“If only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.” (Deuteronomy 15:5 NASB)
We have voiced a plethora of sayings that relate to the authority and sovereignty of our God. We say things like, “If God puts it on my heart,” “But God…,” and “God willing,” to name a few. Well, this morning I thought about, “When God…”
And while I could go on a diatribe of “When God” statements, such as: When God says. “Move,” move. When God says, “Stay,” stay put! When God says, “Do this or He says don’t do this or that,” respond in obedience. When God says, “Don’t worry! I got you,” Find comfort in spite of your circumstances, and excuse anxiety from your presence. When God says, “Return to me,” I don’t know about you, but I hope you will come running back. When God ask, “Who shall I send,” be like Isaiah and say, “Lord, send me!” Oh, you know we can continue with this diatribe, and I am sure by just reading what you have read so far, you have been moved to meditate on “When God.” But listen! There is one specific thing that the Lord put on my heart to share with you, and He even gave me an example to support that one specific thing. Are you ready? Okay! Keep reading!
When God, note I said, “When God;” When God inspires the pastor of your church to create and communicate an annual or longer-lasting theme, we, the members of the church, need to do more than remember it, do more than recite it, do more than respond with loud “amens” when it is expressed from the pulpit, do more than read it as it is printed on the weekly bulletin, or on come communique containing the church logo. We need to do more than just reflect on it! What do we need to do? Well, since you asked, let me tell you! We need to get real about it! We need to reveal it in our living for the benefit of the church and the kingdom of God. We need to reevaluate, often, just how well we are doing in making the theme come alive.
Here is the example to support what I just wrote. When our church started 36 years ago, the theme was “Small Means, But Great Results.” At year 35, our new Senior Pastor announced that the new theme would be, “A Loving Church Where Lives Are Changed By The Word of God.” Now, if the theme becomes real, the love that we show will, (1) disclose in action how we have indeed passed from death to life, (2) convince weary and lost souls by our real love that the theme is legitimate and it works, (3) validate the fact that the love of God that changed us, thus definitely substantiate that the word of God will transform lives for the better.
When God sends a new theme by the angel of your church, the pastor, or when God moves someone to remind you and other church members of the theme, remember you need to be real about it and reveal it in your living. Tell somebody else in your church, okay? Have a great day! Be blessed!
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King
The I hear the phrase, “When God,” it sparks my attention and commands my attention. When the Pastor shared the theme of the church, I said that’s a mouthful to remember. However, it is Biblical. The admonishment to live according to the word is not a mere suggestion. It is real and a pathway to righteous living.
I am moved and inspired by your response, really! Be blessed!