June 27, 2023: LISTENING FOR THE SAVIOR’S CALL TO BATTLE
For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 1 Corinthians 14:8 (NKJV)
Battles… To battle simply means to fight or to struggle tenaciously to achieve or resist something. Throughout the history of the United States of America, our nation has taken part in many battles. There was the fight to achieve independence (which we commemorate each July). There was the struggle to resist slavery. There is the battle against drugs and against terrorism. Our nation – though desiring and pursuing peace and unity – is and must be a nation that will battle when necessary. The same is true for us as Christians. While we endeavor to exemplify the peace that God offers, we must be prepared to battle – to fight and to struggle. But the battle for the Christian – as we noted during a recent sermon series – is not physical. We do not throw punches, drop bombs, or shoot guns. Our primary weapons are the Word of God and the prayer of faith. But as this verse from the first letter to the church of Corinth reminds us – we must be listening for the signal from our divine captain – prepared to enter the battle as He directs. Yet, in 2023 – there are seemingly many “uncertain” sounds to be heard. This word, uncertain, comes from a Greek word (adélos) that means “unclear, indistinct, not immediately obvious, indefinite, uncertain, unrecognized.” The world seeks to make the call of our Lord uncertain. It tries to clutter the culture with the noise of competing voices – the shouts of opposing forces – the cries of conflicting agendas… Their goal is confusion and uncertainty because they think it will cause us to be unprepared and ineffective. But as always, the world miscalculates and makes a mistake. For the Christian – we do not listen to the loudest, strongest voices. No. Instead, we listen to what Elijah called “a still, small voice”. For Jesus tells us in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” It is true that our contemporary culture seems to have an endless array of people, organizations, programs that are clamoring to turn our attention away from God. And sadly, some “churches” have been led astray. But for the true believer, no matter how loud the false message is roared – we hear and recognize the voice of our Savior… And so – we stand ever ready to follow Him into battle.
Monday – June 5, 2023: As we move into the summer months – it is easy for us to to steal time from important activities that lead to spiritual growth in order to pursue fun activities. For example, the time that we might spend studying our Bible – we use instead in the swimming pool, on the golf course or on a hiking trail. For the month of June – let’s challenge ourselves to make the best choices. Let us make sure to find the time or to make the time to strengthen our relationship with God, our knowledge of His word, and our effort to minister. Does this mean that we never enjoy the beauty of the season? No. But it means that we make the choice to prioritize our relationship with God above the recreation. To encourage growth – challenge yourself to play this HADLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH BINGO GAME THIS MONTH! And try to complete as many challenges as possible!!
