Get the Message

As I read through the Bible this year, I have decided to read from The Message. I have used this version many different times in preaching and enjoy the different perspective it brings for me. As I started this morning, I read an essay by Andrew Peterson (author of this version) that shared the concept of Read, Think, Pray, Live. This isn't the first time that I have heard this from him, but it is something I have been meditating on all day long. 

I strongly believe in the authoritative power of God's Word for our lives. I have no doubt in my mind at all about its complete accuracy and the ability of that Word to create a tension that can only be resolved through the power of the Holy Spirit. In spite of my confidence in the veracity of the Word and God's ability to reveal His true nature through it, I sometimes struggle with maintaining my firm commitment to reading & applying it. I find myself getting distracted or even (dare I say it?) bored as I read through the year. It can lead to periods of time when I am reading for the sake of reading and no life transformation or powerful revelation seems to occur. 

Dwelling on Peterson's challenge of Read, Think, Pray, Live narrows my focus to what is important and is something that can be encouraging to anyone. We don't necessarily have to figure it all out as we sit there. There doesn't have to be a resounding chorus of angels singing as we read it. What will happen as we follow those four words is that we will be striving to put into practice (in our flawed & mistake-filled fashion) what we read, and trusting God to guide us as we trust Him. Those four actions will identify us as Christ followers who are committed to studying the Scriptures, letting our mind work around them, seeking God's wisdom, and then taking action. 

I'd like to see what would happen when a local church is filled with people committed to doing just that.

The Right Way

When things don't go as well as I would hope (both from a personal and a ministry perspective) I tend to analyze and strategize. I will ask questions and dialogue with people that I trust to see what we might do differently to achieve greater impact and results. The problem with doing things this way is that it cuts God out of the equation far too much because I haven't spent the time in prayer.

I feel that I understand the power of prayer and truly believe that God hears us and answers us, but in practice my prayer life doesn't reflect that dedication enough. I feel safe enough to say that is probably the case for a lot of people. When we are in trouble or things start to fall apart around us we will certainly turn to God for solutions. How much different would our individual lives and God's church be if we faithfully petitioned Him each day for powerful things though? How much would our faith increase through that process of trusting and seeing answers? Are we willing to utilize the gift of prayer that He has given to us in the way that He intended for us to use it?

I see in Scripture that God is waiting to bless us and to use us here in mighty ways if we will only seek Him through prayer. I am challenged this morning to eagerly speak to God and to ask for His favor as we continue to move people closer to Him-and then to believe that those prayers will be answered.

"Nothing is more important to God than prayer in dealing with mankind. But is it likewise all-important to man to pray? Failure to pray is failure along the whole line of life. It is failure of duty, service and spiritual progress. God must help man by prayer. He who does not pray, therefore, robs himself of God's help and places God where he cannot help man. Man must pray to God if love for God is to exist."  E.M. Bounds