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]]>“He has given us the gift of faith, and these means of grace to grow in that faith.”
We learned that it is NOT our obedience in these tasks that saves us, that is ultimately done through faith in Christ’s work and the GIFT OF FAITH which He gives. Rather, we learned that participating in these graces is how we ACTIVELY RECEIVE the grace of God which He is working in our lives. He has given us the gift of faith, and these means of grace to grow in that faith.
I would like to point out that each ordinary grace is unique, and they complement each other, and do not act as substitutes for each other. However, as the events of this world around us change, we find that we may need to lean on one or two graces more than another for a season. I would very strongly advocate that fellowship, scripture, and prayer should each be continuously and simultaneously pursued in the life of a believer.
However, in some seasons these graces may not be equally available.
As we move forward in the next few weeks I would like to take this opportunity to instruct in and encourage us towards the reading of scripture and prayer, the ordinary means of grace that are most easily available when alone or in small groups. I would like us to take this time to examine the disciplines of prayer and scripture reading, like muscles that are not used frequently, these disciplines have atrophied in many of our lives and this is a new opportunity to delve deep into these often overlooked graces given us by God. In the coming days we will put together some devotionals dealing directly with prayer and scripture so that we can be further encouraged in these disciplines.
But first I would like to leave you with a passage and a couple steps to get you started today. And please know, church, you are not alone in these steps. I am praying the prayers below for myself, my family, and for you. I am praying these prayers for you today, as I will be doing for you tomorrow, and the days to come.
“Immediately the father cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
Read Mark 9:14-29. Though there is a lot going on in this passage, I want us to focus on verse 24. There is an implicate lesson to learn here. The father believes, but not fully, but he believes still. He asks for help with his unbelief, though he professes to believe. We often have a desire to obey, to pursue the things of God, but still are weak in this desire. We can be encouraged by this regarding our pursuit of prayer and scripture right now. I would urge you to begin right now in strengthening your disciplines of prayer and scripture reading, and we can use this passage for both.
Again friend, you are not alone in these steps, I hope moving forward we can grow in scripture and prayer individually, and together in small groups, so that when we do meet corporately again we have still grown before the Lord and are better equipped to encourage each other in the Gospel. Lord, this is my desire for myself and your people, help my lack of desire!
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]]>I understand the wisdom of stocking up on the essentials in the event you need stay home for a few weeks…But those empty shelves are telling us more about our society than just its prudence. Those empty aisles are speaking to us about the fear associated with not having enough. In our part of the world, we’re not used to the idea of being deprived of an abundance of options. For us, it’s not a question of if we will eat, but a question of what we will eat. Will we buy 2 ply or splurge for 3 ply toilet paper? Kirkland Brand or Charman Ultra Soft Mega Rolls? The idea of not having this abundance, we feel so entitled to, has created in our communities a sense of fear. And understandably so.
However as Christians, We’re taught by our Lord, that there is a type of food that we need even more than bread. A type of spiritual food flowing endlessly from an inexhaustible source and yet many of us find ourselves malnourished sometimes to the point of a complete loss of appetite. Just as we need beans, rice, and pancake mix to nourish our physical bodies, our spirits are nourished by the word of God.
In the Gospel accounts, we read of Jesus going 40 days without food in the wilderness and being tempted by Satan. The devil says to him, “if you are the Son of Man, command these stones to become bread.” But Jesus replied (quoting Deuteronomy 8:3), “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
As we find ourselves at home more often than usual in the midst of a pandemic, It’s tempting to feed our minds (and consequently spirit) on the junk food of Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube videos about conspiracy theory’s. It’s difficult for some of us to not spend our evenings bing watching TV shows from the 90’ or reading countless news stories about Covid-19. There’s a plethora of movies and shows that are releasing content early in order to benefit from a captive audience. It’s tempting to scroll an endless social media streams (that’s probably how you found this post). But just as feeding our bodies junk food day after day reeks havoc on our physical Bodies, so will feeding our souls junk, hour after hour, diminish the vitality of our spirit.
What if we used this time to feed on the word of God like never before?
