Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
Sometimes I can interpret Bible verses a certain way -- for my entire life -- only to have experiences that change my worldview and blow up my old interpretation. And then, once I make the shift, I begin to see how the rest of Scripture has been saying the same thing all along.
For example, here's an all-time favorite verse of mine.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
I've always interpreted this (even under the surface, subconsciously) to mean that if I loved God a lot, like if really delighted in Him -- if I read His Word every day, and prayed fervent prayers, and stayed pure and true -- He would then give me things that I wanted. He'd give me things that would truly make me happy, mostly material things and the approval of others.
What a shallow way to interpret this verse, right? It's so transactional: if I show God I delight in Him, He'll reward me with stuff. That's how nearly every relationship goes off the rails, when we stop treating the other as a soul that is worthy of love and care, and instead treat them as a means to get what I want. It's de-humanizing, and people can't stay in relationships like that very long and maintain any sort of health.
Maybe my immature interpretation of this verse is wrong. Maybe what David is really getting at is, when I re-orient my life around delighting in the Lord, when I truly value my relationship with Jesus and seek to be with Him and become like Him, God actually changes my desires to be in alignment with what He wants. He transforms me. He changes my whole value system.
Once I see this differently, I see it in other parts of Scripture too. Like the time Jesus gave Peter and the boys a miraculous catch of fish. The four of them -- Peter, Andrew, James and John -- spent all night trying to make a catch, trying to pay the bills and have a little pocket money on top, if possible.
How many prayers did these guys toss up asking God for a huge catch? They loved God and believed He heard them, so they must have asked over and over for God to provide, to give them enough to pay their bills and provide for their families, to even give them a little extra. More fish meant a better life. Their entire value system was built around it.
But when Jesus gives them a massive catch, so much that "their net was breaking" (Luke 5:6), Peter immediately jumps out of the boat, falls on his knees before Jesus and declares "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8) Then, when Jesus calls them all to follow Him, here's what they did:
"So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him." Luke 5:11
Wait, what? Career fisherman, who clearly spent countless hours praying and hoping for this kind of life-altering catch, finally get the catch of their lives -- and they walk away from it? They forsake it all?
Christ didn't just give them what they thought they wanted, He changed their whole value system. The very thing they built their life around -- "more fish equals a better life" -- had been turned on its head. Even when they HAD the fish, they walked away to be with Jesus. All along, being with Jesus really was the "desire of their hearts."
Today, as you prepare for another weekend, filled with work and grocery shopping and kid's activities and bill-paying and house-cleaning and church, re-orient and re-direct your thinking toward delighting in the Lord. Since the world, the flesh, and the devil just spent all week bombarding our thoughts with pursuing and grasping for what we think are "the desires of our hearts", quietly and persistently come back to Jesus. He's there, ready to calm your heart and spirit, and give you what you really are after: Christ Himself.
Sometimes I can interpret Bible verses a certain way -- for my entire life -- only to have experiences that change my worldview and blow up my old interpretation. And then, once I make the shift, I begin to see how the rest of Scripture has been saying the same thing all along.
For example, here's an all-time favorite verse of mine.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
I've always interpreted this (even under the surface, subconsciously) to mean that if I loved God a lot, like if really delighted in Him -- if I read His Word every day, and prayed fervent prayers, and stayed pure and true -- He would then give me things that I wanted. He'd give me things that would truly make me happy, mostly material things and the approval of others.
What a shallow way to interpret this verse, right? It's so transactional: if I show God I delight in Him, He'll reward me with stuff. That's how nearly every relationship goes off the rails, when we stop treating the other as a soul that is worthy of love and care, and instead treat them as a means to get what I want. It's de-humanizing, and people can't stay in relationships like that very long and maintain any sort of health.
Maybe my immature interpretation of this verse is wrong. Maybe what David is really getting at is, when I re-orient my life around delighting in the Lord, when I truly value my relationship with Jesus and seek to be with Him and become like Him, God actually changes my desires to be in alignment with what He wants. He transforms me. He changes my whole value system.
Once I see this differently, I see it in other parts of Scripture too. Like the time Jesus gave Peter and the boys a miraculous catch of fish. The four of them -- Peter, Andrew, James and John -- spent all night trying to make a catch, trying to pay the bills and have a little pocket money on top, if possible.
How many prayers did these guys toss up asking God for a huge catch? They loved God and believed He heard them, so they must have asked over and over for God to provide, to give them enough to pay their bills and provide for their families, to even give them a little extra. More fish meant a better life. Their entire value system was built around it.
But when Jesus gives them a massive catch, so much that "their net was breaking" (Luke 5:6), Peter immediately jumps out of the boat, falls on his knees before Jesus and declares "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8) Then, when Jesus calls them all to follow Him, here's what they did:
"So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him." Luke 5:11
Wait, what? Career fisherman, who clearly spent countless hours praying and hoping for this kind of life-altering catch, finally get the catch of their lives -- and they walk away from it? They forsake it all?
Christ didn't just give them what they thought they wanted, He changed their whole value system. The very thing they built their life around -- "more fish equals a better life" -- had been turned on its head. Even when they HAD the fish, they walked away to be with Jesus. All along, being with Jesus really was the "desire of their hearts."
Today, as you prepare for another weekend, filled with work and grocery shopping and kid's activities and bill-paying and house-cleaning and church, re-orient and re-direct your thinking toward delighting in the Lord. Since the world, the flesh, and the devil just spent all week bombarding our thoughts with pursuing and grasping for what we think are "the desires of our hearts", quietly and persistently come back to Jesus. He's there, ready to calm your heart and spirit, and give you what you really are after: Christ Himself.
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Saturday, October 8: MEN'S BREAKFAST
Join David Bombara and the Meadows men for a morning of food, connection, and Jesus. Men of all ages are invited. Starts at 9 AM. Let us know you're coming by registering HERE.
Join David Bombara and the Meadows men for a morning of food, connection, and Jesus. Men of all ages are invited. Starts at 9 AM. Let us know you're coming by registering HERE.
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We've got LOTS of action going on at Meadows right now.
Sundays: two awesome services at 9 & 11 AM
Mondays: Prayer Gathering at 10 AM
Tuesdays: Ladies Connect at 10 AM & 6:30 PM
Wednesdays: Wednesday Night Connect and MYG at 7 PM
Get in on the action!
Sundays: two awesome services at 9 & 11 AM
Mondays: Prayer Gathering at 10 AM
Tuesdays: Ladies Connect at 10 AM & 6:30 PM
Wednesdays: Wednesday Night Connect and MYG at 7 PM
Get in on the action!
________________________________________________
Speaking of which, October is upon us. It's my favorite month of the year, honestly. It's got it all:
- The weather is amazing (i.e. "under 95"). The walkway is niiiiice.
- All my cool sweaters and jackets are starting to re-emerge.
- Pumpkin spice is flowing.
- The holidays are right around the corner.
- And it's the best sports month of the year: the NFL, College Football, and MLB playoffs are all in full swing, and the NBA and NHL begins too.
October is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
- The weather is amazing (i.e. "under 95"). The walkway is niiiiice.
- All my cool sweaters and jackets are starting to re-emerge.
- Pumpkin spice is flowing.
- The holidays are right around the corner.
- And it's the best sports month of the year: the NFL, College Football, and MLB playoffs are all in full swing, and the NBA and NHL begins too.
October is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
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REMEMBER: bring your Bible this Sunday!
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This Sunday, we'll continue the series out of 1 Kings: Elijah and Elisha.
Last week, Elijah confronted King Ahab about the idolatry that he led Israel into, and declared a drought over the land indefinitely.
This week, we'll look at 1 Kings 18, when Israel hits the three-year mark of rainlessness, and Ahab has had enough. He gets together with Elijah, and the two agree upon a showdown to see whose God is real.
It's an incredible story, one in which God's gentle power continues to be revealed to His people, calling them back to Him again and again.
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - The Fire.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
Last week, Elijah confronted King Ahab about the idolatry that he led Israel into, and declared a drought over the land indefinitely.
This week, we'll look at 1 Kings 18, when Israel hits the three-year mark of rainlessness, and Ahab has had enough. He gets together with Elijah, and the two agree upon a showdown to see whose God is real.
It's an incredible story, one in which God's gentle power continues to be revealed to His people, calling them back to Him again and again.
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - The Fire.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
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