Road Repair
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)
We have established these topics: Road Repair, Vision Correction, Surgical Repair, and Rehab and Therapy. By no means are these the only ways, or is this the only perspective, to look at Lent. However, as we now spend a few days in each one, what we look at will be based on Scripture.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
God said it first, as a matter of fact; He made it the first Law of Laws. Centuries later there seems to have been some confusion as a Pharisee asked Jesus: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (Matthew 22:37-37)
Jesus was quoting the words we find given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6, and in the fifth chapter of that book we find the Ten Commandments, which God began with “Have no other gods before me.” The Old Testament lists several other gods that people made up and convinced others to pursue, from Ashtaroth and Baal to Kiyyun and Bel. Today, this conversation could go in the direction of non-Christian religions; however there is another problem we need to address.
When the Old Testament peoples ran after other gods, they were looking for connection, security, power, and protection in some form or another. Likewise, modern day people have created a whole slew of gods: careers, money, activities, etc. They may not worship them in a church/temple setting; but do they not make sacrifices for them?
God detested the Baals and other false Gods, but it seemed no surprise that heathens sought them. He seemed to suffer particular pain, however, when His chosen people ran after the other gods. And so it is today. It is no surprise that those outside the faith seek fulfillment in something other than God. But it causes Him particular pain when we, Christian believers, allow anything to come between Him and us. But we do.
Wealth. Poverty. Stuff. Activities. Sports. Schedules. TV. Church. Anything that gets between Him and us.
What is more important to us than God? We want to say “nothing” but can we? Does anything distract us from worship or must we get to some other event? Do we spend time worshiping Him other than Sunday morning or is ‘my show’ on? Do we “pray without ceasing”? Have we prayed today? Did we spend time listening in prayer? Do we know much more of His Word than we did a year ago?
What is more important to us than God? Anything that causes us to answer those questions in a way other than the way we should.
What is more important to us than God? Let’s make a list. Let’s start getting that stuff, that debris, out of the road. Let us prepare the way, clear the way, between us and God.
Lord willing, see you tomorrow. Pastor Jim,
P.S. If you need a starting place for spiritual discipline, consider the following: Starting today, and then first thing tomorrow morning, I challenge you to listen to God, with this five-minute exercise:
1) Do this as soon as you wake up. Set your clock a few minutes early if that is what you need to get up ahead of the household noise. Lay your Bible by your bed as a reminder. 2) Go to the quietest place in your house, outside, your kitchen, your bathroom...wherever. 3) Pray for 1 minute that God would speak to you. Audibly, out loud, ask Him to remove Satan from your presence for this time. Ask Him to remove distractions and mental clutter. During this time, do not ask Him for anything else, do not thank Him for anything else, do not pray for anyone else (but please find another prayer time for all these things). 4) Open your Bible and read for 2 minutes. This is God talking to you through His Word. Listen to Him. 5) Close your Bible and be silent for 3 minutes. Listen for Him. He may come as a thought, a nudge, an idea. For a while, He may seem hard to hear. There is so much clutter in our minds! Keep listening.
This may seem difficult. You will hear every creaking tree branch. You will hear every barking dog. But like Elijah's time in the cave, God is not in the tree branch, God is not in the dog. Persevere. Listen for the gentle whisper.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Rehab and Therapy
Rehab and Therapy
First I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and checking in on me. My surgery went as expected, and I am, as my doctor ordered, staying in my recliner, with an ice pack, and lifting nothing heavier than the remote!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lent as rehab and therapy.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
OK, I am just sitting around for a few days, but after that I will need to begin a regimen of some sort to strengthen that which Dr. Domenick repaired, muscles would begin to atrophy. With some surgical repairs, the lack of follow up therapy can actually cause the situation to be worse than before; at a minimum, it would prevent one from receiving the maximum benefit of the repair.
And so it is spiritually: “… this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Matthew 13: 20-22
We can receive from God, but we can also atrophy spiritually if we do not develop roots. Simply stated: prayer, reading, and study*, with other actions added as faith takes root and grows. So, as we clear things out of the road between us and God, reflect on our lives using His Word for perspective, allow Him to do the repairs inside us, let us also commit to getting ourselves into, or back into, the kind of shape for which we were made.
