February 13 – Keep Yourself Alive

        Luke 12:35 – "Be dressed, ready for service, and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him."

        In 1994, King's X recorded a song called, "Sunshine Rain". The bridge had these words:

...a friend of mine

who's fallen down a million times

told me, told me

feelings never go away

you have to learn to live this way

and keep yourself alive -

that's what he said.

       The context of the song is vague, but I can glean a few spiritual truths from those lines. First, although unrelated to the verse above, I can walk by faith in obedience to the commands of God, no matter how I feel (2 Corinthians 5:7). Secondly, there is a sense in our lives, that we have to "keep ourselves alive", in a spiritual sense. This is where the verse in Luke 12 applies.

        Jesus expects us to live our lives daily on purpose. His life was perfectly lived that way. Even if we don't know what specific direction to take in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we are to watch and be ready for our master to "show up" unexpectedly.

        In my 40s I would spend a few weeks every year hiking the mountain trails of West Virginia. One October, I pitched my tent by the side of a road on top of a mountain, right next to a trail that led to an well-known eagle lookout, with a small building. It was foggy at dusk, when I pitched my tent, so I didn't know that there was actually a house nearby. I awoke in the middle of the night to hear voices, which was quite disturbing. However, I eventually went back to sleep and awoke at daybreak. I had hoped to hike to the lookout, but it was still quite foggy. I decided to venture anyway. The fog was very thick, which did not hinder me following the trail. However, I could not see more than 30 feet ahead of me at any given time. As I walked, I heard a voice inside say that when one cannot see what is ahead, keep walking anyway. To me, that was God's spirit telling me to keep walking in faith, keeping myself alive. This concept is related to what we find in Philippians 3:16. "Only let us live in step with what we have already attained."

        What are some practical ways of "keeping ourselves alive"? Hebrews 10:24-25 commands us to "consider how we may spur one another towards love and good deeds. Let us not quit meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another all the more..." That can mean attending church, as long as there is purposeful conversation among believers, not just listening to a soliloquy.  Another way is to set aside time in our day to worship God, praying to him, thanking him, and spending a little time reminding ourselves of what is communicated in the Bible. Of course, we need to engage people where they live, acting upon what we know to do, in accordance with Jesus' commands (which are numerous, but not burdensome) (1 John 5:3-4 & James1:22).

        Don't let yourself start to fade spiritually. Keep yourself alive. Let's press on, seeking to experience that abundant life that Jesus talked about in John 10.