What is the center of your life? What difference does that make to you?
I want my life to be God-centered. My experience is that when I am God-centered I am most alive and most fully myself. Yet I often drift toward being self-centered.
When self-centered, there is no room for God. I trust in my own wisdom and power. My decisions are made out of anxiety and fear more often than joy.
What is your experience?
Jesus showed us the way to a God-centered life. In response to Thomas’ concern that he did not know the way, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6).
I’ve been reading a book this summer by Eugene Peterson entitled, The Jesus Way. He writes, “Prayerfully and scripturally attentive, Jesus deliberately chose the way he would live. If we choose to follow him, we must be just as prayerful, scripturally attentive and deliberate.” (p.28)
I like his focus that to follow in the Jesus way, we need to develop a strong prayer life, keep tuned to the scriptures and be deliberate in our choices.
Everyone who follows Jesus needs encouragement to keep focused on the Jesus way. It’s not easy. There are impediments to the Jesus way. Many lures and distractions cause us to lose focus and lead us off the way.
I also want First Baptist to be a place where we take seriously living in the way of Jesus. To do that, we need to encourage and challenge each other. I have hope that our worship services, Sunday School classes, and periodic small groups will be places of encouragement to be in the Jesus way.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer. It is a good time to develop the practice of prayer, the attentiveness to scripture and making deliberate choices for a God-centered life. I am practicing that. Won’t you join me?
Summer Preaching Series: When I return from vacation, I will continue the series of sermons on David.
Sunday, July 26
Read: I Samuel 18-20
Sermon: “David and Jonathan”
Sunday, August 2
Read: II Samuel 1
Sermon: “David and Lament”
Sunday, August 9
Read: II Samuel 5-6
Sermon: “David and Jerusalem”
Sunday, August 16
Read: II Samuel 7
Sermon: “David and Nathan”
Sunday, August 23
Read: II Samuel 11-12
Sermon: “David and Bathsheba”
Sunday, August 30
Read: II Samuel 23:1-7 and I Kings 1-2
Sermon: “David and Death”
Practicing the Way,
Pastor Leon