Sabbath rest tomorrow, see you Monday, Lord willing, Pastor Jim
*If you need a starting place for spiritual discipline, consider the following 5 minute exercise:
Starting today, and then first thing tomorrow morning, I challenge you to listen to God, with this five minute exercise:
1) Do this as soon as you wake up. Set your clock a few minutes early if that is what you need to get up ahead of the household noise. Lay your Bible by your bed as a reminder.
2) Go to the quietest place in your house, outside, your kitchen, your bathroom...wherever.
3) Pray for 1 minute that God would speak to you. Audibly, out loud, ask Him to remove Satan from your presence for this time. Ask Him to remove distractions and mental clutter. During this time, do not ask Him for anything else, do not thank Him for anything else, do not pray for anyone else (but please find another prayer time for all these things).
4) Open your Bible and read for 2 minutes. This is God talking to you through His Word. Listen to Him.
5) Close your Bible and be silent for 3 minutes. Listen for Him. He may come as a thought, a nudge, an idea. For a while, He may seem hard to hear. There is so much clutter in our minds! Keep listening.
This may seem difficult. You will hear every creaking tree branch. You will hear every barking dog. But like Elijah's time in the cave, God is not in the tree branch, God is not in the dog. Persevere. Listen for the gentle whisper
First I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and checking in on me. My surgery went as expected, and I am, as my doctor ordered, staying in my recliner, with an ice pack, and lifting nothing heavier than the remote!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lent as rehab and therapy.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
OK, I am just sitting around for a few days, but after that I will need to begin a regimen of some sort to strengthen that which Dr. Domenick repaired, muscles would begin to atrophy. With some surgical repairs, the lack of follow up therapy can actually cause the situation to be worse than before; at a minimum, it would prevent one from receiving the maximum benefit of the repair.
And so it is spiritually: “… this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Matthew 13: 20-22
We can receive from God, but we can also atrophy spiritually if we do not develop roots. Simply stated: prayer, reading, and study*, with other actions added as faith takes root and grows. So, as we clear things out of the road between us and God, reflect on our lives using His Word for perspective, allow Him to do the repairs inside us, let us also commit to getting ourselves into, or back into, the kind of shape for which we were made.
Sabbath rest tomorrow, see you Monday, Lord willing, Pastor Jim
*If you need a starting place for spiritual discipline, consider the following 5 minute exercise:
Starting today, and then first thing tomorrow morning, I challenge you to listen to God, with this five minute exercise:
1) Do this as soon as you wake up. Set your clock a few minutes early if that is what you need to get up ahead of the household noise. Lay your Bible by your bed as a reminder.
2) Go to the quietest place in your house, outside, your kitchen, your bathroom...wherever.
3) Pray for 1 minute that God would speak to you. Audibly, out loud, ask Him to remove Satan from your presence for this time. Ask Him to remove distractions and mental clutter. During this time, do not ask Him for anything else, do not thank Him for anything else, do not pray for anyone else (but please find another prayer time for all these things).
4) Open your Bible and read for 2 minutes. This is God talking to you through His Word. Listen to Him.
5) Close your Bible and be silent for 3 minutes. Listen for Him. He may come as a thought, a nudge, an idea. For a while, He may seem hard to hear. There is so much clutter in our minds! Keep listening.
This may seem difficult. You will hear every creaking tree branch. You will hear every barking dog. But like Elijah's time in the cave, God is not in the tree branch, God is not in the dog. Persevere. Listen for the gentle whisper
Friday, March 11, 2011
Surgical Repair
Surgical Repair
So far we have looked at Lent as “road repair” and as “corrected vision”. I have a couple more comparisons, and then we’ll use those as sort of sub-topics for the rest of Lent.
As soon as I finish writing this, I’m off to the hospital for surgery. Nothing life threatening; I have a tear in a muscle that the surgeon is going to, Lord willing, repair. Left unattended, this tear would get worse, longer, wider, and making the surrounding tissue, and me as a whole, weaker.
That is what sin has done to the human race and that’s what it does to us as individuals. Sin tears away at who we are, and it is, indeed, life threatening. Left unattended, this it gets worse, it gets longer, wider, and makes us weaker, and eventually kills us; “…sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)
But Jesus is not called the Great Physician simply as some sort of metaphor. Nor is that term restricted to physical healing that He absolutely supplies. It also applies, even more importantly, to the healing from sin, that only He can provide.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19
Sin = damage.
Righteousness = repair.
