Thursday, December 28, 2023
As for me and my house
Our spiritual resolution this year is taken from Joshua's famous statement: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
To help me figure out what it means to serve the Lord, I have been thinking of stories where people were identified as being servants of God. Two have really impacted me. One is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue that everyone was to bow down before. These three Jews would not and they were to be killed in a furnace of fire. But Jesus or an angel was in the fire with them and they were spared. Neb called the servants of God and acknowledged that no other god could have delivered like that.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were followed by a slave girl announcing that they were servants of God telling people how to be saved. When Paul cast the spirit out, they were beaten and thrown in jail. But they praised God, God was with them, they told the jailer about Jesus, and the jailer was born again.
So here is what I think I am learning about serving God.
It will go against culture.
I will be dangerous.
It is not about me.
God will be with me big time.
People will learn about God.
And some will give their life to Jesus.
And I think I have just outlined my end of the year sermon.
New Year's Eve. Hillcrest.
