The Lone Ranger
Greetings all and a Happy New
Year! We pray
that everyone had a blessed and
Merry Christmas.
We also hope that you all had
someone to
share the holiday with. It can
be a difficult
time of the year to spend alone;
to "Lone
Ranger" it. Are you a Lone
Ranger?
I train at home in my garage every morning
before my family wakes up. There
was a time
and I admit it freely, that if
you would
have asked me about putting someone
else
before my training, you would
have been met
with a puzzled look or a blank
stare. Perhaps
even the RCA dog tilted head
look and a "Huh?".
Training always came first. Not
anymore,
thank you God and I mean that
literally.
I must admit that I favor this
method of
training, training alone that
is, for a variety
of reasons. The primary one,
albeit most
likely a selfish one, is I don't
like to
share. I want to super-set, triple-set
and
giant-set to my heart's content
without having
someone asking if they can work
in. Without
going to get a drink of water
and being gone
for only a moment to return and
discover
my bench press bar has been stripped
and
someone else is working out there.
I know,
I said it was selfish, I am not
perfect,
never will be. Keep working on
me Lord! I
am a Lone Ranger, can't help
it. That being
said, I must also admit that
there is also
a longing to have a training
partner at times.
Someone to help me through a
sticking point,
or to squeeze out that last rep
and then
make me do one more. I will be
having a chance
to work out from time to time
with a few
of my good friends in my little
home gym.
The thought of that is exciting.
It will
be fun teaching them exercises
and just about
everything I know. From them
I will garner
the excitement of training with
a partner.
Not that I don't like lifting
alone, I do.
However, there is a joy seeing
someone else
"get it" and then to
be able to
share that. A brother in the
iron game.
Being a lone ranger in your Christian walk
can be a dangerous thing to do.
With weight
training, you cut out the last
two reps before
failure to ensure safety if not
your life.
There are no last two reps in
your walk with
Christ. You either accept Him
as your Lord
and Saviour or you don't. ("No one can serve two masters. For either
he will hate the one and love
the other,
or else he will be loyal to the
one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both
God and
mammon." Matthew 6:24) Once we are saved, the devil works hard
to throw us off track and sometimes
it feels
like he tries it each and every
moment we
breathe. Being alone at those
times when
temptation comes our way is a
dangerous place
to be. With noone to help us
in our time
of need, we are no more than
a row boat on
the ocean during a Nor-easter;
we are doomed.
When we are alone, it is easier
to slip away
from the Word. Our own desires,
our flesh
cause this to happen; it is the
nature of
humanity and ends in Spiritual
death. ("But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires
and enticed.
Then, when desire has conceived,
it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it
is full-grown,
brings forth death." James
1: 14-15) Instead, my brothers and sisters in Christ,
reach out! Find a friend or be
a friend to
someone that you KNOW is alone
in their walk.
Be there for them and you know
what? They
in turn will be there for you!
You become
accountable. Pray for one another,
be there
as confessor and confessee! ("Confess your trespasses to one another, and
pray for one another, that you
may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer
of a righteous
man avails much." James
5:16) I want you ALL to think about this: To
be a friend to the lone ranger
and help them
stay the course or bring them
back on course
saves them from death. Just consider
that
for a moment. You could be saving
a lone
ranger from a sure and permanent
death! ("Brethren, if anyone among you wanders
from the truth, and someone turns
him back,
let him know that he who turns
a sinner from
the error of his way will save
a soul from
death and cover a multitude of
sins. James
5:19-20) And you, the lone ranger...STOP it! Reach
out, I promise you that someone
out there
will respond. And, if you are
rejected by
some out there who are too proud
or think
they are better, don't give up
and don't
judge them. They will be judged
with the
measure they dealt out, believe
me. (" For with what judgment you judge, you will
be judged; and with the measure
you use,
it will be measured back to you." Matthew 7:2) So reach out with the confidence that the
Lord will supply all of your
needs in every
facet of life, INCLUDING brothers
and sisters
in Christ who will be there for
you! ("And my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory
by Christ
Jesus." Philippians 4:19)
Oh on a side note or finishing
thought. Val
pointed out to me that the Lone
Ranger wasn't
really a lone ranger after all.
He always
had Tonto, who was always by
his side. A
friend to help him in times of
trouble and
need, or just to be there: his
compadre.
So, along with the question of
"Are
you a Lone Ranger?" Are
you someone's
compadre?
And now our prayer. Father, when we are alone,
please bring those people into
our lives
to help us in our daily walk
with You. Let
us also be placed in someone
else's life
to be their friend as well. And
even when
the time comes when we have those
friends,
be our comforter when we are
lonely. Hold
us lovingly in Your arms and
speak to us
because we long to hear Your
voice. In Jesus'
name, Amen. Now go with God and
lift that
iron!
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