“If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.” 1 Timothy 4:6-9
Yesterday, I worshipped online with Christ Lincoln and Pastor Michael ECKELKAMP spoke the following in his pre-sermon prayer; ‘Jesus, help us hear Your Word and make us to share Your Word.’ And those words and these above verses from a morning devotion last week…in 2021…blended very well and caused me to reflect on them more fervently and examine what I could possibly do in 2022 to improve my time spent in His Word and then ‘share’ it with others. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:7, “but godliness has value for all things”. I never wake up thinking to myself; “I get to exercise today!” I do know that we all need both physical and spiritual exercise; you, me and these Haitian kids. I also know this about exercise: the older that I get, I want the most benefit I can get out of every minute I exercise, whether it’s physical or spiritual. I also am aware that in the 15 or 16 hours of being awake each day, it is very difficult and often impossible for me to spend an hour of multitasking while exercising my body or being in the Word. I need to give up something that this fallen world tells me is more important. So, this first Monday in 2022, I would like to help you, these Haitian kids and me to try to get the most out of our spiritual exercise time by sharing four spiritual habits that will prayerfully, help fortify our faith. I am hoping that the Trinity HOPE Haitian feeding program directors reading this, will in turn share this with their school children.
First and foremost, each of us must study the Bible personally. You can’t depend on someone else’s study of the Bible to fortify your faith. You have to do it yourself. This is one thing that each of the Haitian kids do have; their very own Bible and not the Internet. Carve out time each day for a few chapters. God’s Word is your very own manual for life. If you want to get ready to be used by God, you’ve got to study the Bible.
Second, read some Christian books. I’m reading ‘Autopsy’ by Patricia Cornwell at the moment and just finished reading an LCMS study called ‘Divine Call’ and I always try to be in some kind of Christian selection every other book. I shared with you last year that there is a new book by Mitch Albom titled ‘The stranger in the lifeboat’ and it was a really good, short book to read. You and I can draw a lot closer to Christ when we read books that help us grow spiritually. These Haitian kids will need to read their Bible every day as the availability of other books are hard for them to find on a regular basis and in their language.
Third is something that probably goes back to your Confirmation Day; take some time to write out your own testimony. Just like nobody else can study or work out for you, nobody else can tell your story. This is something each of us can do. There are four parts to a testimony: what your life was like before you came to Christ, how you realized you needed Christ in your life, how you committed your life to Christ, and what your life is like now. I would really love to read the testimonies from these Haitian kids.
And finally, four; join a small Bible study group. When it comes to fortifying your faith, few things can compare to regular contact with your small group. If you are not in a small group, find people who you can share life with and who will support you as you grow in faith. During this pandemic, another way to be with a small group is via Zoom. I hope that these four habits will help you stay spiritually fit so that you’re ready to be used by God. I will contact some leaders in Haiti and try to get them to start getting their children to write testimonies and share them at a later date.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay.