I remember riding in an ambulance sometime in 2021 to accompany a patient. Though it wasn’t my first time, that day was different: I forgot to wear a seatbelt. A bus was speeding toward us from the left at an intersection. Thankfully, we weren’t hit, but I was thrown from my seat, leaving my knees bruised and in pain.
I forgot such an important thing that day. What if something worse had actually happened? I would have become a patient as well.
We tend to forget important things when everything is going well in our lives. Much more so, the same applies to the Christian life. When everything is going well, we tend to neglect to be vigilant against spiritual complacency. We sometimes relax, thinking that being saved is enough, and tend to neglect other aspects—willfully or not.
Christianity is actually a warfare—not against one another, but against Satan, who loves deceiving people. In our ladies' fellowship yesterday, I was reminded of the importance of every means of grace: corporate worship, reading the Word, the Lord’s Supper, gathering/fellowship, prayer, and so on.
Scripture reminds every believer to be sober-minded, vigilant, and alert at all times because the devil is always waiting for an opportunity to attack and deceive (1 Peter 5:8).
I must admit that I am guilty of not being able to attend every fellowship due to conflicts with my master’s studies. Even missing corporate worship at times makes me feel ashamed as I write this now. Nevertheless, I am grateful to be reminded of these things, and hopefully, by God’s grace, busyness and time conflicts will no longer be an excuse.
Even so, the truth remains. The Word of the Lord should be the lifeblood of every believer (John 6:63). It is not right for someone to be a Christian and willfully neglect church—for it is deliberate disobedience of God’s command not to forsake gathering (Hebrews 10:25). We are also called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and much more.
Just as forgetting to wear a seatbelt can lead to major and hard consequences, neglecting spiritual disciplines can lead to vulnerabilities in our faith. Through our commitment to these disciplines, the life of Christ will manifest in the lives of His people for His glory.
Soli Deo Gloria
