Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
1 John 5
Everything in creation, except man, obeys the will of God. “Fire and hail, snow, and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling His Word” (Psalm 148:8). We remember the Book of Jonah, where we see the winds and waves, and even the fish, obeying God’s commands; however, Jonah persisted in disobeying. Even a plant and a little worm did what God commanded. However, the prophet stubbornly wanted his own way. Does that seem a little too familiar?
Disobedience to God’s will is a tragedy, but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. God does not want us to disobey Him, but neither does He want us to obey out of fear or duty. What is the secret of joyful obedience? It is to recognize that obedience is a family matter. We are serving a loving Father and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been born of God, we love God, and we love God’s children. And we demonstrate this love by keeping God’s commandments.
D.L. Moody is known for saying, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather.” We show our love to God, not by empty words but by willing works. We should not see ourselves as slaves obeying a master; but rather we are children obeying a loving Heavenly Father.
One of the tests of maturing love is our personal attitude toward the Bible, because in the Bible we find God’s will for our lives revealed. An unsaved man considers the Bible an impossible book, mainly because he does not understand its spiritual message. An immature Christian considers the demands of the Bible to be burdensome. He is somewhat like a little child who is learning to obey, and who asks, “Why do I have to do that?” or who screams, “I want to do this instead.”However, a Christian who experiences God’s perfecting love finds himself enjoying the Word of God and truly loving it. We should not read the Bible as a textbook, but rather we should read it as a love letter.
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to serve you out of love for who you are.
- Lord, please help me to love your word and to enjoy it as the love letter you intended it to be.
- Lord, please help me to demonstrate my love for you by the way I love those who are your children.
Political
- Representative Diana Farrington – District 30 – Utica
- Representative Graham Filler – District 93 – Sumner Twp.
- Representative Ben Frederick – District 85 – Owosso