What would be the effect of spending time engaging with the Scriptures individually, with our families, and with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Imagine what it would be like to come out of the other side of a global pandemic more nourished than we ever before? How might we be transformed and filled with hope and joy in the Lord, by tossing out the junk and taking in what the Apostle Peter calls the “pure spiritual milk” of the Word of God?
Paul tells Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
So let me encourage you with 4 things we can be assured will take place as God’s people immerse themselves in the Scriptures .
Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world [the way the world, thinks, acts, and lives in rebellion against God], but be transformed [changed, made new] by the renewal of your mind…”
It is through the Scriptures that we learn about God. And we seek to know him and His will, our minds are transformed. We begin to develop a new way of thinking that is Christlike. His desires start becoming our desires. I recall hearing Paul Washer exclaim, “we grow to hate what God hates [sin] and love what God loves [Holiness, righteousness].”
The only way increase in a knowledge of Him and his will (which Paul calls “what is good, acceptible, and perfect.”) is to immerse ourselves in His Word where he has made himself known.
Creation declares that God is; but it’s through the Bible alone that God shows us who He is.
As our minds are being washed with the Word, as our thoughts are beginning transformed, as we’re increasing in our knowledge of God and also His plan and purposes in all he does… As a result, our prayers begin to change.
We begin to pray more like our Lord “your kingdom come, your will be done…” desiring not for God to do what seems right to us, but for our hearts to align with what is God has said is good, acceptable, and perfect. Tim Keller said in his book aptly titled “Prayer”
— “Our prayers should arise out of immersion in the Scripture. [We] speak only to the degree we are spoken to. . . . The wedding of the Bible and prayer anchors your life down in the real God.” (55, 56).
Knowing what God has said (in His word) informs what we respond to God with in prayer.
“I know I should read my Bible, but it’s tough. So much of it seems so dry and I have a hard time understanding it.”
If I had a dollar for every time someone said something like that to me, I wouldn’t need any other source of income! But the truth is, most of us have felt that way at some point in our walk with the Lord. There is so much that could be said about learning to understand the Bible, why God gives the gift of “teachers and shepherds” to the church. And why you need to make sure you’re part of a church that is committed to “Expositional Preaching”, But those are topics for another time.
Right now, let me simply stir your heart by saying that you will grow to desire that on which you feed.
If you want to put this idea to the test, find a person that drinks Soda everyday and give them one of those sparkling waters with a hint of fruit juice and watch their face turn to disgust. Then hand a Coke to a person that only drinks water and watch them have the some reaction. We grow to desire the things that we’ve developed an appetite for… and the same is true when it comes to the desire to read our Bibles. We don’t read Scripture out of a sense of duty, but of delight. We’ve been given spiritual eyes to behold the Glory of God!!! What a joy! The biggest obstacle to Bible reading is a lack of desire. But desire grows out of regular feeding.
If you find yourself in this place (as I have found myself before), get in a quite place, get on your knees with your Bible open, and pray and ask the Holy Spirit to increase your love and your desire for the Word that gives life. Jesus Tells us in the 15th chapter of John to “abide in Him” and that if His word abides in us, we will bear much fruit. In the same passage we have this promise– if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us.
Jesus praying for the Apostles, but not only for them but for all who would come to believe in His name, asks his Father, “sanctify them in truth, your word is truth.” This is the will of God for our Lives, our sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
That God would desire to set us apart as a people for Himself, made up of every tribe, tounge, and nation, every generation and background and adopt us through the death and resurrection of the Son of God, is wondrous in itself… But then bring about setting us apart, purifying, cleansing, and making us holy and he is holy, righteous as he is righteous through the working of the spirit through, according to the Righteousness of Christ, is beyond comprehension. We’re not perfect, but we’re progressing from one degree of glory to the next.
He is making us into a people who are able one day to stand in the fullness of his presence and live! We are experiencing the work progressively in this life, yet not fully. But one day, either through death or by way of Christ’s return , we will be made perfect in a moment and we will know him as we are fully known. What a day that will be!
No, the Bible isn’t dry. It’s not boring. It can be understood and lived out by the power of the Spirit working in us. Don’t allow the devil steal your joy and the power of the Word working in you. Fight the good fight of the faith. Praise God for the teachers and Shepherd’s he has given the Church.
Don’t go hungry, be well fed on the Word of God.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
CoLLOSSIANS 3:16-17
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