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South Fellowship Church

Week 02

Enjoying Eternal Pleasures

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[b]  one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16 NIV

Footnote [b] holy

“You need to sit down! I want you to have some pleasure.” My father offered me a glass of wine, something simple to eat, and an opportunity for a relaxed conversation. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever met, but he refused to rush and took frequent breaks to enjoy the world around him. Unlike my father, I work intensely, and wear myself out. I had been cleaning out cupboards for him, and as usual, wouldn’t rest until I reached my goal for the day. My father was concerned because I was working too hard in a single minded pursuit of my goals.

Why did my father say “pleasure” and not “rest”? Why does Psalm 16 conclude by connecting a “life that pleases God” with “eternal pleasures”? Are “eternal pleasures” to be enjoyed only in eternity, or are they never ending gifts Christians can, and perhaps even should enjoy right now? After observing my father’s example, I believe that taking time every day to experience this pleasure is necessary in a healthy Christian life.

In his first message in the current series on marriage and relationships, Alex pointed out that people inside and outside of the church often conflate love and sex. Similarly, I think we often see pleasure and sex as synonymous. I’d also venture to guess that pleasure is not something we often enjoy as Christians and as Americans. A brief word study of the Bible reveals something quite interesting — God is often described as having pleasure; He delights in people who are living lives like the one described in Psalm 16. When human pleasure is mentioned in a negative way, it often describes peoples’ out-of-bounds activity and selfish pursuit of sexual satisfaction.

Can we as frail humans experience pleasure and also say:

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:6 NIV

Could it be that humans can be mentally and physically healthier, more joyful, and more resistant to distorted pursuits of pleasure when we take time to experience pleasure in creation around us and in our non-intimate relationships? Could taking the time to pause to rest from our God given use of our talents help us connect more with Him and with others? Can opening ourselves to our senses — whether we are single, widowed, divorced or married — help us love God and our neighbor more deeply?

Based on observing my father, I believe “pleasure” is different from other words that describe a full life in relationship with God — joy, delight, blessedness, and peace — yet it’s an integral part of Christian life. “Pleasure” most fully captures how we experience the world with our senses — sight, sound, hearing, touch, smell, taste. For my father, and me, it also includes having a sense of humor. Pleasure can be experienced by anyone, and not only those who are in an intimate relationship. My father showed me that pleasure can be experienced when we are all alone and in very ordinary, or in even less than optimal circumstances. He showed that sharing pleasure with someone else (a delicious meal or beautiful sight) magnifies the pleasure everyone experiences. My father’s approach to life showed what loving God and loving one’s neighbor as oneself in an abundant way can look like.

Application

Take time throughout the day to reflect on the amazing world we live in. What about God’s wonder and beauty can you experience most fully though your senses?

Consider watching the film, Babette’s Feast. See if this film would help you understand your own approach to life, pleasure, and faith?

Enjoying Eternal Pleasures2023-04-22T19:53:49-06:00

Red Couch Theology

Sermon Conversations with Alex and Aaron

There’s only so much we can cover in a Sunday morning gathering!
Each week, you’re invited to tune into our podcast. We expect to record our podcast “live” every Thursday at 11am.

What can you expect? Pastors Alex, Aaron, and the occasional guest having a casual conversation, diving deeper into ideas related to last Sunday’s teaching.

Ask Questions about the Sermon, “Imagery from Jeremiah” – A Lenten Sermon Series,
by texting 720-316-3893 prior to, or during the “LIVE” Thursday podcast.

Blog sites:

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCWnNSTN-6XA7oYy6TBfS0LAxqxPvxVjH

Apple Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guys-drinking-tea/id1616539767

Red Couch Theology2023-03-04T14:43:31-07:00

We’re in This Together

During this time of year, some Christians choose to observe the tradition of Lent, a season of penitence (heart change – not re-salvation) and fasting (reflecting Jesus’ 40 days in the Wilderness). This tradition was developed over the centuries as a formal, united way of remembering and venerating the key event of human history – Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

If you’ve chosen to observe Lenten practices, it seems wise to aim for more than abstaining from luxurious treats or pleasurable habits, to break ties with selfish pursuits. An additional benefit might be: heightened awareness that Jesus’ Kingdom community spans past, present, and future.

