No Parking: Monday through Saturday

When the sign-post on the street corner curb says ‘No Parking,’ we who are validated drivers who have passed the driver’s test and are licensed to legitimately enter the highways, streets, and roads, know what it means [at least most of us do, though I wonder at times]. ‘No Parking’ means that for that space you cannot stop your car, turn off the engine, and leave it there. ‘Stopping’ is not parking. Stopping means you stop your car in a space, turn off your engine, but remain with or in your car. ‘Standing’ is not parking. Standing means you stop your car, remain in it but keep the engine running.

The ministry of every believer in Christ is a ministry of perpetual advancing, i.e. no ‘parking’ throughout the week. There are souls to be reached and gifts to be exercised. There awaits upon our calendar-future and our calendar-now a new experience of grace, upon a new mercy. There awaits an opportunity for the adventure of sharing the gospel, to lend to the birthing of a new believer, to be a part of someone’s salvation history and eternal uplift, an opportunity to sow the seed of the word and perhaps ‘disciple.’ That means, in the face of new twists and turns, there is the imperative to spiritually grow, and when falling, to fall forward, bibles open with pages gazed upon, with the counsel, encouragement, and comfort of Christ’s Spirit within us. That means that as the flesh falters and the adversary amps it up, we don and do with the whole armor of God. That means we pray like never before.

For the Christian there is ‘No Parking,’ Monday through Saturday. And as for Sunday, we fuel up for the ‘Monday- through- Saturday’ ahead. Sunday is much like a pit stop, with a different manner of ‘busy’ that is awake, alert, and aware, and blessed by the presence and engagement of other kindred souls. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” [Matthew 18:20]. So, whether you are a Cadillac, a Volkswagon, or even a Harley, know that there’s ‘no parking’ for those who are in Christ. Whether you’ve just left the ‘dealership’ nearly new, or whether you boast 150,000 miles, there’s ‘no parking’ for those in Christ. As we tarry, we may be standing, and sometimes stopping perhaps, but there’s no parking ‘in Chris.’  We are His workmanship... created for good works... good works which God prepared beforehand ... saved by faith, through grace... we are His workmanship... made nigh by the blood of Christ... now...fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God... walking out the gift of God, and to His glory standing on the shoulders of faithful elders as a new psalmist. Sisters. Brothers. Keep it moving to the glory of our God, and by the power of His might. Bless God. Praise the Lord. ‘Hit the gas and go!’

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help us to honor You, by honoring our design with the actions that please You. Forgive us when we willfully stall, or take on detours outside of Your perfect plan. Steer us, Lord. We appreciate that ‘the’ race is not always given to the swift, but to the one that endures to the end. Help us to prevail should we fatigue, and to overcome the daunting and unexpected obstacles normal to life’s winding paths. Should we go ‘flat,’ may our spare be Spirit-filled! Keep us, as only You can, rightly  charged. Keep our gaze capable within the dark of night and the glare of day. And for the occasion of  fog, Lord, quicken our high-beams as with the brightening of the word. Let all of our yielding be one way only, Your way... as with all asking, this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
By Bro.  Brockington