Snow Devotion 1/25/26

Intro

Good morning!

Due to the ice and snow, we have decided to cancel our service this morning. However, I wanted to come to you still and share a few things.

One thing that has been on my heart lately is: community. Now, I know that this is a buzz word, especially in the Christian community.

However, I think that there is some biblical backing to strong Christian community and influence, not just in the 4 walls of the church, but in every part of our lives.

When I think about community, the word that comes to my mind often is “saturation.” Whatever it is that we saturate ourselves with is what we become. We become the flavor of our community.

I enjoy cooking, and one thing that I have learned is how flavors are transferred. The longer we allow things to soak, the more flavor they take on.

So, the question this morning is: What are we soaking in? And what are we allowing our children to soak in?

What Are We Soaking In?

There is a phenomenon in our culture, our churches, and especially our Youth Groups. The phenomenon is we come to church services, act the way we are supposed to, and leave to go back to our every day lives and live a different way. Our children do this too. And we are surprised.

We, however, should not be surprised when certain Christians around us act like the world when the majority of their lives are soaked in secularism.

This is a battle that we must fight.

Working in the secular world is good

Going to public schools can be necessary — there is no judgement in sending your kids to public schools.

However, if we go in unprepared for what we might face, we will be caught off guard and we will allow secularism to saturate us. We will soak in the secular world and, if we are not careful, will be indistinguishable.

We must be on alert. We must do all we can to saturate ourselves in the wisdom of the Lord.

Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

What are you soaking in? Wisdom or foolishness?

How do we counter this problem? How do we fight the temptation to be saturated in secularism? How do we protect our kids from it?

How Do We Counter?

We surround ourselves with God.

What do I mean by that?

We know that God is omnipresent, but if we are not careful, we will forget that.

So, to counter this phenomenon we must not only surround ourselves with godly people, we must do all we can to saturate ourselves with the Word of God.

The story in the gospels tells of friends who care so much about their sick friend that they rip the roof off of a house to lower their bed-bound friend into the midst of Jesus.

This is what we gain when we surround ourselves with godly people.

At the same time, we must be the people who lower our friends through the roof to bring them to Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Be not deceived, evil relationships will corrupt us.

We see this very same thing with Christ and His disciples.

The disciples were, as we are, prone to wander. But, when they came back to the presence of Jesus they were routed back to the right path.

We must be like the disciples, we must be in His word and be determined to be the Christian community that we need, our friends need, and our children need.

In doing this, we will begin to see the value of being intentional about creating a Christian community for our kids in our homes, our cars, and each aspect of our lives.

Conclusion

Christian community is not just about coming to the church to worship with other believers. It is about seeing the danger of secularism in our lives and being intentional about creating a life that centers totally around God and His word.

In doing this, we will be able to be strong in our work places and, Lord willing, instead of soaking in secularism, some around us may soak in Christianity.

Your kids need to see Christ in you, if not, they will become like the world.

Don’t allow the world to rub off on you. Be saturated in the Word so that you carry the flavor of God and His word: holiness and grace.

Be the salt of the World.

Be not deceived. Christian community is something you can create in your life and in your homes. Soaking in the Word of God allows you and children to live in a secular world and still be a child of God. Be intentional. Be like Christ and watch it rub off on those around you.