Help Wanted - Apply Inside

Before the days of online job applications it was a pretty common sight to see signs hanging on business establishment doors reading, "Now Hiring Apply Inside". If a person passing by saw the sign it presented an opportunity to change that person's life. They would go inside, inquire about the position available, ask for an application, fill it out, and then possibly get an interview, and if the application checked out and the interview went well that person could very well end up with a new job. The point of today's message is that none of this happens if that same person doesn't take initiative. He or she could read the "Now Hiring Apply Inside" sign and just keep on walking down the street. That same person could possibly read the sign and decide to enter the establishment, but upon entering they find a seat, watch the employees working, have a favorable impression about what is going on in this business, but at the end of his or her visit decide to get up and walk out the door without ever applying for the job. It is pretty apparent to each of us that if this is the approach taken that same person will not be hired for the open position. As a matter of fact the business in need of help will never know that the person leaving the door would have wanted a job, and no one will ever know if that person could have been the hire that changes the dynamics of that businesses' future growth and success. In other words everything is left to the proverbial "I wonder what would have happened if I had only....."
     In life we are that potential person reading the "Now Hiring Apply Inside" sign. We read or hear positive messages, (hopefully you see Flat Tire Ministries as a thought that fits into the category of a positive message), we like the thought that the message invokes, but we just don't apply it to our lives. A message heard and not acted on will have little impact on your life. You may be inspired by watching a story about how someone changed their life by losing a vast amount of weight, or maybe you are a smoker and would like to follow a plan to quit smoking, or some of us are intrigued by the idea of eating healthier and exercising more, possibly we may even hear a message on how to make our marriages, our jobs, or our lives better. It is safe to say that many of us want to deepen our faith and develop a closer relationship with our Maker. All of these are worthy goals, yet as we established earlier none of these things will happen if we don't open the door and apply. We can do as the person seeking to apply for a job and enter the business only to watch and observe, never taking the necessary step to apply. It doesn't serve us well to be an observer and never actually apply what we see and hear to our lives. The principle that every action creates a reaction is very applicable here. How can we ever change our lives from our present state if we don't take the initiative to apply the necessary steps to create change.
     Unfortunately, many of us read the "Apply Inside" sign and we enter the door to get more information, yet once we see the requirements and responsibilities we decide that the job is going to be a little more challenging or it is going to entail harder work than we are willing to invest. We would like to change, we know we need to change, but we turn around and walk out the door without even applying and putting forth our best efforts to see what might happen.
     Listening to inspirational messages, watching television shows about people that have made life changing decisions that have altered the course of their lives, attending your church regularly, or even reading this blog can all be part of the first step in the process of change, but if you really want to see change occur you have to "Apply Inside".
     "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22
When you make a change tell somebody, inspire others to action by your example. If you "apply" for a change in your life or in the life of others know that this blog is interactive. Create an action and see what the reaction is. Share your story. Enjoy the day that our God has given us to enjoy!
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"