I have a regular speaking engagement each month in the elementary chapel at my son's school. I have been working my way through the book of II Timothy with them under the title 27 Imperatives from Second Timothy. It continues to amaze the teachers, faculty and me that first through fifth graders can absorb and enjoy exegesis -- a literal verse by verse exposition of the Scriptures as described in Nehemiah 8:8
So last Friday was my first visit of this school year and after a brief introduction and refresher, we got to the topic at hand, chapter 2 verses 11-13. We can talk about this in detail if you like, but the bottom line is that this quotation is likely a Baptismal recitation of the early church.
- Verse 11 draws the picture of our decision to follow Christ and our transformation from death to life.
- The first half of Verse 12 points to the tie between suffering and reward
- The second half of Verse 12 draws out the reality that I can make a wilful choice for Christ for the wrong reasons or in a half-hearted way and wind up 'backing out' later
- Verse 13 is the Ah-h-h-h at the end of all that. 'If we are faithless...' It is were I live and probably where you live too. We've made a sincere decision to follow and yet we blow it. We don't set out to be faithless, but that is so often what I am. And to this Paul adds the comfort: 'He will remain faithful for he cannot disown Himself.'
It's insanely busy here just now and my quiet times have suffered and in the hunger pangs that surface from that, the Spirit brings back to me that "If (or more accurately for us: When) I am faithless, He will remain faithful for he cannot disown Himself."
Thank you, Oh my Father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit 'til
Your work on earth is done
There is nothing that is in front of you or I today that we cannot be victorious over. Not because we're all that, but because "He who promised is faithful, He will bring it to pass". Some stuff might not get done the way we think it should or when we think it should, we may hear about how we botched something up, but we can walk in the absolute assurance that being obedient to the Word and to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they together seek to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ is the Victorious thing to do.
Thank you for hearing me today
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1 comment:
Kevin you are right where my heart is this week.. i totally agree with the absorption rate of Elementary kids.. about 6-7 years ago a friend of mine started a prayer & bible study group for a bunch of kids that same age.. It was only Prayer & Bible study one day after school. When she left our area about a year later I took on the leadership and it always amazed me that the kids didn't want a "dumb it down" gospel. I used big words and they ate it up to learn what they meant.. I pushed them until their brains hurt and they LOVED the challenge. Now those teens have a hunger and a fire for God that is amazing. Nothing that I did, but that He met them in their seeking. Their hunger for deeper things has grown their spiritual walk and it is AMAZING to see..This summer 100% of that group was involved in full-time summer camp ministry! Praise God!
About God's faithfulness.. I was thinking the SAME thing coming home from Canada this past weekend. After months of "dry" times with God, He met me at my old church in a beautiful way. He assured me that it was my "perception" of my life that was different- not reality. He was moving in powerful ways, He was being faithful - my walk with him was not dry in reality but my perception of it was. It stirred my heart and my faith to know that He was continuing on even with my floundering! He is SO much bigger than I know!
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