Fully Engaged by Rev. Dallas Pettis
This past summer while mowing our grass I came upon an obstacle in my path. I followed the proper safety procedures by disengaging the mower, removed the obstacle and continued to
Saturday November 14th, 2009
This past summer while mowing our grass I came upon an obstacle in my path. I followed the proper safety procedures by disengaging the mower, removed the obstacle and continued to mow. However, something didn’t seem right. Then I realized I had not re-engaged the mower blade. The mower was moving forward, it was making noise, but it wasn’t cutting any grass.
Immediately an analogy formed in my mind: often we become disengaged in life. We are moving fast forward, we are making a lot of noise, creating a lot of activity, but making little or no progress in the most important areas of our lives. We become disengaged! There are some things in life we must be fully engaged in.
The first is our Faith. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” That is being fully engaged in our Faith. It is so easy to become distracted or preoccupied with all the noise around us and become disengaged in our faith. Scripture reading, prayer, meditation, church attendance, and Christ-like living must be a priority in our lives.
The second area we must be fully engaged in is our family. Family was the very first institution established by God. It is the most sacred relationship outside our relationship with God. In Exodus 20:12 God commanded us to “Honor thy Father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” This is as long as our parents live, not just until we are grown and away from home.
Ephesians 5:31 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” Are you fully engaged or disengaged in your marriage? Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Are you fully engaged in training your children in the way they should go, or are you disengaged from their lives?
Family is a gracious gift from God and it is the most precious thing on this earth, so don’t give your family what is left over in your life. Let them know they are priority to you by being fully engaged in their lives.
The third area where we must be fully engaged is our finances. It is easy to become disengaged from our financial responsibilities in this materialistic society. God has not blessed us financially to spend everything on ourselves, but to invest in His kingdom by tithes, offerings, support of missions, to feed and clothe the poor, etc. Actually, giving is not a financial issue, it is a faith issue. There are people in our own communities that are hurting financially in this economy; Christians and the church should be the first to do what they can to help out. We must be wise stewards of the finances God has blessed us with. Are you fully engaged as a steward of your financial blessings? Are you responsible financially?
The final area that we must be fully engaged in is friendships. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Too often friendships seem to be one of the first things we drop from our schedule when time gets tight. This is sad, because we really need each other. A few days ago I had the privilege to share a meal and some table talk with a few friends. It was so refreshing to my soul. I was reminded how important it is to stay fully engaged in my friendships. “….a brother is born for adversity” - we need each other to laugh with as well as to weep with.
Let’s not live a long life and never really live. Let’s get fully engaged in the most important things in life.
Back to the lawnmower: once I realized I had not engaged the blade, I did what any other man would do…I looked to see if my wife was watching, engaged the blade and continued to mow.
May God grant you the grace to stay fully engaged in your life!
Rev. Dallas M. Pettis, Pastor
Grace Assembly @ Chipley
Immediately an analogy formed in my mind: often we become disengaged in life. We are moving fast forward, we are making a lot of noise, creating a lot of activity, but making little or no progress in the most important areas of our lives. We become disengaged! There are some things in life we must be fully engaged in.
The first is our Faith. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” That is being fully engaged in our Faith. It is so easy to become distracted or preoccupied with all the noise around us and become disengaged in our faith. Scripture reading, prayer, meditation, church attendance, and Christ-like living must be a priority in our lives.
The second area we must be fully engaged in is our family. Family was the very first institution established by God. It is the most sacred relationship outside our relationship with God. In Exodus 20:12 God commanded us to “Honor thy Father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” This is as long as our parents live, not just until we are grown and away from home.
Ephesians 5:31 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” Are you fully engaged or disengaged in your marriage? Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Are you fully engaged in training your children in the way they should go, or are you disengaged from their lives?
Family is a gracious gift from God and it is the most precious thing on this earth, so don’t give your family what is left over in your life. Let them know they are priority to you by being fully engaged in their lives.
The third area where we must be fully engaged is our finances. It is easy to become disengaged from our financial responsibilities in this materialistic society. God has not blessed us financially to spend everything on ourselves, but to invest in His kingdom by tithes, offerings, support of missions, to feed and clothe the poor, etc. Actually, giving is not a financial issue, it is a faith issue. There are people in our own communities that are hurting financially in this economy; Christians and the church should be the first to do what they can to help out. We must be wise stewards of the finances God has blessed us with. Are you fully engaged as a steward of your financial blessings? Are you responsible financially?
The final area that we must be fully engaged in is friendships. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Too often friendships seem to be one of the first things we drop from our schedule when time gets tight. This is sad, because we really need each other. A few days ago I had the privilege to share a meal and some table talk with a few friends. It was so refreshing to my soul. I was reminded how important it is to stay fully engaged in my friendships. “….a brother is born for adversity” - we need each other to laugh with as well as to weep with.
Let’s not live a long life and never really live. Let’s get fully engaged in the most important things in life.
Back to the lawnmower: once I realized I had not engaged the blade, I did what any other man would do…I looked to see if my wife was watching, engaged the blade and continued to mow.
May God grant you the grace to stay fully engaged in your life!
Rev. Dallas M. Pettis, Pastor
Grace Assembly @ Chipley
