Okay. We’ve made it all the way to post #2 for 2017. For those skeptics out there as to whether I can top last year – I only have to post 6 more times to surpass my dismal 2016 showing… so I am well on my way! Regarding as to what days to check for new posts, my plan is to send one out three times a week – on Mon, Wed, & Fri mornings.
I have a few quotes, passages, and thoughts that I had planned to share in 2016 which I never did, so before I move into sharing some newer thoughts for 2017, I am going to strap into my time machine and go back 11 months to pick up some ideas that I jotted down last year when I was a much younger man. Let’s start with the idea of Lip-Service Christianity:
God doesn’t want a relationship with you where you only talk to Him once a week on Sunday morning for an hour, or where you ask Him for things only when you are in big trouble, or where you pay lip-service to being a Christian but have no actions that back up your words.
Can you imagine being in a marriage with someone who tells you: “I really care about you, but due to the fact that I am really busy, we will only be able to spend time together one hour a week – let’s say Monday night for dinner – I’ll carve that hour out and we’ll eat together at a restaurant each week – you will have my undivided attention for that entire hour – I’ll even let you choose the restaurant. During the rest of the week, if I need you then I’ll call you. And regarding the weekends, you know that it is important for me to have time for myself for recreation to get recharged for the upcoming week. But it will make that one hour a week on Monday nights really good – something we both really look forward to.”
How ridiculous. Of course we’d never agree to such a relationship. So why would we think that God wants a relationship with us like that?
Let’s be honest – He doesn’t.
He wants us to spend time with Him every day where He is speaking to us through our reading of His Word. And then He wants us to spent time with Him every moment of the day through continual prayer. And if we do so, then it will change our behavior.
Move out of Lip-Service Christianity into a relationship with Jesus that changes your life.
And that will only happen as you make the intentional effort to start reading the Bible. If you aren’t sure where to start, I’d recommend Mark, then John, then Acts. As you read, jot down some ideas to pray about from what you are reading, and when you finish reading, stop and pray for each.