free.  Ever so slowly, we are wrapped in webs of our own addictions, lusts, bitterness, jealousies and hatred.  Soon we are so entwined the only purpose we can possibly serve is to nourish Satan’s plans.
How do we avoid becoming entangled in Satan’s invisible systems of lies and deceit? We look to God.  He knows the whereabouts of every web spun by Satan.  If we fly through life carefully watching where we are going but always taking our lead from God, Satan’s webs will never entangle us.

Climbing the Spiritual Mountain

Life is a journey and the goal is to climb the Spiritual Mountain.  We all start at the bottom and Christ waits at the top beckoning all who would believe in him to make the climb (sadly, few take the invitation).  The Spiritual Mountain has a very large base filled with numerous valleys.  Not many people begin their journey from the same place.  Some must climb out from the Valley of Drunkenness, Crime or Licentiousness - others from the opposite side of the mountain in the Valley of Self-righteousness, Legalism or Judging.  As we ascend the Spiritual Mountain, step by step we will leave behind the old ways as we travel the path towards Christ. 
However, when we first start climbing there will be many calls from people in the valleys below beckoning us to stay. These calls will be loud and can drown out Christ’s encouraging call that is beckoning us onwards.  But we must persevere - if we keep following the upward call the downward calls will soon fade away.   
There are many paths on the Spiritual Mountain.  It is necessary to quickly find a guide (teacher of God’s Word) or we’ll soon become disorientated and find ourselves back in the valleys.  We must choose a competent guide who takes directions from a reliable map (Bible).  Remember too, guides can only take you as far as they personally have traveled.  The object is to find a guide who can take you right to the mountain’s pinnacle (to be by the side of Christ himself).

The Evidence

In a Court of Law, evidence is only admitted if it exists.  It is not admitted because someone says it exists.  A court needs proof.  It needs to see, verify and test all evidence before it can be admitted. 

We, as Christians, tell the unbelieving world that Christianity is a life of joy, strength, courage, forgiveness, love and grace.  But we are often guilty of not exhibiting any evidence.  We should question where is the evidence of Christ in my life?  If I am Christ’s representative, how will Christ be judged on earth through my actions?  What am I really proving to the unbelieving world about God, Christ and Christianity?
To reasons known only to God, He has chosen Christians to represent Him to an unbelieving world.  Through well-lived Christian lives, people will see undisputed evidence of a Higher Power working as the Christian exhibits God’s grace in a graceless world.

The Insignificant Snail

A snail moves slowly through life leaving a slimy trail in its wake which dissolves within 24 hours. Soon, it is very hard to see any evidence of its passing.  When a snail moves slowly along, its sensitive body retracts into its shell whenever provoked.  When a snail dies, the only evidence of its existence is an empty shell.  To us a snail is very insignificant - its existence hardly worth noticing.

On a universal scale, we are even more insignificant than a snail.  We move through life desperately trying to leave a trail that will be remembered, but usually our trail disappears as soon as we pass.  We also have very sensitive souls, which retract from life when provoked.  Finally, when our life’s journey ends, all we leave behind is an empty shell.
As insignificant as we are, it is truly amazing that God includes us in His plan.  So we must conclude: if we are not doing God’s will in our lives, all we are creating is a worthless, slimy snail trail that will quickly fade away forever.  

Treasure Hunters

For thousands of years there have been adventurous stories of man’s hunt for fabled treasure.  Few things capture the imagination like a daring adventurer hunting for a magic lamp, a golden fleece, a legendary sword, a holy grail, a dragon’s hoard, a mummies’ tomb or a pirates’ treasure.  We love to see a hero find a dusty old map that promises great riches.  We love to see them dare all odds to find it.  If a dastardly villain, a few traps and a love interest are thrown in, there is a story that will transcend the ages.

Too many of us think that this sort of adventure is only reserved for the heroic type in movies.  Yet God has called us to be the heroes in our own lives.  He has given us a spiritual-adventure that is unrivaled in all of Hollywood.  God has even included an old map (the Bible) to guide us through insurmountable obstacles in the terrain of life.  This map points out the way to the greatest treasure the world has ever known (salvation), and ‘X’ does mark the spot.  If we start digging at the Cross (believe in Christ), God has guaranteed we will find the most extraordinary treasures (salvation and eternal rewards).
We must have an adventurous spirit and go after these ultimate treasures letting no odds stand in our way. But our spiritual-weapons must be kept ‘at the ready’, for there is a dastardly villain (Satan) that plots our demise and plans to bring us down – deep down.

Super Heroes

In comics, super heroes are usually ordinary people who have been granted supernatural powers through an extraordinary circumstance.  No matter what odds are stacked against them, everyone knows they will eventually overcome all obstacles and beat the bad guy.  

A Christian is an ordinary person who has been granted supernatural powers through an extraordinary circumstance (the Cross). As Christians, we may seem like mild mannered nobodies on the outside, but within is a potential super hero waiting to be revealed.  Sadly, too many of us are not using our God given supernatural power, choosing instead to rely on our own inadequate human power.
 As soon as we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have at our disposal God’s omnipotence just waiting to be used.  Potentially, we have spiritual strength, endurance and a divine force field of protection to overcome any adversity.  We can move mountains with our faith and stop armies with a divine appeal.  We can end tragedies with a single prayer.  We can stop fear, worry and depression by claiming a promise.  When others are panicking, the Christian (utilizing divine power), is relaxed, confident, compassionate and courageous – for if God is for us, who can stand against us.
But with great powers come great responsibilities - also great enemies (Satan).  As with all super heroes, we will get knocked around.  But remember - no matter what the odds, if we endure, victory has been assured and the bad guys will eventually be brought to justice.  

Making Waves

A boat at anchor doesn’t disturb the water.  Only after leaving the mooring does it break the water and send out ripples.  A boat will make waves when it is under full sail or powered by motor.  Though the waves may disturb other vessels, the boat also creates a wake which makes sailing easier for following vessels.

Many Christians are like boats that don’t move forward in case they disturb the water.  They float through life keeping Christianity a secret because they don’t want to rock the boat or cause a ripple.  However, an anchored boat takes people nowhere - it has no purpose apart from looking nice (that is until it gets too old and sinks).  Christianity is a voyage.  When we are motivated to leave our mooring (declare to the world we are Christians) it may break friendships or even separate families.  If we continue to follow Christ through the Sea-of-Life, we will make ripples.  As we rev-up our spiritual life, drawing upon God’s power, we will certainly cause waves in the devil’s kingdom.
We shouldn’t deliberately ‘rock the boat’, but we can’t expect to go on a voyage without making waves.  When Christ is in our sights we should never adjust our course.  The waves caused by our voyage may upset some, but remember that we also cause a wake.  With our course firmly set on God, we won’t know who decided to follow in our wake until we arrive at our destination (Heaven).