Signs of Fall
Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2 Peter 3:17b
It’s almost that time of the year! I’m a fall-loving girl. I grew up loving every second of fall. As a band kid, I loved those Friday Night Lights, followed by all day band competitions in the cool weather. Living in the south, and surviving the brutal summers we have down here, makes most of us look forward to cooler weather. Of course, everyone loves the burst of color that covers the land as trees begin to prepare for winter.
Fall, however beautiful it is, is a sign of the trees and plants failing to receive enough of one of the most important things they need to thrive and grow. As the days grow shorter, the chlorophyll, the element that turns sunlight into nutrients, begins to break down and as it does the green color fades away leaving new brilliant colors. Without the needed light of the sun, the trees begin to prepare to go into a dormant phase for the winter. The change in colors we see and love in the leaves each year is actually a sign of a loss of the color of growth, a sign of a loss of connection with the sun.
When we fail to regularly connect with the Son of God, we too show signs of decay and death in our lives. Failure to pray, to worship, or to spend time in the Word show in our lives. We begin to resemble the world, and its sinful nature. The obvious difference between us and the lost world begins to disappear. We, as Christians, can become dormant, no longer making a difference in the world around us, failing to have a positive effect for God on our circle of friends.
It typically starts in our private lives far before it becomes obvious in our public life. We stop taking time to meet with our Lord. As time continues, it becomes more and more obvious in our lives. Church attendance wanes, and worldly things become more important than the relationship that will save us from eternal damnation.
If you’ve noticed a fall beginning in your spiritual life, what can you do to counteract that decline? If, lack of ‘Son light’ is what causes the decline, it seems the remedy would be more time with the Son. Make spending 5, 10 or even 15 minutes each day in the Word a priority in your life. I’m personally a fan of the Psalms. They are full of so much hope and praise for our Lord. Psalm 119 has 22 divisions and each one is only a few verses long. In those 176 verses comprising 22 Stanzas, all but 5 verses speak about the Word of God. It is a tribute to God’s word.
A typical month has between 20 and 22 weekdays. If you read a stanza each weekday, you could finish this Psalm in a month. In that month of reading the glory of God’s Word, you might just find that you want to know more about the great God we serve and His word that tells us exactly who He is. Try Him today… Give Him a few minutes of each day and see His faithfulness.
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11
