Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Morning Hour

I became so frustrated with my scanner the other day. When I tried to open it to copy some stuff, it responded with a thunky sound every time. The light glowed greenly; it seemed to be alive, but couldn't perform the work I asked of it. I pushed the on/off button several times; low and behold, the thing wouldn't even turn off! Thinking, oh, no, wonder what a new one costs?, I decided to test the plug-in, in spite of the fact that it looked perfectly all right. I jiggled and wiggled it, then pushed it in tighter. Viola! Pay dirt! The familiar buzzing emanated that meant it had connected soundly with the power source and would now do its part in the world.

Believers are all around us who seem to be okay, who on the surface appear to be living in the power of the Holy One, but who, when pressed by trials or temptations, possess no inner strength to survive. All they can manage is a "thunky" sound. They sometimes find themselves crying with David: "I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning ... I groan in anguish of heart." Their green light may have been shining, but it proved to be a false reassurance.

How vital is it that I examine my spiritual life? Essential!! Commanded! "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine" (1 Cor 13:5). Haven't we learned by now how deceitful our adversary can be? He'd like nothing better than to rock us to sleep in the cradle of complacency. Don't assume anything - be alert, be diligent to consume the word daily and trust in the Spirit's power to keep us connected tightly with the power source. Which will eliminate thunky sounds.