Source of Real Life

Songs for today: The More I Seek You/Artist: Gateway Worship; Knowing You (All I Once Held Dear)/Artist: Promise Keepers; Breathe/Artist: Michael W. Smith

I could spend a long time writing this morning. There are a couple of topics that have really captured my attention. They are: (i) earnestness for the faith and discipleship of those we invest in as well as the source for that; and (ii) knowledge moving beyond our heads. I only have enough time to briefly touch on each of them. The songs listed above deal more with latter and my devotion this morning in Today in the Word by Moody Bible Institute had to do with the former.

Today's reading was 1 Thessalonians 3:8-10. V. 8 caught my attention "For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord." (NIV) I followed that "standing firm" thought up in the cross references of my Bible. It is not untrue to say that I could write on and on and on about standing firm. But the verse in the cross references to the cross reference was 2 Corinthians 1:21 which part a of says "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ." (My Bible often-times take you back to a central place where it has referenced many other instances of that phrase or idea rather than list them all in each instance. This makes a lot of sense.)

The second part is just something that I want to begin praying more and more about. I will need to search for Scriptural support, but I believe I will undoubtedly find it without taking the Word out of context. I could fill my head with all kinds of Knowledge about the Bible. I could read and hear great prayers. I could regurgitate that material and people would think that I had the greatest Bible knowledge and was a committed prayer warrior. But if it doesn't penetrate my kardia (see yesterday's post), then what is it? If I don't move beyond knowing the claims of Christ and trust in Him, then what do I have but knowledge that leaves me in a worse position than before. How would it leave me in a worse position that before? Because having been presented the truth and rejecting it is worse than not having ever been presented the truth. The eternal destination in either case is the same, but the punishment is not equal.

My prayer then is that the things I learn about God and the prayers I pray and the things I write don't reside alone in my brain, but permeate every part of my life.