The summer season is upon us and for many of you that means your well-worn routines are interrupted or changed. The kids are no longer in school, and if you homeschool, you are most likely taking a break from your curriculum. Warmer weather means more time spent outdoors in fellowship with others. You also have more opportunities for recreation, family vacations, and hosting out-of-town guests. All of these are good gifts from God for you to enjoy, but you should be aware of the ways in which they can disrupt your habits of Bible reading, prayer, or even church attendance. 

Summer is not a time to kick back and relax spiritually. There are no spiritual vacations in the Christian life. As the Apostle Peter wrote, we must always be sober-minded and watchful, because our adversary Satan never ceases from prowling like a lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Now being watchful does not simply mean avoiding temptation and killing sin—the putting off of your old self. It also means further cultivating in your life and your home good spiritual disciplines and habits—the putting on of your new self (Eph. 4:22–24). 

One foundational way to remain watchful and alert is to read the Word. We happen to be starting our summer Bible Reading Plan through the New Testament tomorrow, and this is a great opportunity to jump into daily Bible reading with others at a pace of 4 chapters a day. If that’s too much for you or if checking off boxes does the exact opposite of motivating you, then I encourage you to pick one or two books of the Bible to read and reread this summer, daily at your own pace. 

Regardless of your method, the exhortation is to start or continue to be in the Word consistently. Be vigilant. Be watchful. Take care of your soul and those entrusted to you. And enjoy God’s goodness to you and your families. 

Shawn Paterson – June 2, 2024

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Gen 1:2 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” When we read this verse our modern minds are quick to picture an impersonal ethereal fog, the Spirit, floating over a dark and confused blob of water and rock. But what is really happening here is an amazing act of personal love. Interestingly enough Calvin translates this verse as “the Spirit cherished the waters.” In Deuteronomy 32 the same word is used to describe God as an eagle that broods, hovers, cherishes her young children. This is the Spirit of God actively loving this chaotic void. This is God displaying his character right from the start. In other words, when God sees something that’s out of order He doesn’t scoff and look away. No, he rushes in, and with love in His heart, He cleans up the mess. And He doesn’t begrudgingly put things in order, He does it with love. He did it with the earth we stand on, He did it when he re-created your heart, and He continues to do it everyday as we cry out to Him. Not only do we benefit from this work but we also have the privilege of reflecting God as we live day to day. When you as a father, walk into a messy house at the end of the day with a tired wife and crying babies, instead of being frustrated, it is an opportunity to brood upon your world with love as you put things in order. When you as a mother, are woken up for the third time in the night to wrestle a diaper onto an infant, it is an opportunity to love your child with the same love that was shown to you. As we all look around at the cultural confusion that surrounds us; sodomy, political chaos, bodily mutilation & envy; it is an opportunity to eagerly participate in the dance of creation as our God and Saviour makes all things new.

Jeremiah Jasso – June 2, 2024

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“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”

Proverbs 18:12

The entire book of Proverbs is a book written to give instruction, to impart wisdom.  The first nine chapters are written with a strong personal connection between the teacher and the student…my son, listen to your father’s instruction.  And, as you go through these chapters, the son is reminded time and again to listen and follow the instructions.  

But can we hear without listening?  Yes, we know how easy it is to nod our heads without any intention of heeding the advice.  That is, putting the advice into practice.  But, what is it that causes this break in communication or readiness to ignore what we are being advised?  

At the most basic level, we could say that we think we are right in whatever path we are pursuing and the advice we are being given is wrong.  Would you agree that we could describe this as being ‘self-right’?  If you do, you would have to agree that in this case you could be described as self-righteous!  

It doesn’t sound as good when we call it by this name.  But, if we are honest, we always act on the basis of thinking that what we are doing at the moment is the right thing to do.  The only problem is who is defining what is right at that moment.  In the case of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying  together in the temple in Luke 18, we hear in their prayers that the Pharisee is confident that he has done everything right.  The tax collector, on the other hand, is beating his chest honestly about the fact that much of what he has been doing may have been right in his own eyes at the moment, but these things were clearly wrong in the sight of God — and he is coming clean with them.  

The commendation from Jesus for the tax collector is that he was humble before the Lord.  And, this humility is the link between wisdom offered and wisdom received.  If we have a humble spirit, we are looking for the right definer of truth outside ourselves.  We are not self-righteous but God-righteous.  Without this heart attitude all the wisdom in the world is useless.  

Finally, we can be reminded that humility is commanded (necessary) to be applied toward God’s representatives:  parents, elders, leaders.  This is not to say that God’s representatives can’t be in error, but our going in attitude must be respectful in our judgement with a heart of thankfulness for them that will guard us against self presumption.

This reminds of our our need to confess our sins, so let’s prepare our hearts by singing.

Matt Meyer – June 2, 2024

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Jesus said that the Father has life in Himself. He added that the Father has given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26). And you must see what a grave mistake it would be to say, “And, yes, the Father has also granted me to have life in myself. Amen and amen.” No, no amen to that. The Father has not granted you to have life in yourself. He has granted you to have life. But that life is found in Him. It is His liveliness that is your life.

The great temptation that lurks in the marshlands, that temptation that would suck you down and snuff out your life, is the temptation to live apart from God. It is the temptation to go about your coaching, teaching, summering, purchasing, cooking, exercising, and all of your other ings in the same exact way unbelievers do. This can be tricky. Unbelievers coach, and teach, and summer, and purchase. You are doing the same activities, after all. But you must do them as what you are, which is one who has been brought into the life of the fully-alive Trinity.

If you attempt to go about your living severed from Him, you will have as much sweetness and flavor as one of those molded blueberries at the bottom of the container you forgot was in the back of the refridgerator. God has brought you into the bond of His covenant, and in that covenant He has given you life, a big wide world, an array of gifts and good works to enjoy. So resolve to never live outside of that bond of the covenant. The life you live, you live by faith. The life you enjoy is the life of the Trinity, which never grows old or stale.

Jared Longshore – May 26, 2024

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