Nancy Karpenske
Have you ever suddenly been awakened in the middle of the night? You lay in bed, wondering what woke you. About 30 seconds later you have almost fallen back to sleep when it happens again. Your smoke alarm emits that tiny chirping sound. Oh, it”s not detecting smoke””that noise is loud and blaring. Instead, the annoying little chirp is warning you that the battery is losing its power.
Wouldn”t it be great if your spiritual life gave you a little warning chirp when your spiritual batteries are losing power? Wouldn”t it be great if you could be just as sensitive to the whisper of the Holy Spirit as your ears are to that little chirp from the smoke detector?
One important resource for recharging your spiritual batteries is this weekly appointment at the Lord”s table. The Communion meal is a time and a way to renew your spiritual strength. The bread and the juice are not packed with vitamins like an energy bar or a power drink. Although the meal is made of the simplest foods, they are costly. Jesus sacrificed his life so you can eat this meal with him.
The recharging and renewing comes not from what you are eating, but from the one who comes to the meal with you. Picture yourself sitting across the table from Jesus. He provided the meal. He is pleased to join you. When you are face-to-face with him, you are reminded of the great exchange: his purity for your sins, his strength for your weakness, and his peace for your turmoil.
He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you before his glorious presence, without fault and with great joy (Jude 24). That is enough to recharge you for another week.
As you eat and drink, savor his presence. Rejoice that he sees you as faultless. May your time with him today recharge you. May you be filled with joy as you realize that he invited you, he prepared for you, and he welcomes you to join him.
Nancy Karpenske serves with the staff of LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado.
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