“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love.” - II Timothy 1:7
“SWING! Get the bat off your shoulders.”
Great coaching for my first time up to bat in Little League. Even better directions for living life as a follower of Jesus the Christ.
“Swing! Try! Give it your all.”
Good instructions when we live in a society where fear has grown dominant. Our culture demands us to “strive for success,” but the underlying result has become a fear of failure. Too many never “swing” because they feel they are not good enough, strong enough, talented enough. Or they await others to lead because they don't have enough resources, enough help, enough assurance of success.
As followers of the Messiah who on the Cross set us free, we are graced enough, loved enough, blessed enough.
We are set free from worry about ourselves, what will happen to us and the ego. And set free for service to our neighbor; to love and serve others. Free to get the bat off our shoulders.
Martin Luther expressed this freedom well:
“A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. And a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
God's love, the Cross of Christ, grace expressed frees us from concerns for ourselves and frees us for the concerns of others.
I love Rejoicing Spirits because it is a ministry of trying. We take a swing. Do the worship services always go as planned? Not even close! Holy Chaos is often the best descriptor. Are the fellowship events calm and predictable? Of course not.
While others “strive for success,” Rejoicing Spirits strives for the Kingdom as Jesus encouraged: “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” And Jesus explained what Kingdom seeking is:
“Love the Lord your God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Please be encouraged as you continue to serve through Rejoicing Spirits. Swing! Get the bat off your shoulders. You are free to try. And then, trust God.
Rejoicing with you,
P.S. Join us for the Rejoicing Spirits Digital Conference on Oct. 15. We will try to give you resources enough!
