Connected?

It was about 5:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon and I had just left the office. My cell phone rang and it was my wife, "Can you stop at the grocery store and pick up some shredded cheddar cheese for this recipe?”  Well on my way home, I was close enough to change my route and swing by the store.  As I walked into our home, my wife rhetorically asked with a chuckle, "What did we do before cell phones?"   Without missing a beat my 10 year old daughter, who really wanted to secretly justify her need for her own cell phone asked, “Daddy, how old were you when you got your first cell phone?”   “I believe I was about 27 years old and it was as big as one of the stone tablets that Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai!”   “That stone table, Daddy, was that before the Ipad?”

With laptops, Ipads, cell phones, Iphones and every other gadget on the planet; you and I are more connected than ever.  In fact, I wonder if we ever disconnect.   The answer is probably not!  In July 2013, the Huffington Post reported that 61% of employed Americans work while vacationing…that’s 6 out of 10 people. 

Truth be told, we are more likely to disconnect from our families and from God, before we disconnect from our jobs.   Harsh sounding?  Perhaps! But let’s be honest.  I see it nearly every day.  Kids in trouble because mom and dad are always on their cell phones taking another call, on their laptops pounding out one more report or never at home because there is just one more meeting to attend, rather than connecting with the kids.  The marriage takes a hit too.  We will talk to our bosses before our spouses. 

And what about God, have we disconnected from Him?   How many times has a headache on Sunday kept you from church, but the same headache did not keep you from work on Monday?  How many times have you come up with some lame excuse to stay home instead of connecting with the body of Christ and worshipping in one heart and spirit?   How many times have you forsaken the assembly (see Hebrews 10:25)? 

Is that you?  Are you more connected to the job or the activities of the world than you are to God or your family?  Are you proud that you work through the weekends and vacation to clear a better bottom line?  If so, then you need to refocus on God.  To start, confess your lack of connectivity with Him.  Tell him you are sorry and ask Him to empower you to make better choices to stay connected with Him.  Then go to your family and do the same thing.  

Once you have taken that step…learn how to turn off the devices and disconnect so then you can reconnect with the most important thing. 

You've Got the Gas!

About 15 years ago I decided to build a deck on the back of my house.   It was just a simple deck; nothing elaborate, no intricate detail, no fancy cuts…just a deck.  Little did I know that I picked the hottest day in July.  The thermometer read 96 degrees, the humidity was in the upper 90s, the sun was blistering hot and there was not a cloud in the sky.  By noon, I was 10 pounds lighter, two shades darker and my energy and strength had evaporated faster than the sweat that was dripping off me.  By dinner time the 2 pound hammer felt like I was swinging a 50 pound sledge.  By the time I hit the bed, my strength was gone.   

 
The next day was Sunday and when I awoke I seem to have a renewed sense of energy, life and strength.   In that moment I was reminded of Deuteronomy 33:25, it says, “The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days” (emphasis mine).  Think about that for a moment.

If you’re like me, you’ve read that passage many times and have glossed over an incredible promise, “…your strength will equal your days.”  Nestled in that long wordy blessing by Moses in chapter 33 is a promise of God, that my strength will equal my day.  Have you stopped to think about what that really means?  If you haven’t, consider this.  First, it means that no matter what you face today, God has already proportioned the strength you will need to face it.  You will have the strength to face whatever this day brings, without fail.   Count on it.

Secondly, it means you do not need to worry about what tomorrow may bring, because God is already there.  God has already allotted the strength you will need in order to face tomorrow’s challenges.  The strength of tomorrow has already been put aside for you and will be graciously lavished on you, tomorrow.  What about the next day?  Same thing!  That strength has been portioned out and will, when the time is ready, be given to you. 

Finally, what all this tells us is this…God loves you!  Remember these words, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26).  God loves you, he cares for you because you matter to Him.  And because you matter, He will provide, just as He provides food for the birds, the strength you need, today, tomorrow…and so on and so on. 

So when you hear yourself say, “I don’t have the strength to go on!”   Sure you do.  When you feel that you don’t have the strength to face another moment, say to yourself, “Sure I do!”  How do I know?  Because Deuteronomy 33:25 says so, “…YOUR STRENGTH WILL EQUAL YOUR DAYS!”  Go and do…you’ve got the fuel to do it.  AMEN!