Give Attention to My Words
In the 21 century, we are locked in a battle for the attention of our minds and what our minds should be focused on. As we see the world fall into even more chaos, there are those who claim to know the facts while others declare what is truth. This has caused the believer, who is in the middle, to wonder what they can believe or not. The first sign of a Christian in need of help from their brothers and sisters is one who is failing at being focused on the Word of God.
Unfortunately this is becoming the norm,
Christian Today reported that Bible reading has finally dropped into the single digits. “A decrease of 5 percentage points in a single year was unprecedented in the annual survey’s 10-year history; between 2011 and 2019, daily Bible readers had basically held steady at an average of 13.7 percent of the population. But the decline continued during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic, and by June, the percentage of daily Bible users had dropped to 8.5 percent….Sixty percent read the Bible four times per year or less.”[1]
The Christian living today is losing the Christ in Christian, we are becoming less potent for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am not saying a person can lose their salvation. Rather we are losing the source of what makes us different in our capacity to be used by Christ, in a positive way right now in this world. I believe this is becoming such an issue in the Church that I wanted to write on it today. Additionally, Mill House Ministries is not and should never be your Bible study time! We are here as an additional tool and place of encouragement for the believer. A resource firmly founded in Titus 2:11-15.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you”
As a fellow believer in the Church I would be remiss if I did not point to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ the very danger we face when we do not stay focused on our Lord and Savior’s words. If you need guidance on what we should be doing, seek no further than Proverbs 4:20-27 “20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they [are] life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it [spring] the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”
These seven verses break down a simple, but firm and resounding declaration by our loving Heavenly Father who is eagerly wanting us to stay safe in His arms. In the book of Matthew, we are given a great understanding of what believers look like when they lose their focus on Christ for the things that surround us in this world. In Matthew 14, Peter eagerly wants to join Jesus on the water but as he comes out of the boat he takes his sight off of Christ, Matthew 14:30 “But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
We as believers need to keep our eyes solely fixed on Jesus and His words. The Bible must be our source each and every day for our firm foundation. Remember we have a God who is not in a distant far off land, who does not know what is going on. Our Lord and Savior is very near and understands what is happening right now, both around the world and personally in our own lives. Remember what is said in Proverbs 5:21, “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and He watches all his paths.” Many people know that God cares, but few recognize that He knows what is going on and is still telling us to keep focused on Him. All we need to do is give attention to His words and be fixed straight on Him. Remember the easily looked over promise that God makes in Proverbs 4:26 “Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.” God is making a promise to you and I. If we stay focused on Him and make sure our walk is based solely and adamantly on Him, than our ways will be established.
Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming
JL
[1] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/july/state-of-bible-reading-coronavirus-barna-abs.html