Good morning and happy Saturday!
Praise God for another busy and fruitful week of ministry in our church. Thanks to those that served at the bookfair at Shawanoe, the basketball outreach, the Tuesday outreach, the Wednesday night discipleship, serving elsewhere in the community, etc. God is working in and through His church. A special praise for the one of the students that made a profession of faith on Wednesday night! That is amazing.
Signs, signs, everywhere signs…
The other day I was washing a couple of items at the church when I noticed the label on the industrial size soap bottle we have. It said, “Please keep upright.” Presumably, if you don’t, the dispenser won’t work properly. As soon as I saw it I thought, “that is good advice.” Not just for the sake of the plastic dispenser, but for our lives. After all, isn’t that what we are supposed to do on a daily basis? We are to keep upright. We are to be holy and upright, seeking to walk in the ways of the Lord each and every day. The Bible teaches us the following: 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…(Titus 2:11-13). To paraphrase, “Please keep upright.” Who knew you could find biblical advice on a soap dispenser? Of course, this got me curious so I had to look around for additional insight. As I poured my 13th cup of coffee, I noticed that there was a sticker that said, “Caution.” It was relative to the burners being hot when on. What a novel idea, the very thing that is designed to keep your coffee pot hot is, well, hot. Therefore, there has to be a caution label to remind you of that fact. Mind blowing if you think about it. It should be rather obvious. However, it is also true of many things all around us. The Bible offers us cautions on things we should actually know already. Over and over we are told to be cautious because the world will try to lure us away from our devotion to Christ. In that very familiar passage in 1 John, his caution is this: 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Fatheris not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world (1 John 2:15-16). Paul writes In Ephesians: 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16). Just like we need to be reminded that the coffee pot may be hot, we need a daily reminder, a caution that the world can be a dangerous place. As I continued my quest for sage advice, I saw the label on our popcorn machine. On it was this warning, “Do not operate until you have read the instructions.” That is fantastic. Obviously our application is to read the instruction manual that God has given to us. Just think if we heeded the warning and read the instructions before we blundered along trying to do things on our own. What a difference that could make. I am thankful that I am a morning person. Although, as of late, the mornings are early enough to still be considered night. That is a topic for another time. Anyway, I love to read the Word of God early in the morning to get the day started off right. It is good for me to read the instructions before I begin trying to check the boxes on my to-do list. From the Bible we are instructed: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Furthermore, 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law (“instruction” in some translations) always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7-9).
It is interesting that all three of the labels I discussed are simply offering practical advice (and trying to avoid lawsuits). If you think about it, the Bible offers the most practical advice on how we can and should live our lives. But of course, that only makes sense since it is written by the God who loves us and knows exactly what we need to know to live a life that is pleasing to Him. In all we do, let’s make it our goal to listen to His advice, cautions and warnings. In doing so, we can save ourselves a lot of problems and we can truly honor Him.
I hope to see you Sunday. Make the Lord bless you abundantly as you live for Him!
You are loved,
Pastor Larry
0 Comments