Bring Out Life By Getting Really Into Life

by | Jan 31, 2023 | Community, Featured Article (02), General Interest, Magazine

Seeing a New Year

Bring Out Life By Getting Really Into Life

Rev. Jeff Wood, First Presbyterian Church of Sebastian

WeLoveFirst.org & Facebook.com/welovefirstsebastian

Rev Jeff Wood

 

 

  • Tasting Salt & Light, Be Salt & Light, and Know God

    Two very different realities – I will be versus God has made me be, I will do versus God has done, Earn versus Receive, Imperative versus Indicative, You should versus You are.  Everyone.  At the same time, humble faith realizes that it essentially can only be none of me and all of Him.  Paul said, “All of my righteousness is like filthy rags.”  (Phil. 3:8; Also Isaiah 6:4)  None of my “good efforts” make the necessary difference but all of his “good effort” does. tries to find a middle ground, a little-of-me and a little-of-God partnership.  That’s probably realistic

    God’s good effort brings this indicative acc

    My last article had to do with Jesus saying his disciples are salt and light.  We bring out God flavors and God colors, and in doing so we bring out God himself.  How do we bring these out?  You’re going to love the answer.  It is so non-painful, so delightful, so down your alley.  I’ve been praying this week about some things that I have malaise about.  I’ve prayed that my have-to’s would have within them a lot of want-to.  The answer to how do I bring out God-flavors, God-colors, God himself is full, full of want-to. 

    Why is the answer so non-painful and so full of want-to.  It is largely because the answer is totally in line with how we are made.  Generally, do you have to ask a little boy if he wants to wrestle with his dad?  Nope, that’s in his DNA.  Generally, do you have to ask a woman if she’d like a handsome crooner to sing to her a heart-felt love song?  Nope.  Generally, do you have to ask a hungry teenager if he’d like to eat a hamburger?  Why?  It’s built into how they are made.  God designed us for the purpose he wants.  It would be ludicrous for an engineer to design something opposed to what he is seeking from it.  God is not ludicrous. 

                So how do we bring out God-flavors and God-colors and God?  We bring out by going in.  Let’s say we are going to a reception with cake.  I could do one of two things with you and that cake.   I could say, “This bakery’s cake is good and you should have a piece.”  Or I could simply, really without thinking of you at all, just take a taste of the cake, roll my eyes heavenward, smile, and not just say but shout, “OMG!  O my Gosh! O my Goodness!  Can I have a second piece?!”  Which of the two approaches brings out the flavor of the cake more?  Yes, the second. So the answer is enjoy, enjoy lustily, loudly, gladly, freely, happily.  We bring out the flavor by going into the flavor.

                C.S. Lewis once said, “It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can be.”  (A Severe Mercy)

    Pastor Jeff Wood, First Presbyterian, 1405 Louisiana Ave, Sebastian, FL 32958 (772)589-5656]

    Welovefirst.org / facebook.com/welovefirstsebastian

    Sunday Worship 10am; Wed Bible Study 9 am