Friday, Aug 22, 2008

TWG - August 22, 2008

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TWG - August 22, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 28:1-19; Psalm 76; 1 Peter 4

Today is August 22, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Yesterday was a day of crisis. When it rains it pours. Problems don’t come in single soldiers, they come in whole battalions! I was working away on an AWANA mailing when a guy in our church came in to talk about the difficulties in his life. After about a half hour, another guy dropped by to say that he was thinking of moving out on his wife. I spent the next hour or two with them, and hooked them up with counselor Clay Tillman. I also have been trying to contact a gal who needs to talk to me about a compulsive gambling problem, and another couple I have been trying to set up counseling with! Woah! I finally finished the mailing and made some modifications on the web site to advertise our AWANA ministry. Then it was off to the DC racetrack for some practice laps in Don’s race car. That was a learning experience. I guess I will be racing with the big boys this Saturday! Now that is something to ponder. I put a picture of me during the Faster Pastor race on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"

College was a challenge to my formative mind. I was not quite prepared for the culture shock of having to actually study to get good grades! I had sailed though my last two years of high school with high marks; nearly straight As! Quite a contrast to my lowly grade school experience! But I was unskilled and undisciplined at study. My sophomore year of college I dropped out in favor of marriage and then a few years later went back and finished my degree. Then, I was ready for it! I worked hard and got very good grades and graduated 2nd in my class! High school was like “Milk Toast” to me, but College was a different story… It took discipline and hard work to make it. Maturity is like that. There are several marks of maturity that you should strive to add to your life: 1) You teach others. 2) You are skilled in the Word. 3) You have “aged” 4) You practice your faith 5) You can discern good from evil. Aim for maturity. It is the only thing that makes sense. Immaturity is for people who don’t mind repeating the same stupid mistakes over and over! So let’s talk about what you have to do to get there. Teach Others. We already have noted that one important way to measure your maturity is whether or not you have graduated from learner to teacher. It’s everyman’s goal. Become Skilled in the Word. Skill is learned. Even those with natural talent have to perfect it. One of the best ways to develop a skill is to put it into practice and have others critique it. Yesterday I did practice laps on the race track. When I came in Don told me what I was doing wrong and how to correct it. Then I went out and did it again. Saturday I’ll put that advice to the test. Skill in the Word takes study, application and then we need a sounding board or a mentor to tell us how we are doing at it. Sometimes that’s a trial. But maturity demands that I understand the Manual! Third: Aging. There is no question that a new Christian can be “spiritual,” and that an old Christian can be “unspiritual.” But Maturity requires time. We must experience life’s trials and tribulations before we are of “full age.” How much time? Jesus spent three years with the disciples before he let them go. The Jews didn’t consider someone mature until they were 30. There is no magic number. It just takes time! That’s because we need to Practice our Faith. We have to “exercise our senses.” This is the idea of a “boot camp for the mind.” Exercise is vigorous, exhausting and stretching. In order to practice our faith, we have got to go through deep waters while trying to apply the truths we have learned. And the point of that exercise is so that you can discern good from evil. Sadly, some Christians are easy prey. We don’t know how to spot a fraud nor can we pick out the genuine article. How do you make good decisions? Experience. Where do you get experience? Bad decisions! And a steady application of God’s Word. In Olympic terms, “Go for the Gold.”

Dear Father. Thank you for the process that leads to maturity. Help me to constantly challenge myself to learn and grow so that I can be just like Jesus. Take me through the boot camp of Christian maturity so that I will gain the experiences needed to have my senses sharpened. I am ready to learn and grow.

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength

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