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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
"The
Peril Of Spiritual Boredom"
Message summary: Given the temptation of spiritual boredom we all need to regularly heed Paul's words to Timothy "to fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6).
But today let us consider spiritual boredom. Is that possible? Sure it is.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, during times of peace,
prosperity and easy going we acknowledge the
tendency to be spiritually bored. Help us to
stir up the fire of Your Holy Spirit in our
lives through faithful reading and application
of the Scriptures. Though there are daily
temptations, disappointments, and experiences
that could easily extinguish the fire of Your
Spirit in our lives, we thank You that Your
abiding presence in our hearts is greater than
the foe that seeks to deter us. May we always be
attentive to Your still small voice and the
convicting power of Your Holy Spirit so that we
keep our spiritual fervor in serving You all the
days of our lives. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Message summary: Given the temptation of spiritual boredom we all need to regularly heed Paul's words to Timothy "to fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6).
“A man had two
sons. The younger of them said to his father,
'Father, give me the share of the estate I have
coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to
them. Not many days later, the younger son
gathered together all he had and traveled to a
distant country, where he squandered his estate
in foolish living" (Luke 15:11-13).
"Not lagging
behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving
the Lord" (Romans 12:11). "Fan into flame the
gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6).
Each fall Brooksyne
makes a presentation in various locations dealing
with the Pilgrims voyage on the Mayflower. She has
done this since the mid-nineties when she had the
opportunity to present historically accurate
information about
the pilgrims, including
their spiritual faith, to public school
elementary students in Massachusetts.
Now she presents it
in senior facilities, to church groups and
Christian schools. Last Friday she shared "The Mayflower
Voyage" at the Willow Valley Retirement
Community speaking not only to seniors but
pre-school children as well.
You never know what
kind of response you will get when asking children
questions. She asked them, "Why do you suppose the
Pilgrims left England to come to America?" One
little girl responded, "Because they were
bored".
Much to the surprise
of the preschool leader and Brooksyne as well, one
little boy responded, "Because the king was mean
to them" which of course is true. They were
fleeing persecution and seeking freedom to
practice their faith.
But let's consider
the little girl's answer today. To a child in our
age growing up with all the modern day hi tech,
entertaining, bells and whistles of life that
period of time probably would seem boring! But of
course no matter how much stuff we have all
people; children, teens and adults, still get
bored.
But today let us consider spiritual boredom. Is that possible? Sure it is.
Our Biblical example
of boredom may seem a stretch but not necessarily.
The main focus of the parable of
the prodigal son is
the father's readiness to forgive the wayward son.
However let's muse on why he left his father's
house in the first place. He, like so many,
thought the grass was greener on the other side. Was
he bored in his father's house doing the same
chores day after day after day? I wonder how
long did he find pleasure in foolish and wasteful
living? Probably not very long!
We who are redeemed
are living spiritually in our Father's kingdom.
But can boredom be an issue for us as well?
Can our zeal and enthusiasm wane? Of course it
can!
"Being on fire" is an
expression used to describe a sold out,
uncompromised, committed follower of Christ. The
daily Scripture text teaches that we are "not
to be lagging behind in diligence, but we are to
be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord"
(Romans 12:11). We both memorized this verse as
young Christians and recite it regularly.
John Wesley has a famous description concerning his conversion, "I felt my heart strangely warmed." The challenge is keeping that warm heart through life as we invariably encounter circumstances that seek to make our hearts cold! Boredom can be a strategy of Satan.
Each of the three phrases in this verse is rich in meaning but today let us consider just the second phrase, "fervent in spirit". The underlying Greek word for "fervent" is "zeo", which means, "to be hot." The English word zeal is derived from this word.
This word zeo is used to describe the preaching of Apollos in Acts 18:25 who "spoke with great fervor". This word suggests having plenty of heat to produce adequate, productive energy, but not so much heat that one goes out of control. The idea is not of being overheated to the point of boiling over and out of control but, like a steam engine, of having sufficient heat to produce the energy necessary to get the work done.
The challenge in the spiritual life is to maintain this fervency in spirit throughout life. Another version states, "Keep your spiritual fervor". I think all of us have to fight the tendency for our spiritual fervor to wane. The need for maintaining this fervor in our walk with God is of paramount importance. Jesus, in describing the last days stated, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Given the temptation of spiritual boredom we all need to regularly heed Paul's words to Timothy "to fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6). The Greek word translated "fan into flame" signifies the recovering of fire choked with ashes or decaying. It's kind of like stirring up a campfire early in the morning.
