the chronicles of sarnia

At my church we recently unveiled our new church mission and process for making disciples.  At Pleasant Valley Church we encourage everyone to: Connect with God.  Grow with Others.  Serve the World.

As a staff, we’ve been emailing back and forth, discussing at length and refining what it looks like for someone to integrate this process of disciple-making into their own life.  Well today I had an opportunity to do some seriously awesome Connecting with God.

I escaped to a secluded area in an undisclosed MN State Park with a great view overlooking the Mississippi River.   I was a little paranoid of being attacked by snakes or what not but nonetheless I was there to really make a go of making a connection.  I have made it my goal set aside time in my calendar to get away by myself, without distractions to pray, read my bible, roam around in nature, and see what God would say to me.

I decided to read through the book of Philippians.  I had my journal open so that any passages that seemed to pop off the page I could jot down and later commit to memory.  After slowly digesting the book of Philippians I found a whopping 17 passages that I wanted to memorize.  Some I had memorized in the past but needed a refresher.  Others passages that I wanted to meditate on to gain insight.  Here are a few of those passages:

Phil. 1:6  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Phil 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ to die is gain.”

Phil 1:27 “Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Phil 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Phil 2:5-11 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.  But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross.  Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Needless to say, having just memorized those 5 passages my mind is pulsing with God’s word, thus increasing my connection with Him and what he says about how I live my life. 

Can I encourage you as He did me?  Hide God’s Word in your heart.  Don’t count on Sunday morning worship celebrations to be your only spiritual food throughout the week.  It’s meant to be a springboard into a deeper, abundant life in Christ.  Let God’s word dwell in you and He’ll blow open the door to Greater Things.