Articles
Spring Renewal
SPRING RENEWAL
We have just gone through a long and difficult winter season in which our motivation or ambition to accomplish things have been greatly limited. The long, cold, dark days of winter are starting to give way to the bright, sunny days of spring. It is time for flowers to start blooming, trees to start blossoming, and grasses to begin growing. Spring is a time to begin spring cleaning and clearing up the debris left by the winter storms. Spring is a time for renewal.
Ambition can have many meanings. It can be a desire for a particular goal or aim. It could plainly be the desire to be successful. Ambition could be the desire to do things and become active. More often than not, the lack of ambition or motivation is what grabs our attention. So many are not motivated enough to have any ambition. It seems easier to do nothing than to become active and useful in the Lord’s service. Our ambition will be as strong as our desire to do things and be active.
As Christians we can continue in the grip of the winter doldrums, or we can have the motivation to become active in our service to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We can renew and rededicate our lives to serving Him. In Colossians 3:1-2, Paul states: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above and not on things on the earth.” Jesus urges us to “lay up treasures in heaven,” and not here upon the earth.
Jesus gives us the following advice in Matthew 6:33 when He states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.” The spiritual ambition should be to partake of the food from heaven that comes from God. The spiritual motivation should be to find out as much about God as we can so that we may be pleasing and acceptable to Him. Our ambition should be to worship the Lord, our God, “in spirit and in truth.”
As we begin this season of spring, please take time to do some spring cleaning of your spiritual life. Dedicate yourself to renewing your service to the Lord. May your ambitions be to serve the Lord with gladness. May you determine that you will attend the Bible classes provided by the church, and that you will be at each and every service of God’s people. May you be motivated to be an active participant in the Lord’s service. May your ambition be to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant: you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Written by Larry Schneider