Let us conclude with a list of suggestions on maintaining your spiritual fervor:
John Wesley has a famous description concerning his conversion, "I felt my heart strangely warmed." The challenge is keeping that warm heart through life as we invariably encounter circumstances that seek to make our hearts cold! Boredom can be a strategy of Satan.
Each of the three phrases in this verse is rich in meaning but today let us consider just the second phrase, "fervent in spirit". The underlying Greek word for "fervent" is "zeo", which means, "to be hot." The English word zeal is derived from this word.
This word zeo is used to describe the preaching of Apollos in Acts 18:25 who "spoke with great fervor". This word suggests having plenty of heat to produce adequate, productive energy, but not so much heat that one goes out of control. The idea is not of being overheated to the point of boiling over and out of control but, like a steam engine, of having sufficient heat to produce the energy necessary to get the work done.
The challenge in the spiritual life is to maintain this fervency in spirit throughout life. Another version states, "Keep your spiritual fervor". I think all of us have to fight the tendency for our spiritual fervor to wane. The need for maintaining this fervor in our walk with God is of paramount importance. Jesus, in describing the last days stated, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Given the temptation of spiritual boredom we all need to regularly heed Paul's words to Timothy "to fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6). The Greek word translated "fan into flame" signifies the recovering of fire choked with ashes or decaying. It's kind of like stirring up a campfire early in the morning.
Let us conclude with a list of suggestions on maintaining your spiritual fervor:
- Bible reading, study and application (obedience)
- Prayer
- Being in service for Christ.
- Faithful attendance in a Bible-faithful, God-fearing local church.
- Associating with those who have spiritual fervor since it is contagious.
- Listening to godly music, reading good books, etc. and abstaining from all which leads us astray.
- Lastly, but not of least importance, we should be contributing generously to the cause of Christ, since "where our heart is, there our treasure is also".
Oh
Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, during times of peace,
prosperity and easy going we acknowledge the
tendency to be spiritually bored. Help us to
stir up the fire of Your Holy Spirit in our
lives through faithful reading and application
of the Scriptures. Though there are daily
temptations, disappointments, and experiences
that could easily extinguish the fire of Your
Spirit in our lives, we thank You that Your
abiding presence in our hearts is greater than
the foe that seeks to deter us. May we always be
attentive to Your still small voice and the
convicting power of Your Holy Spirit so that we
keep our spiritual fervor in serving You all the
days of our lives. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
The
Mayflower Voyage Presentation
I’m
often asked “What do you talk about in your
Mayflower Voyage presentation?”
I
tell the historical account of the Mayflower
voyage of Sept. 6, 1620 – why the separatists
(pilgrims) wanted to come to the new world, the
failed attempts, the very harsh conditions of
their 66 day voyage, what their first year in the
new world was like including the “great sickness”,
deaths of half the passengers, and their harvest
festival in Oct. of 1621 for which they thanked
God for the plenteous harvest they enjoyed that
year.
I
adapt the message based upon the group I’m
speaking to, whether it’s children, adults, or
senior homes and make it as interactive as
possible.
Suggestions
for Present Day Thanksgiving: Preparations
for Thanksgiving is time consuming but you might
have extra time over the Thanksgiving weekend to
enhance your celebration, especially if you have
children present, by including some historical
foods and activities present on the Mayflower or
in Plimouth (original spelling).
Games
played by the children during the harvest
festival – boys arm wrestled (as seen in
photo above), competed in the broad jump, and
raced against each other. Indians competed
in the bow and arrow competition. The girls spent
most of their time helping moms with food
preparation during the three day gathering. If you
have a mortar and pestle (seen on the table) the
girls can grind dried herbs and spices in
preparation for seasoning veggies and such.
Food
Samples – Some of the food on board the
Mayflower was hardtack (also called ship’s
biscuits) , dried beef, and hard cheese. I offer
these as samples at my presentation.
Psalm
23 & Psalm 121 - Quote together one or
both Psalms as they were often read during the
Mayflower voyage, although it was the Geneva
version.
If
you're interested in learning more about the
voyage and want to present it to young children "Three
Young Pilgrims" by Cheryl Harness is
an excellent true story with historical data
presented in a pictorial and understandable
format. It was my first introduction to the
Mayflower story. I was so intrigued with learning
more about the voyage and Plimouth Colony that I
purchased "Saints and Strangers" by George F.
Willison which is a more scholarly detailed
account of the Pilgrim Fathers and their families
along with others who came to settle in the new
world.
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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