Hello Everyone,

Is it September already? Wow! Autumn is less than two weeks away. Where is our time going? Things are starting up and getting rolling again… things like Congress, school, football, TV shows… and so I thought it would be a good idea to get some weekly emails going again too. Indulge me to talk shop a bit…

In the past, I have written these weekly emails as an additional way to help us consider godly things. We’ve talked about the trustworthiness of the Bible, we discussed some of God’s attributes, (like His holiness), we covered the 10 Commandments and how they relate to true love, and this past Spring we beheld many different names of God and how they speak to His nature. And dear Chrissy (a current email list member) felt inspired to write a monthly message on the fruits of the spirit… ahem… so…  All these messages are archived on the Google group.

The email list has grown bigger, so let’s welcome the newcomers! Hiya peeps! I suppose the best way to look at these weekly emails is as a catalyst for thought and discussion. Lord knows, people on the list like to “lurk”, (that is just read and think), so sometimes it is hard to gauge a response… and others chime in and offer their comments/ questions/ 2 cents, etc. But as always, feel free to respond as your conscience directs!

The difference in these messages is that they are local, home-grown and personal, accessible, genuine, open, honest, and the real deal! I’ll be the first to say I’m a no-good sinner rescued only by the grace of God… On this list we have all kinds of people; male, female, young, old, black, white, a pastor, laymen, happy, sad, rich, poor, etc., And while we’re on this here earth, those who name the name of  Christ are expected to grow in grace. Can I hear an amen? Ha!

This time around, I’ll send out an email message every Wednesday (like today). My thinking is that Wednesday is in the middle of the long stretch between Sundays where you hopefully hear the word from your church pastor.

So now the Summertime hiatus is over, the great endeavor to get our brains back on God begins… woo hoo! Let’s roll!

What a Summer, huh? Craziness everywhere: young kids, the economy, politics, relationships, car repairs, body repairs, and weeds in the grass. I would guess our walks with Christ are all over the map too; some up, some down, some stuck in neutral, some making a bee-line to glory, and others lost like poor sheep without a shepherd.

Dear friends, you know something? What may come and what may go, Almighty God is still in controh. (ßwanted to make it rhyme) And His word (the Bible) does not change. Have you thought of that truth lately? Unchanging. Reliable. Absolute; not all wishy-washy or stuck in a rut like we can be. Check this out:

Malachi 3:6a
For I the Lord do not change;

Psalm 119:89
Forever, O Lord, Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.

Let that sink in for a moment….

What else is like God and His word? Um… Nothing! Think of how precious a diamond is. The Hope diamond: spotless and resting on a cushioned pad inside a glass display box under guard watch housed in the Smithsonian. I’ve seen it. I’ve been in the Kremlin museum too… no way could anything mess with the treasures in there.

But diamonds and like treasures are perishable. Though precious, they shall fade away one day. Can you fathom that the dusty old Bible you might have buried under other books on your nightstand or tucked away on a shelf somewhere, or the one you carry with you everywhere you go is unimaginably more precious than any thing else? Is contains the very word of Eternal and Almighty God.

The Holy Spirit tells us through the Apostle Paul why God’s word is precious…

Romans 1:16b
…it (the gospel) is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

“So Jim, what does this have to do with our walk with Christ?”

Well, as humans, we set our affections and attentions on the things we value. As we come out of the season of Summer and into Autumn, with sooo much going on now… what has your attention the most? What are you applying your most precious time towards? What is that great internal filter that everything in your mind must pass through before you will consider it?

Your walk with Christ, your Christian experience rises and falls with what you value the most. The One who knows us best tells it like it is…

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Straight up: The Bible is precious. How have you been regarding it?

**Comments/ questions/ affirmations/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim