Hello FBC!
The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. 5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. (Isaiah 50:4-5 ESV)
This week I attended a 4-day seminar at Corban University called: “The Spiritual Life of the Leader: How Leaders are Transformed.” It’s been an amazing experience, for which I am extremely grateful. In my devotional Bible reading this morning, one of the verses I wrote in my journal was the above passage from Isaiah 50. And this afternoon, one of our sessions was about how Bible reading facilitates spiritual transformation. During the discussion, one of the relevant passages talked about was this one from Isaiah 50. As we were talking about it, I thought it sure sounded familiar. I looked in my journal, and there it was from this morning!
Anyway, these verses were discussed as we talked about one way Bible reading facilitates spiritual transformation is when it is done reflectively. That is, when we 1) Seek to be mastered by the Word rather than mastering it, 2) Listen deeply for a personal word from God, and 3) Explore personal thoughts and feelings evoked by the Word. The Isaiah passage from today was relevant to the idea of listening deeply for a personal word from God. Notice what Isaiah says: “Morning by morning He awakens… my ear to hear…” “The Lord GOD has opened my ear…” Other passages that deal with listening to the Word include Psalm 119:124-125; Psalm 81:8; and Ecclesiastes 5:1.
When you read your Bible, are you reading it reflectively? Are you reflecting on it? Meditating on it? Listening closely to what the Lord is saying to you through it? May we be those “who have ears to hear” what He is saying to us as we read, study, chew on, meditate on, memorize, and listen to His Word!
Men – Saturday is Men’s Breakfast at 7am! Come join us for great food and a blessed time together.
Of course, this weekend is Pioneer Picnic – I hope you and your family are able to enjoy some of the festivities! There is a rumor that a certain pastor may end up in the dunk tank at the park on Saturday… all for a good cause. Maybe we’ll see you there!
Sunday is Father’s Day! May we honor our dads this weekend. We will be blessed at FBC to hear from Randy Waldie, as he brings a message about fathers and the Word, from Deuteronomy 6. I’d encourage you to read that chapter, and especially reflect on verses 4-9 about passing His Words on to our children.
Thank you for all who have been praying for Alan and Zsuzsa Blake! The latest I heard from Zsuzsa is that they have arrived in Germany, hoping to get some better medical care for Alan. Of course, they are exhausted from this ordeal. Please pray for recovery of health for Alan, for strength and comfort for Zsuzsa, and that they can get him stable enough to be flown home to Oregon soon. Thank you.
Asking Him to awaken my ears, morning by morning!
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael