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Batteries and Us Recently
somebody told me something about batteries that I had not thought of before. I
am used to the regular batteries you put in your TV controls or flash light.
Once the battery is used up you throw it away. However, not all batteries are
the same. Some
batteries will recharge. These have become more common and are used in things
like cell phones, IPods, cameras, and laptops. These batteries will recharge
better if you drain it of all its power. This had been a hard concept for me to
grasp. For a long time I plugged in my cell phone every night so it would
recharge and be ready for the next day. Most of the time I use the laptop it is
plugged in. However, they tell me that I need to allow the battery of the laptop
get low before I plug it in and the same for my cell phone. Why, because the
battery will recharge better than if you recharge it all the time. After a while
it will lose the capacity to recharge. Then
there are the batteries we have in our automobiles. Those batteries need to stay
charged all the time. If you leave the lights on and drain your battery you have
to recharge it. The problem is, it will lose some of its capacity. Therefore
every time the battery is drained it loses a certain percentage of its strength.
Eventually it will not recharge. Therefore our automobiles have generators. The
function of the generator is to generate power for the battery. In essence the
battery is always being charged up. This
got me to thinking. In many ways we are like those batteries. We
are rechargeable beings. We grow stronger and better the more we do in God’s
service. While we may become tired and need rest we do not grow weary in doing
good. Think of Isaiah 40:31 Isa 40:31”But those who wait on the LORD shall
renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run
and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Galatians 6.9 tells us to
“not grow weary in doing good” and 2 Thess. 3.13 says the same thing. Many
times our problem is not that we are doing too much in God’s service, but we
are not doing enough. Spiritual growth comes from spiritual service. Peter gives
us the divine recipe for spiritual growth in his writings. “1 Therefore,
laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as
newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if
indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious,” (1 Peter 2). There
are some that are always watching while others are doing. Some plan to teach a
Bible Class, lead a song, give a sermon, visit the sick, or do something else,
one of these days. But they never really get around to it. Resulting in a person
that never quite uses their talents and unused talents become lost talents.
Matthew 25 gives us the parable of the talents. The one talented man had his
talent taken from him and given to another. I know the word ‘talent’ in this
parable means money, but it could also represent opportunities we may have.
Those unused opportunities will eventually be gone. We then wonder why we have
lost the ability to do more in service to God. The reason is that we never used
what we have and never develop the ability in recharge and become stronger. The
Hebrew writer is addressing this problem in his writings. There were some that
wanted to do nothing but rest. He reminds them, and us, of the children of At
the same time, we are like auto batteries in that we can be drained to the point
of becoming weak. You may think I am contradicting the above paragraphs, but let
me explain. Our physical bodies recharge when given rest. Our talents grow as we
use them. There is a rest that allows us to face the challenges of everyday
living. On the other hand, our faith needs to remain strong each day. We can not
allow our faith to be drained and weakened. How do we keep our faith from
growing weak? First by studying God’s word on a regular basis, “15 Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, (2 Tim 2). The word of God is
powerful, Hebrews 4.12, and will aid us in times of trial. Our faith is
strengthened through prayer, worshipping God, and being with other Christians.
We grow strong when we add qualities such as virtue, patience, kindness, and
self control to our faith, see 2 Peter 1.5ff. In short, this kind of charging is
not done every once in a while or while we sleep, but everyday and while we are
awake. We
may be able to function for a while and neglect the things just mentioned, but
eventually we will find ourselves faithless or with a weak faith. Let us not
neglect our salvation and come short of heaven. Do not grow weak through none
use and do not get drained through neglect. – Dennis Tucker |