What adjectives do you choose to describe yourself? Do you know if dependent ever makes the list? I am dependent! No, probably not. Why? We live in a culture that promotes a balance between dependent and independent behaviors. Our culture associates dependent behavior appropriate for children and individuals with disabilities. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary dependent means contingent – determined or conditioned by another- or reliant on another for support. Not the definition most people associate with a healthy, stable, reliable, and successful individual. Yet our Kinsmen Redeemer through the grace of God confirms within us the opposite testimony, so we come short in no gift!

Little time and much to do sums up our culture. Research confirms 60% of adults believe there are not enough hours in the day to complete their to-do list (SWNS, 2023). A survey of over 10,000 workers discovered days are consumed with busy work (Liu, Jennifer, 2022). All the while God looks on, and Jesus Christ calls His followers to a different existence.

No one question has more clearly clarified my life’s purpose and securely aligned me with God’s will than that one question. True, it took me slowing down to recognize I was asking it. Yes, a pause was required to receive its answer. Yet, it is the one question that still till today holds me steadfast in my service to the Lord.

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” Renowned preacher Charles Spurgeon states in his “A Bottle in the Smoke” sermon on Psalm 119:83, raising awareness that followers of Messiah, Jesus, are not exempt from trials. Expect trials. Expect storms. Expect opposition.

“So then, because you are lukewarm…” The Laodiceans’ hearts deflate, their smiles fade, and their heads bow causing their eyes to fixate on the ground below. The Revelation 3:16 text does not provide us with this detail, but we all know the emotions and physical impact of hearing someone we love tell us something about ourselves contrary to our perception of self. The words fall heavy.