Remembering the Main Thing

May 24th, 1738 John Wesley went to a meeting where Luther's preface to the book of Romans was being read.  He said in his journal that at 8:45 the part about a change in a heart through faith was being read when he felt a strange warmth in his heart. "I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

His next entry states that he "began to pray with all my might" for those who were his enemies and persecuted him.

The entry after that was, "I was much buffeted with temptation, but cried out, and they fled away."

A touch from God led to a change in behavior which led to an attack of the enemy.  We are not a lot different from John Wesley are we?

Today I write with a hunger in my heart.  Maybe I'm tired, maybe I'm excited about studying on the topic of holiness, maybe I'm being sentimental, but I long for a "warming" for us.

Too often the Church pouts, complains, or even hates what's going on in America or even around the world, but we don't give ourselves the same inspection that we give to others.  We are better at knowing what "they" need than we are at being honest about what we need.

We need the people of God to have personal, intimate, life-changing encounters with God.  We need men and women of faith to let the transforming power of God change their theology and empower their hands.  We need a renewal inside the church so that culture will be impacted by the ripples of holiness.  We need people that will know what they believe and let that belief be so infused with the Spirit that it changes how they live and think.  We need to be warmed, the kind of warmed that leads us through the responding temptation.

This weekend it's good to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.  It's even better to remember those who encountered Christ and let God change the world through them.  It's even better to remember Christ.

Remembering the Main Thing,

Pastor Dave

Learning

"When you love that which God loves, you act with him, you join yourself to him.  When you love what he dislikes, then you oppose him and separate yourself from him.  This is the true and right way: Think what God loves and love it with all your heart."

William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, (1728)

One of my favorite classic books is "A Serious Call" by William Law. I found myself looking through it again as I prepare for this weekend.  This time reading these underlined sentences I noticed in a new way the words, "you act with him."

I wondered, why not "you act like him?"  Why use the participatory word, "with?"  Then I thought about the news I watched this afternoon.  The political stories are filled with accusations and excuses.  The courtroom stories are filled with accusations and excuses (are we ever going to stop seeing OJ in court?).  Everyone seems to be pointing a finger and those who aren't are attempting to discredit the pointers.    

I thought - we don't know how to act WITH God.  That assumes close observation.  It assumes proximity.  It assumes interaction.  The lack of acting with God is evidenced by the accusations and excuses, immorality and selfishness.

Here's what I'm thinking, acting with God is the direct result of loving what God loves. That is deeper than knowing what he loves, it's running in tandem with him.

Holy living means I value what God loves (yes, that applies to that person to).

Learning,

 Pastor Dave 

 

Friday Thoughts

Sometimes I sit and hear from the Lord on what to write.  Sometimes I pull from the experiences of the week.  Sometimes I'm flat out silly and just feel like blowing off a little tension. Sometimes my soul sits in a quiet and dark room and I have no idea what to say.

I've done too many funerals and not enough baby dedications and baptisms this year.  

Maybe it's better to address what I know rather than what I feel.   

• I know that there is a Redeemer. 

• I know that I'm never alone. 

• I know that most of what doesn't make sense - doesn't have to. 

• I know that God doesn't have the same questions about me as I do about Him. 

• I know that God's love for me isn't dependent on my understanding of life's events. 

I don't always have to feel faith to keep it.  I don't always have to have answers.  I don't always have to see the hand of God or feel it to know that it's still nearby.  I don't have to see Him to worship Him.

Grace,

Pastor Dave