Hello ICC Family!
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)
Yesterday we launched a new Bible study hour at ICC and I have to say… it was a lot of fun. It was encouraging. And I think everyone that attended was blessed. I know it’s not a time of day that everybody can attend, but all of you that are free for that hour in the middle part of the day - I hope you think about joining us in the weeks ahead. Bring your lunch if you would like. KKB - kanya kanya ba-on - I have been told is how you say that in Tagalog. This study is open to anybody and everybody, so make sure you invite others as well!
We are calling this weekly study the Crowfield Bible Club because that truly is the focus. With that in mind, we kicked off the club by looking at Psalm 1. Psalm 1 is a description and a picture of two approaches to life: the way of the world and the way of the Word. The latter of those ways of living leads to being blessed. And “blessed” is a key word to understand in Psalm 1. If we only consider the surface-level of happiness when thinking about being blessed, we will quickly run into a problem, because there is no way of living that leads to a life of complete happiness - that never experiences any hurt, pain, or loss. Blessed instead is a holistic understanding of a life that has a foundation of hope, peace, and joy because of the work of Jesus Christ. When we talk about being blessed it might mean that we are encouraged, or strengthened, or healed, or given wisdom, etc., but always it is one of the Lord’s good gifts.
Verse 1 goes on to describe that one way to live is to walk, stand, and sit with the wicked, the sinners, and the mockers. The alternative, blessed, way then is given in verse 2 - to delight in God’s Word and to meditate on it day and night. This is the goal of the Crowfield Bible Club. To spend time in God’s Word each week, to learn to love it and find great joy and delight in discovering new truth, and then seeing growth in our walks with Christ as we apply these truths to our lives. The goal is to meditate on God’s Word. To help everyone to have God’s Word in their minds and then on their lips so that it can be a part of our conversations - whether we are talking with other Christians or not. When we are living life like this, verse 3 then describes us as being planted - rooted - by streams of water, and we will see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as well, which will be a blessing to us, and our families, and all that we will meet.
The challenge we looked at yesterday was to really consider the voices that are influencing us the most each day. There are many things screaming for our attention - some of them with blatant agendas, and others just designed to suck away our time and money. Here are some questions from Paul Tripp to help all of us evaluate these voices:
Who do you listen to each day?
Are any of those voices of influence foolish or harmful?
Are any of those voices honoring to God?
What did each of those voices say to you in the last week that influenced the way you thought, acted, or spoke?
Are there some voices of influence that you need to cut out of your daily life?
Why might that be hard to do?
If we want to be planted and rooted and growing and fruitful… we need to make sure that the biggest voice of influence in our life is the Lord. The new Crowfield Bible Club is one way to get more time with him, but I encourage all of us to spend time each day in his Word. Pray continuously. Come to church and worship with your brothers and sisters on Sunday mornings. And maybe I will even see some of you tonight for our fellowship meal and prayer time!
Blessings to you all. And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
Comments