Monday's Musings

Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening and Monday morning are times of reflection for me regarding the services on Sunday. This may vary from Pastor to Pastor but most of us have those moments in which we have a time of introspection and we look back on the words or thoughts that we shared with the congregation that we were addressing. I am always asking myself this question, "Did I convey God's message to His people?" It is very easy to share statistics, ideas, plans, scriptures and even amusing stories BUT DID I SPEAK FROM AND WITH THE HEART OF GOD TO HIS PEOPLE? I must be able to answer that question correctly in my mind or it becomes a long week of second guessing myself!!

This morning I have taken those moments of reflection a little deeper into my past weeks of preaching. I have taken some time to look back at the first eight (8) Sunday's of preaching and I have reached a conclusion. I believe that this has been a period of time in which God has "reawakened" my heart to the need of developing a hunger, passion, desire, craving, searching, pursuing, longing, etc. for a deeper walk with Christ. Yesterday the words casual and passionate began to rise in my heart and be spoken out loud to our congregation. I said these words yesterday and I still believe them today; "Far too many Christians are taking a causal approach to their relationship with God rather than a passionate approach to their relationship with God." 

A casual approach to Christ is far easier and certainly less intrusive. Let's face this issue head on, we don't enjoy those situations in life that call for an intrusion in our body such as: needles, blood tests, surgery, and any other intrusive procedures. We may even ask the question, "Dr., do you have any medicine that will correct this problem rather than a surgical procedure?" Isn't it safe to say that our "soul" has a tendency to resist the intrusion of the Spirit when He challenges us to lay aside the sins and weights that so easily slows down our journey with God? It is a lot easier to drop back into casual than it is to pay the price of full surrender to Christ during these crucial encounters with God. I was asking God earlier this morning to help me move from casual to passionate and I am asking God to awaken the family of God and lead each of us from casual to passionate.

I will leave you with these words of Jesus. Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Emphasis Added)

To be Continued...