October 31
Lam 4:1-5:22 | PS 103:1-22| Prov 26:23 | Heb 2:1-18
Life presents us different opportunities for God's kingdom. Sometimes our interactions are fleeting, a moment in which we may have the opportunity to plant a seed of the gospel message. But there are those in our life who have more of a consistent presence. For these we are called to more than plant, we are to come alongside and disciple. It is an ongoing relationship. We read in Hebrews 2:1, "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." It is great to plant those seeds which bring one into a relationship with Jesus for the first time, but there is such a strong pull by the world, such a tendency to drift from the truth. We read Jesus' rebuke on the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:4, "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Life is long and hard, and the world and our flesh will continually pull us in the opposite direction, the wrong direction. We drift when we take our eyes off of Him, "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
We read from David in Psalm 103:1-2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:". David then goes on to list some of these benefits in 103:3-5. Bless is a stronger word than praise, as it means praising with adoration and thanksgiving, from a heart of deep love. David was stating, in all of what God has done, don't drift, don't forget, don't live as though He doesn't exist. God knows our frailty, how weak we are as we read in 103:14, "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." We might hold ourselves to be more than we are, but our Creator knows us intimately. When we drift, and we all do mess up, it is important to remember what is said in 103:10-12, so that we do not separate ourselves in guilt longer than we should, "He has not dealt with us according to our sins. Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." He not only forgives our sins, He forgets them.
Paul wrote what we should all hope to say at the conclusion of our lives in 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." This life is a marathon, and we will all have days that we are walking stronger than others. In our frailty, there is a tendency to drift. That is why we need to keep ourselves consistently, daily in His Word, consistent in prayer and worship, and not forsaking fellowship. We need to continually seek Him, and keep our eyes on ourselves and others when drifting occurs so that we get back on the course which was given to each of us by the Lord.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: