October 26th, 2019

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#15#Lukewarm

Saturday, October 26th, 2019

Have you ever stopped to take stock of your reading habits? I don’t mean whether you read or not but WHAT you are reading.  I did that recently but in a different way and for a different reason.  Let me explain.

Sitting on one of the edges of my desk (it is a 3-sided wrap-around) is a series of books. It is called the ESV Reader’s Bible in hardback and slipcover. The week before I started working on this Sunday’s message, I was curious as to my reading habits, especially as we close in on the end of 2019. At the time I was starting the book of Ecclesiastes (I am now in Isaiah) as I read through the Bible. I took note that I had already read through the NT in 2018 and remembered having started the OT before the end of the year. That means I have been reading the OT verse by verse, chapter by chapter all year long. During my morning Quiet Time I have also been including Psalms and Proverbs so my Bible reading has been almost exclusively the OT. I don’t mind telling you that it has been hard not to quit and even harder not to be bored. But even as I say that it has been a tremendously fantastic and enriching experience.

It has allowed me to see one huge truth: the waywardness of Israel. Chosen as God’s special people, they squander away their opportunities to be recognized as such. Reading their story is like reading the story of a bouncing child on a knee-laughing and giving moments of sheer enjoyment versus weeping and moments of pure, unadulterated frustration. I can’t even begin to register God’s sheer frustration and disappointment at their actions.

Then I realize that is me. That is you. Up and down in our emotions. Up and down in our temperature of following Jesus. Up and down in my desire to be with Him. Laodicea was like that. Lukewarm. Not a good state to be in.

This weekend is OVCF’s 15th anniversary.

Along with our celebration will be a challenge to avoid the lukewarm state that is so easy to fall into.

I’ll also be unveiling my theme for 2020.

Would you please pray for me? Would you please pray for the church as we meet and also to avoid the dreaded lukewarm state which is so easy to fall into? I thank you ahead of time.