You can't give out what you haven't taken in

 ...from this week's church bulletin back home... Barrabool Hills Baptist Church.  Thanks Spike for the reminder of the need to be disciplined; to be "filled" before being "emptied".

"Running is fun, but running is hard, for me anyway. For years, Ps Matt has been telling me about how great it is and how easy it is and how much he enjoys it. What he often fails to mention is that it took about 2 years of painful discipline, making the hard choice to get out and jog morning after morning, to get into a place where it really is pure joy to him. I tried to short cut the system by buying a fancy new pair of shoes... didn't work.

Worship as a lifestyle, much the same as prayer, is something that takes discipline to get into. Don't get me wrong, you were absolutely born to worship our great creator. You were also born to care for people, but you didn't come out of the womb cooking people dinner or intentionally spending time with friends who really needed you. It's something that takes time to learn and grow and get comfortable in. Worship at a basic level is desire; desiring luxury, desiring security, desiring a job or a house or a person. Worshipping God is about us choosing to place our heart's desires upon the God who made us, the God who saves us. This can be pretty contrary to our natural, self-centred desires. Worship takes a bit of effort, just like running. It's supposed to. If you commit yourself and your time to worshipping God regularly you will find it easier, just like running. Building up your desire for God is just like building up a muscle, the more you work it the stronger it gets and the easier and better it is to use.

I have at times been really into running and when I sacrifice time to do it regularly I find it not only easier and less uncomfortable, I find it really life giving too. Just like worship. The old maxim for exercise I was taught is “You only get out what you put in”. I think Ps Matt says it well about our life in Jesus, “You can't give out what you haven't taken in'. Spending quality time with God (worship) is where and how God can pour his eternal life into our hearts. Then we can pour it out into our family, friends, work-places etc. When people see the life and love of God in your life, lives get changed. We'll see His kingdom come."

 - written by Spike Avery