We have used post-it notes in our office for years. You know they are so handy – you just write on it – put it up there and it sticks right there to remind you what needs to be done.
Unfortunately, sometimes they are left up there so long that they begin to curl and fade, and the next thing you know, they can’t hold on any more and they simply let go and fall off.
Post-it notes have been described as only being “temporarily permanent”. Now that is a pretty weird way to describe it. I guess that’s the way they describe the fact that they stick pretty well, but they just can’t hang in there by themselves forever.
Yet, I have pulled files that have been there for years and years and when I open the file and flip through the pages, I find post-it notes that are hanging on as well as they did when they were first stuck there. So what makes the difference?
Do you think, maybe there is a lesson, about faith, to be learned from the post-it note? You know, when you are out there all alone, doing your best to hang in there by yourself, your faith can begin to fade and it can become hard to hold on and to keep from letting go. But when you have the support of others around you, to worship and fellowship with you, to encourage you in your faith, to keep you accountable, and to lift you up in prayer. Just like being held together in that file folder, you have the support you need to grow in your faith and understanding of what God wants in your life.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (TMNT) "Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do, but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."
Being involved in a community of believers, attending church, Bible study or a growth group keeps us growing in our faith. When we share in communion together it is a time of personal confession, a witness of our faith, a reflection of our relationship with Christ and a reminder of the hope that only comes from the sacrifice that Christ made for each one of us.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV) "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
I have heard Post-it notes described as being “temporarily permanent”.
Now just what does that mean? Does it mean…
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For a short period of time, they will totally hang in there?
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Or is it, they will stick a lot, but only for a little bit?
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Maybe, they will hang there almost forever, but only if you don’t move them.
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Or better still, they will permanently stick on a temporary basis, but… only if you avoid continuously sticking them on a temporary basis to a numerous amount of various surfaces. (in other words, you can’t keep sticking them on and taking them off, sticking them on and taking them off…otherwise they will lose their stickiness!)
You know, this can get quite confusing. Do you think God ever gets confused about our relationship with him? As we conduct our lives, do we send mixed messages, not only to God, but to the others around us? Just like a Post-it note, are we easily separated from our faith and willing to compromise our values when it fits the circumstance or suits our needs?
As Christians, we need to continue to hold tight, and to stand firm in our faith.
Hebrews 6:10-12 (NCV) "God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for Him by helping His people. And He will remember that you are still helping them. We want each of you to go on with the same hard work ALL your lives so you will surely get what you hope for. We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised."
In the future – each time you use one of those little Post-it notes, think about your faith and commitment to God. Don't let it be just “temporarily permanent”. Instead, cling with all your might to the promise that God has given you. And surround yourselves with those who will encourage you to hold tight and grow in your faith.
And remember, what God has promised to us is absolutely permanent.
We remember what it is we hope for, and what made our hope possible. Christ paid the price for each one of us, that we might have the hope of salvation through a personal relationship with Him.