How has sin hurt you? This season of Lent let us each look for that damage, and look to God for repair.
Until tomorrow, Pastor Jim
So far we have looked at Lent as “road repair” and as “corrected vision”. I have a couple more comparisons, and then we’ll use those as sort of sub-topics for the rest of Lent.
As soon as I finish writing this, I’m off to the hospital for surgery. Nothing life threatening; I have a tear in a muscle that the surgeon is going to, Lord willing, repair. Left unattended, this tear would get worse, longer, wider, and making the surrounding tissue, and me as a whole, weaker.
That is what sin has done to the human race and that’s what it does to us as individuals. Sin tears away at who we are, and it is, indeed, life threatening. Left unattended, this it gets worse, it gets longer, wider, and makes us weaker, and eventually kills us; “…sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)
But Jesus is not called the Great Physician simply as some sort of metaphor. Nor is that term restricted to physical healing that He absolutely supplies. It also applies, even more importantly, to the healing from sin, that only He can provide.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19
Sin = damage.
Righteousness = repair.
How has sin hurt you? This season of Lent let us each look for that damage, and look to God for repair.
Until tomorrow, Pastor Jim
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Corrected Vision
Greetings!
So, here we are in Lent, a season, it is often said, of ‘self-reflection’. I think that is a good thing, we should always be doing that somewhat, but it is good to take a season and really focus on it. But we need to be careful when looking at ourselves; our eyesight just isn’t all that good. That’s why "we walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7) What we see is a misrepresentation of reality. Oh sure, we talk about “20 20 vision”, “seeing is believing” and the like. But what else have we learned?
We can only see so far, unaided. But a telescope shows us things about the moon and stars invisible to the naked eye.
And there’s stuff on our skin and in our water that we are blissfully ignorant about until we look into a microscope.
Hold a prism to the sunlight and see bands of light, always present, but otherwise unseen.
Our very lives depend upon the oxygen we breathe but never see.
They say dogs are colorblind, how different their vision is from ours, right in the same world.
Likewise is our vision; far short of what God sees.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. “ 1 Cor. 13:12 (Remembering that first century mirrors were little more than polished metal.)
So certainly, please, spend some time reflecting this season. But do not rely on your own perception of righteousness – and for God’s sake, do not use the world’s standards.
Instead, use His Word as a sort of spiritual lens. If you need a place to start, read the book of James.
And pray. Pray by speaking, and pray, pray, pray by listening.
Sure, you’ll see a few more of the warts, the mistakes, the sin. But you know what? You will also see that when God looks at you He loves you more than you love yourself. Sure, your sins will beexposed but so will a greater measure of His love.
God’s vision is not impaired; He sees the you that you can be. “Man looks at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
See you tomorrow, Pastor Jim
So, here we are in Lent, a season, it is often said, of ‘self-reflection’. I think that is a good thing, we should always be doing that somewhat, but it is good to take a season and really focus on it. But we need to be careful when looking at ourselves; our eyesight just isn’t all that good. That’s why "we walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7) What we see is a misrepresentation of reality. Oh sure, we talk about “20 20 vision”, “seeing is believing” and the like. But what else have we learned?
We can only see so far, unaided. But a telescope shows us things about the moon and stars invisible to the naked eye.
And there’s stuff on our skin and in our water that we are blissfully ignorant about until we look into a microscope.
Hold a prism to the sunlight and see bands of light, always present, but otherwise unseen.
Our very lives depend upon the oxygen we breathe but never see.
They say dogs are colorblind, how different their vision is from ours, right in the same world.
Likewise is our vision; far short of what God sees.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. “ 1 Cor. 13:12 (Remembering that first century mirrors were little more than polished metal.)
So certainly, please, spend some time reflecting this season. But do not rely on your own perception of righteousness – and for God’s sake, do not use the world’s standards.
Instead, use His Word as a sort of spiritual lens. If you need a place to start, read the book of James.
And pray. Pray by speaking, and pray, pray, pray by listening.
Sure, you’ll see a few more of the warts, the mistakes, the sin. But you know what? You will also see that when God looks at you He loves you more than you love yourself. Sure, your sins will beexposed but so will a greater measure of His love.
God’s vision is not impaired; He sees the you that you can be. “Man looks at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
See you tomorrow, Pastor Jim
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Road repair
Greetings!