During Lent, our local church body is searching the prophecies of Jeremiah to gain deeper insight into the reason for this season. Here’s how the Lord begins his address to the nation of Judah in chapter 2. Notice references to a range of generations.

…. This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.” Jeremiah 2:2 NET

This is what the Lord says: What fault could your ancestors have possibly found in me that they strayed so far from me?
They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt?’”
Jeremiah 2:5-6a NET

“So, once more I will state my case against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren.” Jeremiah 2:9 NET

Like me, you may drift into the “just me and God” approach that is almost automatic when considering fasting, reflecting, and gaining greater intimacy with him. Constant exposure to our individualistic culture causes us to forget the Holy Spirit has inextricably linked us to an eternal multitude of other loyal members of his Kingdom. God makes no allowances for “Lone Ranger” Christianity. Jesus followers have been, are, and will be affected by the actions and attitudes of each other.

In Jeremiah 3, we find a prescribed prayer of repentance for the nation of Judah (God’s chosen Kingdom of that time).
Notice its corporate nature.

Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors;
from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 3:25 NIV

The word picture below, included in my devotional last week, may provide additional understanding:

…my people have committed a double wrong:
They have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot even hold water. Jeremiah 2:13 NET

God’s desire isn’t just to turn us from the selfish pursuit of digging our own cisterns. Only our Lord can dig deep wells in our hearts and fill them with his fountain of life-giving water. Only he can repair subsequent “leaks” in our hearts as we fully embrace his ways. The secure heart-cisterns crafted by him are individual; but a filling with his life-giving water is common to all who trust him. As believers throughout time fully committed to him, all of us benefit – we’re in this together.

Consider this motto of the 300 Moravians who, after an emotional revival in 1727, took God’s refilling seriously and became renowned for 100 years of continuous, corporate prayer:

“None of us liveth unto himself”

The Moravians’ devotion to prayer and each other undergirded amazing advances of the Gospel.
During this season, if you’ve considered fasting or abstaining from a personal luxury or habit in hope that his Spirit will overflow both in your life and the lives of others, here are straightforward and familiar scriptures you can apply. Give special attention to corporate and individual themes as well as promised rewards.

How to enter fasting (hint: led by the Spirit)

Fasting

Prayer

We’re in This Together2023-03-04T14:32:37-07:00

This is a Wake Up Call!

Marriage is the most explicit metaphor Jeremiah uses in his wake up call for Judah. This is his message:  the people and leaders claimed to worship God in the temple. In reality, they had long gone off in search of other gods. Jeremiah describes Judah’s sins in such graphic detail that this book may seem irrelevant to us. If we scratch beyond the surface, however, we’ll realize we need this wake up call too.

Jeremiah, speaking for God, describes the single minded love the nation of Judah had had toward Him:

“I remember your youthful loyalty, our love as newlyweds.
You stayed with me through the wilderness years, stuck with me through all the hard places.”
Jeremiah 2:2b (The Message)

When Jeremiah arrived on the scene, Judah had become corrupted by the worship of Baal. God was the perfect spouse, yet Judah had grown bored of worshiping Him:

“Have I let you down, Israel? Am I nothing but a dead-end street?
Why do my people say, ‘Good riddance! From now on we’re on our own?’”  Jeremiah 2:31 The Message

The prophet doesn’t mince words. The people and leaders of Judah have become shameless in their search for new gods to worship:

“A long time ago you broke out of the harness.
You shook off all restraints.
You said, ‘I will not serve!’ and off you went,
Visiting every sex-and-religion shrine on the way, like a common whore.”
Jeremiah 2:20 The Message

What’s worse, they deny any wrongdoing:

“How dare you tell me, ‘I’m not stained by sin.
I’ve never chased after the Baal sex gods!’”
Jeremiah 2:23 The Message

Rather than listening to the prophet and changing their ways, the nation dooms itself to exile in Babylon.

