September 06, 2024
by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Acts 2:43–47
I refuse to force hilarity into the backseat every time responsibility takes the wheel. If the fun's done, it's because we didn't want it around, not because it didn't fit.
EVEN THOUGH I DON'T LIKE IT, I'm tempted to stand back, shrug, and agree
with the wag who wrote:
This is the age
Of the half-read page
And the quick hash
And the mad dash
The bright night
With the nerves tight
The plane hop
With the brief stop
The lamp tan
In a short span
The big shot
In a good spot
And the brain strain
And the heart pain
And the catnaps
Till the spring snaps
And the fun's done.
My contention is that it doesn't have to be that way, at least not that
last line. I refuse to force hilarity into the backseat every time
responsibility takes the wheel. If the fun's done, it's because we didn't
want it around, not because it didn't fit. To keep it there simply calls
for some creativity and a little extra energy . . . maybe a surprise every
now and then.
It really is what ought to mark us as believers.
A deep sense of awe came over them all. . . . And all the believers met
together in one place and shared everything they had. . . . They worshiped
together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and
shared their meals with great joy and generosity-all the while praising God
and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
ACTS 2:43–47
You have a fresh opportunity to evaluate who you spend your most valuable
time with. Are you surrounded by joyful people who love
the Lord, enjoy laughter and fellowship, and who open their homes with
gladness? We certainly have a responsibility to minister to the
downhearted, the discouraged, and the deprived. We must do that with all
our hearts and in the Spirit of Christ who calls us. But in those remaining
times, let's hang out with people who lift us up not bring us down. Godly
people who live life with a contagious joy . . . what a perfect
combination! Let the fun begin!