My sermon this month is titled, Eyes, Nose, and Shoulder for the Sake of Christ.
The primary point is to keep our eyes on Jesus (from Hebrews 12:1). I’ve always like the metaphors of keep your nose to the grindstone and put your shoulder to the wheel. To do the will of God we do need to apply our focus and our effort.
Bible Passages
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1 John 4:9-11 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
James 1:22-24 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Books I’m Reading This Year
📖 Daily devotional book: Soul Fuel: A Daily Devotional, by: Bear Grylls.
📖 Book: Recalibrate Your Life: Navigating Transitions with Purpose and Hope, by: Kenneth Boa and Jenny Abel. This book has a strong Christian/biblical basis and is for all ages (we’ll say from age 20 through old age). It covers both regular recalibration of life and recalibration of life at major junctures of life (such as marriage, having children, major illness, retirement).
Abide in Christ
Abide in Christ is a timeless book written by Andrew Murray. Information, online book, and audio book found here.
Things Unseen Podcast
Sinclair Furguson does a podcast, titled Things Unseen, each weekday, Monday through Friday (usually about 10 minutes). He has excellent discussion points on the Bible and Christian concepts. I have found the podcast very thought provoking and valuable to me as a Christian.