Before the dinner our calling pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cecil Martens shared a short devotional with them and us. As Cecil began reading the words from the Scriptures, something struck me to be quite interesting.
As I looked around the room at these seniors, I noticed that each one of them had closed their eyes. Each person sitting around that table was giving full attention to the words that were being spoken. These holy and inspired words became the main focus of the moment and each person wanted to make sure they understood what was being said.
As a younger person, I don't feel like I see a lot of that these days. Being in youth ministry, a time of devotions or prayer seems to be more of a speed bump before fun and food than something that should be given attention. Where is the reverence? Where is the focus?
When I was growing up we'd go to my grandparents house for dinner occasionally (usually on a Sunday). After devouring the traditional roast beef, mashed potatoes and jell-o my grandpa would open up his King James Bible and read to us the word of God.
During this reading I would find myself not knowing what to do with my eyes (and for that matter my mind). I didn't understand a lot of the 'thees' and 'thous' and I never have been a big fan of awkward silences.
I remember occasionally trying to read one of my aunt's minds across the table or thinking about what kind of mischievous activity me and my cousins would get into afterwards.
However, I do remember hearing words that I hear today that I can now say mean something to me.
Today, I believe a lot of us have robbed God of the respect towards his Word that He deserves. I mean sure we read it occasionally, sure we like to hear public figures quote it, but do we really want it to mean something.
In Psalm 119:105 the psalmist writes, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." The psalmist uses the imagery of light to give us a picture of how important God's word is to him.
I remember first hearing the words from this psalm from Amy Grant back in the day.
Have you ever been on a night hike before? When I was in California we'd always take our 5th and 6th graders on a night hike. For a lot of the kids, this walk, was their first time in real darkness (away from the city lights). A lot of them struggled to stay on the path, but soon after a flashlight was turned on, their nervousness turned to calm.
When I'm not in God's Word a lot of times I find the worries in my life come on the strongest, the struggles I have become more of a struggle and the God I most dearly love is being disrespected.
God desires us to be in His word, that's why He has given it to us.
Hebrews 4:12 says:
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Doesn't that sound powerful? Doesn't that sound better than anything you can watch on TV or find on the internet?
God's word is to be respected and acknowledged like the older people at the dinner I was at. May we not only hear it and pretend like it matters, but may we listen and do what it says!