Judah’s root-sins are idolatry (which Jeremiah describes as neglecting their first love for God), and their unrepentance. Judah seems so much more sinful than we could imagine being. If we are honest, however, we also commit the sin of idolatry and have unrepentant hearts.

Application

Are there ways that you’ve stopped loving God? Do other ways of living seem more attractive? There are so many idols that can take first place in our lives-–busyness, self importance, material success, comfort and security, pleasing others, career, family,… In fact anything, even good things, can become idols when we make them all-important. Take a moment to reflect on where your thoughts routinely lead you. Confess any thoughts and actions that detract from loving God. Then, keep it up! He will welcome us with open arms when we repent.

This is a Wake Up Call!2023-03-04T13:56:10-07:00

Water – Cool Clear Water. Where Do We Find It?

Jeremiah used several colorful water figures of speech in Chapter 2 of Jerimiah.

My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.  Jeremiah 2:13 NIV

Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way? Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Shihor? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the River? Jeremiah 2:17-18 NIV

Shihor is a tributary of the Nile, and “the River” is the Euphrates. Jeremiah observed Judah seeking help from Egypt and Assyria instead of depending on God. The Lord offered them refreshing life-giving water; instead they were either building their own broken cisterns (by worshiping wooden idols), or they were looking to their enemies to save them.

“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced– they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets. They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.“
Jeremiah 2:26-27 NIV

Have you ever seen a spring of fresh water, perhaps in the mountains? It is an amazing sight, fresh clear water bubbling up right out of the ground and flowing down, providing life to animals, plants, even people. Here is a picture of one. https://images.app.goo.gl/zxmGgdtYtaYwV8YJ8

The First Responder

Before we judge and point fingers at rebellious Judah, perhaps we should look at our lives – our own hearts. I myself have a tendency to be self-sufficient, to want to solve my own problems on my own, to fix the problem myself, neglecting to ask for help from God or anyone else. How about you? Is your first response to a problem to turn to God, to pray and ask for help, wisdom, insight and direction?

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.  Psalm 36:5-10 NIV

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10 NIV

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 NIV

This week, read Jeremiah 2, perhaps in various versions. Listen to what the Holy Spirit tells you that you need to confess, or need to change. Thank God: that Jesus is our living water, that Jesus is our fountain of life, that through him, His Holy Spirit lives in us and is our eternal life.

Water – Cool Clear Water. Where Do We Find It?2023-03-04T12:45:28-07:00

God Forsaken – God Remembered

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,

I remember [earnestly] the lovingkindness and devotion of your youth, Your time of betrothal [like that of a bride during the early years in Egypt and again at Sinai], When you followed Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. Israel was holy [something set apart from ordinary purposes, consecrated] to the Lord, The first fruits of His harvest [in which no outsider was allowed to share]….’”
Jeremiah 2:1-3 AMP

,,,, This is what the Lord says:

“What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines,
a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’
I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.
The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.” Jeremiah 2:4-8 NIV

Looking at a chart of the kings of Judah and Israel, only 7 in Judah did what was right in God’s eyes. Three, one of which was Solomon, started well when they were young, but did evil as they grew older.

The United Kingdom was split after Solomon’s reign into Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Thirteen of the kings in Judah did evil, and all 19 in Israel did evil. Along with the priests and prophets who deceived the people with pleasing words (living under such leadership for so many years), it is not surprising that the majority of the people refused to listen, much less desire to change, as a result of God’s warnings to them through Jeremiah.

I can barely imagine how it grieved God to see his people continually slide into evil, rejecting his continuing effort to draw them close to himself in covenant fellowship and love.

In Ezekiel 33:11 NIV, God says,

”Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back (change your way of thinking), turn back [in repentance] from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”

And Jesus as he wept over the city:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37 NIV

Let’s take time as we study Jeremiah to learn from his interaction with God and what God told him to say about how to draw close to God in our own lives. Psalm 1 is a good reminder of how to focus on remaining in God’s love and care.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:1-6

God Forsaken – God Remembered2023-03-04T11:24:04-07:00

Red Couch Theology

Sermon Conversations with Alex and Aaron

There’s only so much we can cover in a Sunday morning gathering!
Each week, you’re invited to tune into our podcast. We record our podcast “live” every Thursday at 11am.
What can you expect? Pastors Alex, Aaron, and the occasional guest having a casual conversation, diving deeper into ideas related to last Sunday’s teaching.

Ask Questions about the Sermon, “Listening to God’s Voice”, by texting 720-316-3893 prior to /or during the “LIVE” Thursday podcast.

Blog sites:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCWnNSTN-6XA7oYy6TBfS0LAxqxPvxVjH

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guys-drinking-tea/id1616539767

Red Couch Theology2023-02-11T11:15:21-07:00

Keep On Reading! Keep On Listening!

In 1969, my maternal grandmother(Granny), was able to get a “Books for the Blind” record player and some talking books from the organization for the blind. Granny could see to get around but could no longer see to read, which was a deep grief for her. My sister’s family and mine went together to buy Granny a King James Bible of her own. It was on, as I recall, 60 LP, 16 speed records. She was thrilled.

Granny lived with her daughter, my Aunt Carol, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. When I went to visit them, Granny and I would sit in her bedroom and listen to various books and usually at least one of the Bible chapters she was currently in. The sewing machine was in her room, and I could sew while we listened.

I missed listening to books when I got back home and was a bit envious because there wasn’t any way to get them for me. Then a year or so later I read about an audio lending organization in Norman, Oklahoma where I could get Bible study cassettes. It was great—they came in the mail, I listened, and sent them back in exchange for others. My favorite teacher was Howard (Howie) Hendricks. I enjoyed his voice and his ability to make comments stick. One talk I treasure is a conversation he’d had with Dr. Harry Ironside who said, ”The hundredth time I read this verse, God brought this to mind.” Howard said, ”A HUNDRED TIMES?!!!!” At that time, I guess, Howie couldn’t imagine doing that.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read various parts of the Bible, but there are certain favorite scriptures where the Lord has shown me something I hadn’t thought about before. For instance: “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) NKJV. He brought to mind, “If I really am, ‘delighting myself in the Lord’, He IS the desire of my heart and I can ask Him what his heart’s desires are for me.”

About 12 years ago, South Fellowship did the “Ninety Day Through the Bible” program. I did much of my reading via audio, because I had a business finishing quilts for people, and I could do the sewing while listening. There were things I heard and remembered better than when I would read the same sections. Later, I would go through and mark my Bible so that I could go back to those verses and ponder them.

I am grateful these days for various Bible apps that contain multiple versions that I can move back and forth in. Some have audio and study tools, as well as access to suggested teachers and videos. I’ll be praying that your Bible reading/listening becomes a desire of your heart and a delight to you.

Keep On Reading! Keep On Listening!2023-02-11T11:07:52-07:00

How Do We Hear the Voice of God?

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV

Let’s look at a few of the ways God spoke to various people in the Bible. Moses heard God’s voice come from a burning bush, Joseph heard God’s voice in dreams. Balaam heard God in the voice of a donkey, David heard God through the rebuke of Nathan the prophet. Elijah heard God on both Mt. Carmel in the fire and in the still small voice on Mt. Horeb. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, heard God’s voice in dreams, and Mary heard from God by way of an angel’s visit, as did Abraham. Peter had a vision about clean and unclean food, and God used it to help him understand more fully that the gospel was for gentiles as well Jews. Paul heard an audible voice on the road to Damascus and became a believer in Jesus instead of a persecutor of His people.

