Lesson From A Phone Booth

I saw a video on YouTube the other day where an old rotary phone was placed on a table. Two millennial teens were brought into the room and given a challenge. Written on a piece of paper was a phone number. They were told they had 4 minutes to figure out how to dial that number on a contraption they had never seen before. It was hilarious watching them try to figure it out, which they never did! I suppose that "challenge" would be a simple undertaking for those of us raised on rotary dial phones, but for kids brought up to use tablets, I-pads, and I-pods I can understand how it might be an arduous task. So for that, I gave them a break. The same holds true for phone booths. There are some people who have no idea what a phone booth is! According to the FCC, there are about 100,000 of them left in the United States and about 1/5 of them are located in New York. For those of you who have used a phone booth at any time in your life, this blog will be relatable but particularly for the Christian because we can draw a spiritual lesson from a 3x3x7 foot box! (The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/1OADXNGnJok)

Something always seemed to happen once you stepped inside the 2-panel accordion-style door of a phone booth. Whenever you lifted the receiver, inserted your dime, placed the receiver to your ear and connection made, inevitably someone on the other end would say, “I can’t hear you; speak louder.” The sounds and the roar of the traffic in the background would drown out your voice. People would often ask, “Shut the door so I can hear you.” There is a definite spiritual lesson we can learn from a phone booth.
For us to truly “hear” God’s Word, NOT JUST READ IT, and be totally committed to Him, we must “shut the door” to the outside world (1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:2). Worldly interests and enticements can distract us from serving the Lord — so much so, that we may find ourselves forsaking the Lord if we’re not careful (Hebrews 10:21-27; Hebrews 3:6-13; 2 Timothy 4:10). And we must be careful because, though we are spiritually born-again, this "tabernacle" is still flesh. And the flesh wars with the spirit constantly. Galatians 5:17 "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."

We MUST set our minds on and “seek first” the things above (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:1-2) so that we can serve God with the whole heart (Numbers 14:15-24; Numbers 32:11-12; Deuteronomy 1:35-36) and not in pretense (Psalm 17:1). The things "of the world" are what John tells us it is characterized by three things — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The first two refer to desires for what we don’t have, and the third refers to the pride in what we do have. The world is driven by a passion for pleasure and pride in possessions. We are not to be tied up in them (1 John 2:15-18; Romans 12:2; James 4:4;) because they are like static. Static muddles our mind and thoughts and directs our attention on everything except that which we are supposed to avoid. The enemy uses the static of self-talk, cheap advice, societal pressures, social media, and busyness, which all make us strain to hear Truth. If we are not careful, the static in our hearts and minds will make it difficult to hear God’s voice, especially since He often speaks in tones that are still and small. If we allow the static to persist, we just might give up and tune into another channel.

If you don’t feel much love for God you are either “not born of God,” or your “love has grown cold.” It is possible that you are a “cultural Christian” or a “hereditary Christian,” and have developed patterns of religious talk and behavior because of its social influence upon your life. The other possibility is that you have been “born again” and have tasted what it means to have a heart for God, but now you are a “dimly burning wick” (Isaiah 42:3) in love with the things of this world. The prescription for your ailment is first to SHUT THE DOOR TO THE WORLD because the cure is not much different from the prescription for seeking the new birth in the first place — the same Word that ignites the fire of love in your heart in the first place also rekindles that love... so yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and immerse yourself in the Word of God. Cry out to Christ for a new vision of the glory of His grace. Pursue a new passion for Christ. It's that simple. Shut the door, shut out the world, rekindle your first love.
Until next time,
-Pat-