Remembering Your Creator

      There are memories and then there are memories. I recently gave a Commencement speech to a group of High Schoolers who I had the privilege of teaching (Centers of Learning). They were an awesome group and I had formed some great memories with them and of them. As I shared these memories with this group (and all in attendance) I reminded them that the real memory to form in your life as young man or a young woman was the memory of God. The author of  Ecclesiastes writes "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the evil days come and you say I find no pleasure in them".
      The education of any student or child or adult for that matter should always have as its basis the brain grove of God, our Creator. When we study, play, shop, walk around, eat, drink, have relationships, have babies, whatever we are doing there should be the remembering of God. It should not be in the passive tense. It should be an aggressive remembering that is forced to the front of our lives like answers during a Final Exam. "Remember", is probably in the imperative form, I should look. Yep I was right, ‹rOk◊z. The imperative form of the verb is a command. Remember!! I command you, the Creator in the days of your youth. 
      I sometimes think of it this way since I am not a yut any more (My Cousin Vinny). When I start a class or a new project or begin anything new, like the day, I think I will remember God who created this day, project or this relationship. He created all things, what is his plan for this one thing? "In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path"(Proverbs 3:6).
      Remembering God creates a force in your life. The habitual, continual practice of looking to the Lord creates a blessing. John Stevens put it this way "The habits, the patterns of walking with God that are established in the time of your youth have a great continuing force in your life. They continue to bless even more than you realize in the great events of your life" (Volume 1, 1970, The Living Word, p.57). That's awesome. The force of our connecting with our Creator comes through to our lives. Makes sense. He created us for something. Why wouldn't the force of who he is come through our connection with him? 
      Ephesian 2:10 says "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, that he preordained that we should walk in them." We are his workmanship made for good works! The word for "good works" in the Greek is poi√hma. This is the same word we get poem from. If I might with out stretching it too far, I would like to say we are his poem. When we allow who God created us to be to come through then our lives like a poem can be read by others. Paul said "you are our epistles... known and read of all men" (I Cor. 2:2-3). 
      Remembering God everyday can be come a force and an affect in all we do and say. This is a good charge to young people and it is a good charge to the rest of us, also. "Remember your Creator..."

Faithful Preaching

Foolishness to those that are perishing.

But unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 

1Corinthians 1:18.

       What is Paul talking about here? Do you ever long to go and have the pastor, elder, imam, preach to you? Probably not your favorite thing. But it might be. Maybe you have learned the need for sitting under a living word.  It is the power of God to those being saved. It is the form and substance of God being spoken to us, the listeners.  It is the mechanics and substance that can change our lives. It cleanses us. It keeps us. It imparts life to us. The Greek uses a present participle for the word "saved". The word is sw/zome√noiß.  It can be translated being saved. This of course has theological undertones but can simply mean that God uses this method to save people. If you are under the more Holiness teaching then you  it can mean those in the process of being purified. Either way preaching is necessary tool for salvation.          
         After reading how Luther and the reform brothers thought about preaching I went and looked up kerusso in the Greek Bible. It is used more times in the gospels than salvation! Jesus continually was described as preaching here and there. He commanded the disciples to preach to the ends of the earth. That is a lot of preaching!
       I have a new appreciation of the simple act of going with a community of believers and sitting under the anointed word being preached. It creates the obedience, the love, the community of service to God. Luther thought just listening to the word of God being preached was service to God! Just listening was service! Wow! Worship and service to God. "Hear O Israel", wait for it, here comes the sermon,"The Lord your God is one"(Deuteronomy 6:3).  The famous omv  begins with just listening. Who knew it could be so simple? Who knew that God was so gracious. Who knew that he was that powerful. Well I guess we all should have.
Paul exhortation to Timothy, preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season. Rebuke, exhort and correct.
        Application of this word is simple. Find some faithful scripture teaching/preaching community and go sit in their mist, especially when the word is being preached. That is all. It has the power of God.
In my tradition, we have a father to us in the word, John Robert Stevens. John would often tell us to make sure the kids were in service. Train them to be in service. Let the little ones sit on the floor and color or draw, but let them be there. I see his wisdom now. It is the preaching of the word that is the power of God. Let the word be preached over them as they lay there squirming. It will be power in their lives. I work with youth as a teacher and minister and I am just now realizing that maybe we have missed the mark some what. There will come a time when they will not endure sound doctrine. I hope that is not about our young generation. Can they hear? Do they listen? Can they follow a thought  through  a sermon? Maybe we should realize it is foolishness to those who are perishing. Make them sit there and listen. It is the power of God, it will create faith in the hearer. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by a word form God" (Romans 10:17). If that is true then we need to put ourselves in a place of hearing the word.

You can learn more about faith, preaching and the word in The First Principles.