How do we listen for and hear the voice of God? In what way has he spoken to you and me? First, Jesus tells his disciples,

He who belongs to God hears what God says. John 8:47a NIV

Then He speaks about the role of the Holy spirit,

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. John 15:26 NIV

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:12-15 NIV

But how do we actually “hear” God’s voice? For me, God primarily speaks through scripture – often a phrase or a word seems to jump off the page and grabs my attention. If we want to hear God’s voice, we need to be regularly reading the Bible. Music often speaks God’s truth to me – when I am still and able to hear it. Often God uses sermons or teaching to proclaim His truth to me. When I am praying, often the Holy Spirit prompts me to pray for someone, or for a situation, or I become aware of an attitude or sin I need to confess to God. If we want to hear God’s voice, we need to be regularly praying, and spending some of that time simply listening to hear what God has to say. Frequently during my daily activities, the Holy Spirit reminds me of a person who has a need, and He prompts me to meet that need.

How do we know if it is the voice of God we are hearing? God’s voice will always sound like Jesus: because Jesus is God, His voice will align with His own teaching.

Spend some time listening to God’s voice. Choose one of these ways listed above, or something else that works for you. Remember, Elijah heard God in the still small voice on Mt. Horeb.

How Do We Hear the Voice of God?2023-02-11T10:35:11-07:00

Traveling Mercies

Travelling is one of the great themes in the Bible. Abraham left his home and journeyed to a foreign land in obedience to God’s command, Jesus and his disciples spent three years traveling together, and Paul, Timothy, and James were missionaries in foreign lands. The life of faith that Christians are called to, described through the life-journeys of believers in Hebrews 11, is both beautiful and sobering.

The idea of being on a journey resonates with every human, because we are constantly encountering new challenges in which wisdom is needed. Whether on a voyage far from home or while making a way through various stages of life, acting with wisdom is difficult. The choices we need to make are usually complicated. Many circumstances in life are beyond the scope of our influence. In those cases we especially need the wisdom to trust that God is in control. How do Christians learn to live wisely on this journey of life?

These verses tell us that we need to rely on both Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy. 3:16-17 NIV

“I have much more to say to you. It is more than you can handle right now. 13 But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears. And he will tell you what is still going to happen. 14 He will bring me glory. That’s because what he receives from me he will show to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said what the Holy Spirit receives from me he will show to you.” John 16:12-15 NIV

If the Bible can “thoroughly equip (us) for every good work” why do we need the Holy Spirit? Isn’t learning from a book, and especially the Bible, more reliable than learning from a spirit? What could the Holy Spirit add to what the Bible can teach us?

“I have much more to say to you. It is more than you can handle right now. John 16:12

We need to be taught as we go through life stages. To take an everyday example: a child entering preschool needs to learn the basics of making friends and taking turns. Getting a lecture on choosing a career path would be more than they could handle. In the same way, Jesus taught his disciples with truth that was relevant to them, and the Holy Spirit meets us where we are.

The Bible is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. (2 Timothy 3:16b). But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13)

The Spirit helps us understand how to apply scripture to our lives and will prompt us to act and speak in ways that build his kingdom. Jesus did not give his disciples a huge amount of information while expecting them to figure out how it applied to all the situations in which they would find themselves. He taught them more through stories and by his example of his actions in many situations. In the same way, the Holy Spirit assists us in applying the Bible’s wisdom to everyday life.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

We can all get discouraged, and need perspective and the comfort that the Holy Spirit provides. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will be a comfort to all believers in whatever circumstance we find ourselves.

Application:
In 1 Kings 19:12b, God speaks to Elijah in “the sound of a low whisper”, not through the awesome and mighty sounds of the wind, earthquake, and fire that preceded it. In his message, Alex said that this “thin” sound is like milled grain being poured into a container.

Find a place where you can encounter ‘thin’ sounds. Some of my personal favorites sounds – wind whispering through dry grasses, the metallic brushing of Canadian geese in flight, melting snow and ice, and a chain moved by the wind, swinging against a flagpole with an irregular rhythm. Even in a noisy household, there are ‘thin’ sounds–a small child breathing, a pet padding across a hardwood floor, chopping and stirring as food is prepared.

As you tune into thin and beautiful sounds in our noisy world, ask God to help you be sensitive to the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit.

Traveling Mercies2023-02-12T17:50:44-07:00
DEC. 24TH, 2 & 4PM

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