6/12/2020
Desk of Dennis Piller
Meditation Seminar for overcoming Sin
Are you ready to sign up? The secret of winning out over temptations and sin! Wow, wouldn’t that be a best seller? #1 on the NY Times list… Sold Out first addition. The truth is you could write that book yourself. The secret is NOT so secret but directly under our noses. All we have to do is open the Bible! Every answer to keeping ourselves pure, committed, righteous, holy, forgiven, full of grace, and walking in peace. Ps 119: 9-10
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
HOW? Live according to His inspired word! HIS WORDS! You have heard the term, Practice makes Perfect! Wrong, it doesn’t. If you practice it “wrong” it will never be perfect. Or how about if you don’t practice at all, how good will you be at ANYTHING?
We all want to be good at something. We want to be credentialled. We want some acclaim for our talents. It’s natural but no one wants to practice. You hear the stories of Olympians, professional athletes who practice day and night just to get the chance to compete at their high levels. So many of us are envious and wished we could sign that multi-million dollar sign-on bonus check. But the truth is we won’t pay the price and practice.
PS 119: 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Does that sound like a treasure to you? Life is uncertain. Who would like to live a life of complete predictability? (Think about being at home for 8 weeks with nowhere to go. The same daily routines. Sounds like COVID 19) Life IS uncertain, unpredictable, challenging, unexpected is the daily dish. We must be prepared for it without a bible slug to our leg like a six-shooter. We need it in the forefront of our minds and hearts. Being ready in season and out of season to call on His word and the strength of His direction.
PS 119: 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. Are you reading this? I rejoice as one with great riches. The treasure of a lifetime. Matt 13:44 “The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid”.
John Calvin writes that this parable is intended to instruct believers to prefer the Kingdom of heaven to the whole world, and therefore to deny themselves and all the desires of the flesh, that nothing may prevent them from obtaining so valuable a possession.
God’s word is supposed to mean more to us than ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD! So can I be direct? Why isn’t it? Do we just hate reading that much? I actually have people tell me they don’t like to read. (That’s their excuse) I wonder if they would feel that way if they had cancer and heard their healing was between the covers of this Instruction Manual for Life?
What are we missing as believers? I hear all the time people saying. I am SOLD OUT to God. I want to be a better son of God, Father, Husband! But they have no discipline in reading the word of God. Being empowered by the word of God. And realizing the treasure that they have is worth more than life itself. I’m sorry but am I missing something here?
VS 15 says we MUST meditate on God’s word, day and night. We have to take the time, (that none of us have) Make the time for life, ponder God’s words, and receive directly from the Holy Spirit help in translating His instructions for our unique situations.
Meditating requires intentionality, obedience. This is not a microwave fix. It is a slow transforming process that changes us from glory to glory, more into the image of God himself. As time progresses we find it was a seminar to avoid sin, because we want to. We find it pleasing and calming to sit in the lap of God himself and have him keep operating on us minute by minute. Treasuring Gods’ word in our hearts begins with taking the time to read His word. There is not a shortcut. No roundabout. No substitute.
Lord, let me improve by just 5% today to read your word. Help me this week be disciplined to seek your face and treasure the value of who you are.
Father, Son, Spirit (Official Lyric Video) // A Table Full Of Strangers // Jason Upton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qULnbRmU0F8
