March 31
Deut 16:1-17:20 | PS 72:1-20 | Prov 12:8-9 | Luke 9:7-27
Whenever I share the gospel message with someone I will always emphasize, give examples, and assist that person on how to get into a daily schedule of reading through the bible. I emphasize how all sixty-six books are important, that when we decide which books are worth reading and which ones are not, we are essentially telling God, "No, thank you" to portions of His gift to us. Not doing this like a machine, or a one size fits all approach, some I will advise to jump onto this reading program, others I might recommend starting with the book of John or Romans or another book depending on our conversation. There can be no real relationship with God without getting to know Him and trust in Him through His Word. We read in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, "When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel." Interestingly, many leave their reading to the end of the day with their heads on their pillows, barely keeping their eyes open, to which we should consider the words in 17:1, "Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the Lord your God, for he detests such gifts." Considering what God has done for us, should we be giving God our leftovers in terms of our time and attention?
Our training with God never ends. Consider the disciples came back and were excited about their experiences after being sent out by Jesus, as we read in Luke 9:10, and told Jesus all about it. But they were immediately confronted with an issue which we read in Luke 9:12, "Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”" Jesus went on to feed the 5000 men, not including the women and children with only five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples were continuing to learn, just as we must continue to learn, which is now largely done by staying fixed in His Word. Many want a casual, half-hearted, convenient walk with God. They want a walk which will not really affect their day-to-day lives, more of an add-on approach, rather than a life changing approach, to which we should soberly read Jesus' words in 9:23-26, "Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
On another note, for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have moved from being under the law to being under grace. But all too many have come to the mistaken conclusion that the law was something other than good. The law was indeed good, it was and is people who are not good. Until fairly recently, if one was to launch accusations it had to be done face to face. There was personal responsibility involved in such a decision. With the advent of social media, we have reached a new phase of accusation in cyber-bullying. There are few consequences for the accuser and no proof is required on their part. But from the privacy of their own homes, they can set off a barrage of attacks which may or may not have any merit at all. The one being accused has no real way of defending himself or herself. In the process reputations and lives are ruined. Consider all of the recent high-profile events which have evolved from anonymous whistle-blowers. These men and women make their accusations and are praised for their bravery by those who agree without having to back up what they say or face the consequences if it turns out that they are lying. Anonymous accusations are now common at many workplaces. It is done with the premise that those who have something to say will be protected from retaliation from those in more powerful positions. But underlying this comes the mistaken belief that the anonymous accuser is somehow altruistic, and the accused must somehow be brought down. In our hospital we see this in the form of anonymous "verges".
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: