December Beacon
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34
German reformer Philip Melanchthon was reproached by someone for changing his views on a certain subject. He replied, “Do you think, sir, that I have been studying assiduously for thirty years, without having learned anything?”
Can that happen? Can we go day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year without much growth?
Would God teach us something every day if we were ready to learn? How can we put ourselves in a position to hear from Him and learn from Him? The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
You thought John 3:16 was important (and it is!). But what about the message found in Colossians 3:16 about our ongoing relationship with the Lord? We need to understand how God loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son for us. And we need to believe in Him for the sake of our eternity! But is the word of Christ “dwelling in you richly”?
I remember going through a drill while playing hockey in high school. Our coach would dump the puck in the corner and have each line, one at a time, attempt to secure the puck to get a shot on net. He taught us to have the first player race to the puck and try to get it away from the opposing defenseman. The second man on the line would be nearby to help out or pick up the puck if it came loose. The third forward would remain in the slot area, ready to shoot the puck, or rotate to the other side or get back on defense, if need be. We did this drill over and over and over.
It can be easy to go through the motions and do a drill but fail to understand exactly what we are doing. But aha! I remember how, at one point, the purpose of what we were attempting to do finally clicked with me. It started to make sense. It seemed simple and clear to me. I am sure that the coach had told us all along what we were trying to do, but I finally got it!
I wonder why I was so able to make sense of what the coach was trying to teach. Was it because of the repetition? Was I just ready to learn more that day? Can we put ourselves in a position to learn? Are you, as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 8:34, listening for God’s wisdom…watching daily at his doors…waiting at his doorway! That sounds different than “going through the motions.”
DEPTH can be a helpful acronym for how we can continue to learn from our Lord. Daily Entering a Position To Hear – DEPTH. What might that look like for you? Would it involve extended times of prayer and studying God’s Word? For you it may involve a new dedication to coming to worship the Lord with a heart that is open to Him. Maybe you need to be intentional about sharing your faith or serving Him with your gifts. Consider your need for DEPTH!