Category: focus

These words from Deuteronomy are our sermon text today:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 NIV)

Moses, through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, spoke words of prophesy about the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. This was why the Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come. Unfortunately, however, many of the Jewish leaders were not open to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He sent Jesus to be born in humble circumstances in a manger.

God, open our hearts and minds to both recognize and listen to your Holy Spirit.

Does your family regularly read the Bible aloud together? Ours does not, but the following words convict me that we should. These are from a text by Charles Spurgeon:

As we sow we reap. Let us expect our children to know the Lord. Let us from the beginning mingle the name of Jesus with their A B C. Let them read their first lessons from the Bible. It is a remarkable thing that there is no book from which children learn to read so quickly as from the New Testament: there is a charm about that book which draws forth the infant mind. But let us never be guilty, as parents, of forgetting the religious training of our children; for if we do we may be guilty of the blood of their souls.

This evening for our Spiritual Parenting class we are reading chapter 3 of “Prayer Encounters,” and will consider the following verses from the Bible:

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17 NIV)

I am going to lead our family in some oral Bible reading together in the coming week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

These are my notes from Mateen Elass’ sermon today on August 11, 2013.

God calls us to focus not on the things of this world, but on our relationship with God.

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:16-21 NLT)

The average house size has grown immensely for average US citizens the past few decades, at the same time storage rental facilities have boomed in popularity to store all our stuff.

No where in this story from Jesus do we see or hear the rich man mentioning God or talking with God. The man seeks advice and wisdom from himself, and “says to his soul” (the transcendent / eternal part of his life) to take it easy.

Some millionaires today have actually set up trust funds for themselves so they will have those funds when they are brought back to life hundreds of years in the future.

If you are consumed by your work, you may neglect your family, your health, and your relationship with God. We study the Bible so we will desire the things God desires. The world, however, speaks with a megaphone and says otherwise: The world tells us to focus on consumption and ourselves.

April 2011 example: “India bank termites eat piles of cash”

Retired CEOs in Naples, Florida, start measuring their lives by how many rounds of golf they can play. They find themselves leading empty lives.

Story of Katie as an elementary student, collecting pennies trick-or-treating at Halloween, for a fresh water mission project in Mexico.

Remember: Life is NOT about the accumulation of THINGS.

I pray for a harvest of righteousness in my life, for our family, in our community, state and nation.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11 NIV)