Shrove Tuesday.
Ash Wednesday.
Lent.
Easter.
What is this stuff all about? It’s interesting – if you do a little research there is a lot about traditions and how different denominations practice these things differently, if at all. So, it’s not like there are any hard and fast rules – good.
“Shrovetide” used to be the three days when Christians would confess their sins and seek absolution before “Ash Wednesday” when they would go to church and receive ashes on their foreheads recalling the Biblical references to ashes as a sign of repentance. Thus began Lent a time of self reflection, especially concerning one’s relationship to God.
OK? Sounds OK to me. Last night I was privileged to speak at Wyoming Church’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner (OK, the pancakes are another whole discussion!). In preparation, the Holy Spirit led me to the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
"Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
So John came, the people confessed, got baptized, the process of ‘making the paths straight’ was begun. (In ancient times, people would go out ahead of a king and clear brush, rocks, etc. from the roadways, cleaning the path – making it straight – for the king.)
So, I’m going to say that ‘shroving’ is like coming to John, confessing our sins and our ashes are our repentance. (This can be true whether you ate pancakes and got ashes or not.) But John was not the goal! Jesus was the goal. John was a signpost to Him; John was clearing the way for Him.
So, join me if you will, in confession, repentance, and jumping into Lent; where we will do a little path straightening. Let us spend some time clearing out the debris – the junk that has fallen and grown into the road between us and Jesus.
Lent – like John – is not the goal. Easter - the resurrected, living, saving Jesus Christ is the goal!
Let’s spend a little time making the path straight for Him.
Shrove Tuesday.
Ash Wednesday.
Lent.
Easter.
What is this stuff all about? It’s interesting – if you do a little research there is a lot about traditions and how different denominations practice these things differently, if at all. So, it’s not like there are any hard and fast rules – good.
“Shrovetide” used to be the three days when Christians would confess their sins and seek absolution before “Ash Wednesday” when they would go to church and receive ashes on their foreheads recalling the Biblical references to ashes as a sign of repentance. Thus began Lent a time of self reflection, especially concerning one’s relationship to God.
OK? Sounds OK to me. Last night I was privileged to speak at Wyoming Church’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner (OK, the pancakes are another whole discussion!). In preparation, the Holy Spirit led me to the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
"Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
So John came, the people confessed, got baptized, the process of ‘making the paths straight’ was begun. (In ancient times, people would go out ahead of a king and clear brush, rocks, etc. from the roadways, cleaning the path – making it straight – for the king.)
So, I’m going to say that ‘shroving’ is like coming to John, confessing our sins and our ashes are our repentance. (This can be true whether you ate pancakes and got ashes or not.) But John was not the goal! Jesus was the goal. John was a signpost to Him; John was clearing the way for Him.
So, join me if you will, in confession, repentance, and jumping into Lent; where we will do a little path straightening. Let us spend some time clearing out the debris – the junk that has fallen and grown into the road between us and Jesus.
Lent – like John – is not the goal. Easter - the resurrected, living, saving Jesus Christ is the goal!
Let’s spend a little time making the path straight for Him.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Read, Pray, Tell; how bright was David’s lamp?
ListenDaily – 12 January 2011: Read, Pray, Tell; how bright was David’s lamp?
Scripture:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:97-105
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How bright was David’s lamp? Not spiritually, I mean his literal lamp.
My guess is that in the middle of a pitch black Israeli night, an ancient type of lamp would have shone just enough to show its carrier a few feet ahead of where they were. The lamp would not have been needed in daylight hours, but would have been constantly needed when traveling in the dark.
One could not light the lamp, set it down, and go on down the road.
Jesus said that when He left this Earth we would be living in darkness. We are in constant need of the light, and The Lamp (God’s Word) is a source of The Light.
We need it with us constantly, to see where to go, how to go safely, when to stop, and to illuminate the obstacles in our way.
So, how are you doing with making God’s Word part of your daily life? There are so many options! The written Word, internet, email, and Facebook devotionals. Don’t overload yourself with some commitment that you cannot keep, but don’t let yourself off the hook too easily either.
In parts of the world people are dying, literally, to receive Scripture. Many of us have multiple Bibles at our fingertips – but untouched by them.
Questions:
How often do you read Scripture?
What is your relationship with the Bible?
Will you try to use this gift from God to come closer to Him?
