December 10
Amos 1:1-3:15 | PS 129:1-8 | Prov 29:19-20 | Rev 2:1-17
My personal journey with God began in 1987. After the death of my mother, I picked up my first Bible and began slowly and steadily over the next couple of years going through, beginning in Genesis, and finishing in Revelation. Never having read it, not knowing what to expect, truly with child-like eyes, every day I continued my journey. I never heard of Bible based churches, did not know of Bible radio, or of such a thing as Bible commentaries. Yet day by day, like a little child sitting on His Father's lap, I approached God's word with that sense of excitement. I gave my life to Jesus at the conclusion of this time. I would like to say that my walk was always steadily uphill, but that would not be true. There were times that I grew, but there were times that I got stagnant or moved backward. There were times that my approach was more dutiful and less excited. There were times that I got more into devotionals, topicals, commentaries, etc. and less into the actual word of God. Therefore I thank God for this ministry that He gave me over six years ago. I will use some commentaries here and there along the way, but what this ministry has done is got me back to what I did at first. I'm back on my Father's lap, like a little child. I don't know what God will reveal to me on any given day. My approach is not pre-meditated. I pray that God will open my eyes to something that He knows that I need to see for that day, or that someone else who might read my post needs to hear. Sometimes people ask me how I fit this in, but staying fresh and avoiding getting stale with fresh eyes on my Savior every day, is the greatest privilege that I could ever have. All praise and honor and glory to the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
It is easy to continue to do so many of the right things and yet lose that initial zeal that you had when you embarked on your journey. We read in Revelation 2:2-3, "“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting." It's so easy to initiate your walk in a relationship but then sink into religiosity. To start off thinking that you actually get to do things for the Lord and moving into the sphere of feeling that you have to do things for the Lord. Just consider the religious leaders of Jesus' day. They were doing all the "right" things: studying Torah, praying, engaged in going to the Temple, etc. But they so badly lost their child-like eyes that though their Messiah was right in their midst, not only did they miss Him, they wanted Him dead and out of the way. The same has happened to many a church. They become more organized and mechanized. They can become very functional. And step by step, what started out of love can be replaced by a dutiful walk of obligation. Rather than smiling from ear to ear, the congregation looks more like they spent the morning sucking on lemons. After Jesus' commendation through John, He then issues a warning in 2:4-5, "“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."
Could this warning be levied by the Lord against you? For in my 30+ walk with Jesus, it certainly could have been appropriately given to me. My walk began with His Word, unadulterated, in simplicity, as a child would receive it from a Father. When I felt myself not walking from the faith, but perhaps getting less excited and more dutiful, I took seriously this portion of Scripture. I returned to my first love, and did what I did at first. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy the ministry that God gave to me. Though I can grow from year to year maturing through His counsel, I never want to run ahead or lag behind from what my Father has in store for me. I never want to forget that He is my Father and I am His child. What about you? No walk is static. Our walk is dynamic. Each day you are either taking a step forward or backward. Which is it for you? If you are moving backward, if you are losing that first love, what is it that you did at first to ignite your walk. Was it listening to pastors on the radio on stations like the Bridge? Then return to that. Was it listening to worship music continuously? Then return to that. Was it going regularly to a Bible based church, but perhaps settling on another church out of convenience, habit, or a particular ministry? Then return to that. Was it setting aside a portion of your day to focused prayer? Then return to it. Was it, like myself, daily sitting under His Word, the Bible? Then return to it. It doesn't matter how busy or convoluted your lives may have become, or how much you might think that you have evolved in other areas, please return to what you did at first and fall in love with Jesus, as you did the first time. It is a relationship, never forget that.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: