Sorry I didn't post last night. We've been talking a lot lately in church about application of the Scriptures. I also had small group last night, and we talked about the same thing and had a time of intense prayer that our church would not just be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word as well. As a result, I wanted to take the time last night to really reflect and pray on what this means for me and for my church. Here are a few of the things I came up with:
1.) We need to pray. We need to pray fervently, earnestly, and with passion. Prayer is our way to speak with God. It is so powerful, yet so often we diminish it. We want to just pray that quick, thirty second prayer before our meals and before bed and call it a day. That's not okay. I wonder how we would talk to Him if we were face-to-face with Him? We need to realize that when we pray, we are before His face, before His throne. We wouldn't dash off a quick "please, God, gimme" and move on if we could see Him, and we shouldn't do it just because we can't. Furthermore, we need to stop being so selfish in our prayers. Listen, the world is not about you. Everything in creation, including you, is for His glory. So stop asking for things for yourself and your families and friends, and start really thinking about what you're saying when you pray. We need to be praying for our pastors. These men are called by God to bring His Word to His people. That is a high and scary calling, because guess what? If they are doing what they ought, they are presuming that what they are speaking is Spirit-led and Spirit-driven, and if it's not? They have a higher price to pay for that. They are guarding our souls, yet how often do we forget to pray for them? We need to pray for our government leaders - no matter how we feel about them or which way we lean politically. Romans tells us that these men and women, for good or ill, are in that position because God has ordained them to be there, whether it be for judgment for a nation or for its good. We need to pray for our churches - not the building and not the finances (though those aren't bad things to pray for), but the believers, which is what the church really is anyway. We need to pray that they might hold fast to the Word, that they might keep His commandments, and that they will abide in Him.
2.) We need to abide in Him. This means staying in His Word. We need to thirst and hunger for it! We need to pray before diving into it, pray that the Spirit will reveal His truth in it. We need to follow His commandments. We need to daily take up cross, die to ourselves and follow Him. We need to share His Word, share His gospel. We need to look for ways to spread His truth. We need to arm ourselves for war, because we are in a spiritual war. We need to engage with the world in order to evangelize and bring glory to God.
We cannot just hear the Word and sit back on our haunches, grinning up at the pastor happily, content and well-fed while the world is starving right outside our door. We need to let what we hear equip us for His work. We need to take it out, make it a part of our lives, and cover ourselves in it.
Lord, thank You that You will not let Your Word return void. Thank You that You will not allow us to sit idle. Forgive us for the times we've been self-content and self-satisfied, meek when we need to be strong. Arm us and equip us for the battle that we're in, Lord. Grant us a boldness and a courage we've never known before. Show us how to be doers of Your Word, and what that looks like practically in our day-to-day lives. We love You and want to bring You all the honor and glory You deserve. Amen
1.) We need to pray. We need to pray fervently, earnestly, and with passion. Prayer is our way to speak with God. It is so powerful, yet so often we diminish it. We want to just pray that quick, thirty second prayer before our meals and before bed and call it a day. That's not okay. I wonder how we would talk to Him if we were face-to-face with Him? We need to realize that when we pray, we are before His face, before His throne. We wouldn't dash off a quick "please, God, gimme" and move on if we could see Him, and we shouldn't do it just because we can't. Furthermore, we need to stop being so selfish in our prayers. Listen, the world is not about you. Everything in creation, including you, is for His glory. So stop asking for things for yourself and your families and friends, and start really thinking about what you're saying when you pray. We need to be praying for our pastors. These men are called by God to bring His Word to His people. That is a high and scary calling, because guess what? If they are doing what they ought, they are presuming that what they are speaking is Spirit-led and Spirit-driven, and if it's not? They have a higher price to pay for that. They are guarding our souls, yet how often do we forget to pray for them? We need to pray for our government leaders - no matter how we feel about them or which way we lean politically. Romans tells us that these men and women, for good or ill, are in that position because God has ordained them to be there, whether it be for judgment for a nation or for its good. We need to pray for our churches - not the building and not the finances (though those aren't bad things to pray for), but the believers, which is what the church really is anyway. We need to pray that they might hold fast to the Word, that they might keep His commandments, and that they will abide in Him.
2.) We need to abide in Him. This means staying in His Word. We need to thirst and hunger for it! We need to pray before diving into it, pray that the Spirit will reveal His truth in it. We need to follow His commandments. We need to daily take up cross, die to ourselves and follow Him. We need to share His Word, share His gospel. We need to look for ways to spread His truth. We need to arm ourselves for war, because we are in a spiritual war. We need to engage with the world in order to evangelize and bring glory to God.
We cannot just hear the Word and sit back on our haunches, grinning up at the pastor happily, content and well-fed while the world is starving right outside our door. We need to let what we hear equip us for His work. We need to take it out, make it a part of our lives, and cover ourselves in it.
Lord, thank You that You will not let Your Word return void. Thank You that You will not allow us to sit idle. Forgive us for the times we've been self-content and self-satisfied, meek when we need to be strong. Arm us and equip us for the battle that we're in, Lord. Grant us a boldness and a courage we've never known before. Show us how to be doers of Your Word, and what that looks like practically in our day-to-day lives. We love You and want to bring You all the honor and glory You deserve. Amen
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