"You wonder why people choose fields away from the States when young people at home are drifting because no one wants to take time to listen to their problems. I’ll tell you why I left. Because those Stateside young people have every opportunity to study, hear, and understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering Stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it---while these never heard of such a thing as writing." Jim Elliot
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119: 105
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…1 Peter 3:12
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19
Scripture:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:97-105
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How bright was David’s lamp? Not spiritually, I mean his literal lamp.
My guess is that in the middle of a pitch black Israeli night, an ancient type of lamp would have shone just enough to show its carrier a few feet ahead of where they were. The lamp would not have been needed in daylight hours, but would have been constantly needed when traveling in the dark.
One could not light the lamp, set it down, and go on down the road.
Jesus said that when He left this Earth we would be living in darkness. We are in constant need of the light, and The Lamp (God’s Word) is a source of The Light.
We need it with us constantly, to see where to go, how to go safely, when to stop, and to illuminate the obstacles in our way.
So, how are you doing with making God’s Word part of your daily life? There are so many options! The written Word, internet, email, and Facebook devotionals. Don’t overload yourself with some commitment that you cannot keep, but don’t let yourself off the hook too easily either.
In parts of the world people are dying, literally, to receive Scripture. Many of us have multiple Bibles at our fingertips – but untouched by them.
Questions:
How often do you read Scripture?
What is your relationship with the Bible?
Will you try to use this gift from God to come closer to Him?
"You wonder why people choose fields away from the States when young people at home are drifting because no one wants to take time to listen to their problems. I’ll tell you why I left. Because those Stateside young people have every opportunity to study, hear, and understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering Stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it---while these never heard of such a thing as writing." Jim Elliot
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119: 105
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…1 Peter 3:12
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
New Year’s Resolved?
ListenDaily – 11 January 2011: New Year’s Resolved?
Scripture: Psalm 119:105, 1 Peter 3:12, Matthew 28:19
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…1 Peter 3:12
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas 2010 has come and gone; likewise New Year’s Eve 2010 and New Year’s Day 2011, and life is returning to normal.
How about our New Year’s resolutions? Did you make any? How are you doing with them?
Certainly there are all sorts of good physically-related resolutions, like eating less and exercising more. But as Paul wrote to Timothy, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8)
I asked the congregation at Wyoming UMC, where I am the associate pastor, to consider “resolving” in three areas of their spiritual lives, and use the three verses above as reference points. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” How much time do you spend in and with God’s Word? Will you try to spend a little more? It is OK to commit to some reading program, but even if you don’t you can take a step closer. Do you read only in church on Sunday mornings? Try reading a little each day. Do you read a verse a day? How about moving up to a chapter? The point here is not “how much”, but “how close”. God reveals Himself through the Scriptures; let us look to see more of Him!
The second verse reads “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” The great Jehovah God, the Creator and King of the universe, pays attention to you. Won’t you take a little more time to talk to and listen to Him?
The final verse says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” How are you doing when it comes to telling someone, anyone, about Jesus? What can you do to more closely follow this command?
For the next few days we will look at these resolutions. Ready?
Scripture: Psalm 119:105, 1 Peter 3:12, Matthew 28:19
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…1 Peter 3:12
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas 2010 has come and gone; likewise New Year’s Eve 2010 and New Year’s Day 2011, and life is returning to normal.
How about our New Year’s resolutions? Did you make any? How are you doing with them?
Certainly there are all sorts of good physically-related resolutions, like eating less and exercising more. But as Paul wrote to Timothy, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8)
I asked the congregation at Wyoming UMC, where I am the associate pastor, to consider “resolving” in three areas of their spiritual lives, and use the three verses above as reference points. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” How much time do you spend in and with God’s Word? Will you try to spend a little more? It is OK to commit to some reading program, but even if you don’t you can take a step closer. Do you read only in church on Sunday mornings? Try reading a little each day. Do you read a verse a day? How about moving up to a chapter? The point here is not “how much”, but “how close”. God reveals Himself through the Scriptures; let us look to see more of Him!
The second verse reads “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” The great Jehovah God, the Creator and King of the universe, pays attention to you. Won’t you take a little more time to talk to and listen to Him?
The final verse says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” How are you doing when it comes to telling someone, anyone, about Jesus? What can you do to more closely follow this command?
For the next few days we will look at these resolutions. Ready?
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