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Daily Recharge
Mal Fletcher
Letting His Passion Shine Through
26 April 2024
2 Samuel 6:20-22 'When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David said to Michal, "… I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."'(NIV)
David really knew how to express his faith and his love for God. In praise, he whirled about so much that his wife accused him of going too far. Of course, there are those who want to make an exhibition of themselves just to get attention, but that's not where David was coming from. He genuinely wanted to express his joy to the Lord. You just can't lead other people to Christ unless you're prepared to show them just how much you're enjoying him! People need a role model. Twenty years ago, I was the youth pastor of a fast-growing church. We met in a large Town Hall in the centre of our city. Every Sunday night, it was my job to walk onto the stage and create something out of nothing. I had the first fifteen minutes of every service. It was my job to get the place hopping, to lift the faith of the people through praise, so that they were open to receiving the word of God and reaching out to him in faith. It was a daunting thing - a bit like being thrown to the lions, except for the fact that lions smile more as they eat you alive! These people would walk into church looking like they'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. You couldn't imagine a harder group to get excited about praise. But I learned a little trick that really helped me overcome my own inhibitions and fears. I used to look at an area on the back wall of the building, near where people would enter the building. As people would drag themselves into church, I'd smile at the wall brick in the distance. It's amazing how many people thought I was smiling at them and they returned the favour. Before long, I'd managed - through sneaky means, I'll confess - to convince a few of them to actually enjoy church. All it took was someone to set the tone of things. Sometimes, you've just got to ignore what's going on immediately around you, put on a smile, and let God's light shine out of you. It soon draws attention in a weary, overloaded world and, as in the case of David, draws the love and favour of God.
Prayer: Lord, I have decided that I want to live a life filled with enthusiasm. I won't be put off by the negative attitudes around me, or the faithless things others may say to me. Help me to attract people to you, to attract people to you by letting your passion shine through.'
© Mal Fletcher 2003-2004
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