Welcome to the new blog from the CVM team, let’s start with a question:
Have you ever been walking along and a complete stranger greets you warmly with a smile and a nod? You may be thinking ‘what does he/she want? Have I got breakfast around my face or in my beard?’ (happens to me regularly). Or you may take the greeting for what it’s worth, feel encouraged and be on your way. The point is, sometimes it’s the really simple things that can make a difference to us.
Take the Bible for example, in particular a book written by a guy called James. He talks about ships being steered by a tiny rudder and a match that can set ablaze a huge amount of trees… or was that the Stereophonics? Anyway, your tongue, proportionally tiny, but very powerful, can build up or bring down. These things are small and simple, yet have huge effects and implications in life.
A few years ago something so simple had a huge impact on my life. I remember a very elderly lady getting up in Church, walking slowly to the front. Lifting her head she stood gazing at the congregation. In silence we waited, watched, but nothing. She just stood there looking out at us. The microphone buzzed and squealed as the sound guy started to panic boosting the audio levels, but she remained calm, still, waiting. What she said was simple, ‘Read your Bible and pray every day if you want to grow’ then she shuffled back to her place, head down and still.
The service moved on and we all went home, but that simple truth stayed with me, why? She hadn’t just invented it; Jesus spoke the message before, that ‘man cannot live by bread alone, but on every single word from God.’ Matthew 4:4
The faith and relationship that we can enjoy with God because of Jesus Christ has to be a life that is fed and cared for. Much like how we care for and feed our physical state, our spiritual one is in need of spiritual food.
Perhaps you have made a commitment to God before and things have gone cold, or the challenges of certain life experiences have caused you to move away.
The message is simple, if you want to grow in your relationship with God, if you want to be the man you know God desires you to be, read His Word (the Bible) and pray each day. This is not a prescription like the doctor will give, this is a living relationship that requires you to respond, to move forward and closer to God, that’s done in reading and praying.
And remember this simple guide, as you open and read God’s word, ask Him, ‘Lord what were you saying then, and what do you want to say to me today?’
