24 January 2010 - PLMC

Pastor Lynette talked about “Living In The Word”
Psalm 1:1 – 4 talks of delighting in the law of the Lord
From John 8, verses 31 and 32
To follow Jesus’ teaching is what we must do
The Word of God is our spiritual food
It is powerful, whatever our mood
We must read the Bible as the soldiers read the map
As our lives are at stake, it should be a snap
As it says in 2 Peter 1, verse nineteen
In a dark place His light can still be seen

Pastor than gave us items one through five
Related to the importance of making the Word alive

The first is to know God and His teaching
We should listen no matter who is preaching
As we read Psalms 119:11 and Joshua 1:8
Into our hearts we should put His Word and then meditate
And from Isaiah 50 verse four
The Lord’s instructions are with us for evermore

The second is to receive direction and guidance
For our daily decisions, in every circumstance
Per Psalms 119 verse 105 and 143 verse 8
His Word is a light and helps without making us wait

The third is to bear spiritual fruit
Something about which John is not mute
See John 15:5 and 15:16
Much fruit will grow and be seen

To minister to others is the next
Pastor referred again to the Isaiah text
Having a relationship with God as long as we live
Allows us to minister to others and help to give

The fifth is to teach others
That includes friends and brothers
Colossians 3:16 puts is very well
Teach with wisdom and sing songs as well

Pastor then asked how such a person we could recognize
Per Psalms 1:2, it is the delight in their eyes
The condition of our hearts by others can be seen
As it says in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15
Our satisfaction, gratification, and pleasure
Should be based on the Word that we treasure
We should be reading the Word every day
And become saturated (not scholars) in this way

Struggles are something that we all face
Be it discipline or distractions in our own place
At times dryness we will sense
Overcoming these requires diligence

But Pastor also gave us ways to live in the Word
Devotional reading and study are two about which we heard
Memorisation moves things from our head to our heart
Spiritual meditation can also play a part
That is what it says in Psalms 1 verse 2
In Joshua 1:8 and Ps 119 too
The Word is something we must also obey
That is what John 15:10 and James 1:22 both say

The bottom line is that to listen and read
Is not enough, as doing is what we need
Having knowledge is not enough
We must transform lives, even if it is tough