Proverbs 25:11 says that “A word rightly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” How utterly true that is for all of us, myself included. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been in need of encouragement, and had a word, or a phrase from the scriptures jump out at me at just the right time to pull me back on course in this quest of faith towards God’s Kingdom.
And there have even been times when I’ve had the privilege of sharing God’s words of truth with others, and been told that it was just what was needed to get them through a tough time in their lives. What a great thrill God has given us to gain encouragement from His Word, and also, to share that with others who are in need.
I’ve been thinking about the direction I’d like to take this blog in for some time now. Up to this point, I’ve been using segments from sermons. The first 6 posts that began my “Baptism for Life” blog came from three 60-minute sermons by the same title, and there have been several other multiple-part blog posts taken from past sermons. While that might be good for regular followers, I realize it can be hard for others to keep-up with every week with the busy lives we lead, and all the distractions and obligations that we all have. Therefore I am going to make an effort to be more concise with my posts, using words and phrases from God’s Word that have greatly impacted my own life and relationship with the Godhead – things that have brought ME closer to God, and spurred me on to a more focused, personal study of God’s Word.
One of the biggest problems with ‘preachers’ is a tendency to want to “build up a following” for themselves among their readers, listeners, viewers … so those ‘followers’ become dependent on the ‘preacher’. The goal instead should be to lead those “followers” to a greater dependence on GOD.
I’ll just use the example of the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:32. Paul said what he had to say to “influence” these Ephesian elders with very emotional admonitions and warnings, but here in vs. 32, he simply says, “…I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build YOU up, and to give YOU an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
A few words fitly spoken can ignite a flame of curiosity that becomes a burning desire to dig into “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). I pray that my future posts will do just that for all who read them.
Baptism For Life 