Coffee With The Lord

Can you imagine what “THE VOICE OF THE LORD” is like?

Psalm 29, part of my Bible reading today in the Psalms, describes how King David imagined God’s voice… (Just let me say, you really owe it to yourself to read this entire Psalm… with reverent imagination!)

You see God has spoken from creation onward in human history!

He has spoken through His word – the Bible!

He has spoken through His prophets – His messengers.

He has spoken in creation and in the various events of life… and He still speaks in and through them.

David understood that His voice was powerful! His voice was creative (and at times even destructive)!!

In light of that, David urged us… “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name! Worship the Lord in the splendor [ie. The beauty] of holiness… Let everyone who hears His voice say ‘Glory!!!’” (From Psalm 29:1-2, 9)

And I stand in awe of His voice! He speaks to me… and I bow and cry out… “Glory to God!!!”

My Bible reading during “coffee with the Lord” this morning included 1 Corinthians 10:1-13…

Reading it today reminded me of parenting… Good parents, loving parents, wise parents combine WARNINGS and ENCOURAGEMENT – ADMONITION and ASSURANCES!

Inspired by the Holy Spirit that is precisely what Apostle Paul did in this passage!  He played the part of a wonderful godly spiritual parent to a needy congregation (check out him applying that imagery to himself in 1 Corinthians 4:14-15).

Drawing on the experiences of the children of Israel in the Old Testament, Paul gave his “spiritual children” these “parental WARNINGS”…

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not  desire evil as they did.  Do not be idolaters as some of them were… We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did…We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did… Nor grumble as some of them did… Now these things happened to them as an example, but were written down for our instruction! … Therefore let anyone who thinks they stand, take heed lest they fall!” (From 1 Corinthians 10:6-12  ESV)

But then the ENCOURAGEMENT and ASSURANCE (In the very next verse)!

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man!  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation HE WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE WAY OF ESCAPE, THAT YOU  MAY BE ABLE TO ENDURE IT!” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

My response?  Thank you Apostle Paul, my “spiritual parent,” – I need both: WARNING and ENCOURAGEMENT – ADMONITION and ASSURANCE!

As a young man preparing for the ministry, I believe I was led by the Holy Spirit to a very important life-verse… 1 Corinthians 9:27 (I read it again today during my time of “coffee with the Lord”). It has served me well over the years and has assumed a pivotal role in my life. In fact, after I realized the importance of staying in shape and working out daily in order to function at a maximum personal level, the surrounding verses near my life-verse became even more special to me. This is not to say, I’ve never had a failure or stumbled from the principle and truth my life-verse expresses, but regardless of those failures it has continued to be a central, guiding principle in my life. It expresses my life-quest and desire in service for the Lord.

Here is the passage with my life-verse included in all caps…

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it! Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So Ido not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I DISCIPLINE MY BODY AND KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL, LEST AFTER PREACHING TO OTHERS I MYSELF SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED!” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV)

I think we’ve all seen it at some time or other… A person with great promise in public life disgraced by a moral or ethical lapse or pattern of living. A young talented entertainer self-destruct through an undisciplined lifestyle. An athlete shooting for a world record or championship season disqualified for violating the rules. A high profile pastor disgraced and disqualified for ministry because of a tragic “moral failure.”

I don’t want to be that kind of person! With God’s help I want to listen to the warning of Apostle Paul in this passage and exercise Spiritual self-discipline… Hey, a “fruit of the Spirit” is … “self-discipline” (Galatians 5:22-23). And if you’ve fallen… acknowledge it, ask God and others to forgive you, establish some accountability, and allow God’s grace to restore you and enable you to rebuild what sin has destroyed. It can happen!!!