Are You Serious?

‎Tuesday, ‎August ‎2, ‎2022

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Psalm 119:114

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

Memory verse: Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Today's reading: PSALM 60-62 ROMANS 5

Are You Serious?

My first experience in the oil field was as a maintenance crew foreman. At first, I was the only man on the crew that did not have a parole officer or a probation officer. Then one day they gave me a new man. He was 25 years old and very articulate and a steady worker. One day I asked him about himself. He said he had his degree in petroleum engineering. I said, "Are you serious?"

He said that he wanted to start at the bottom and train up and learn as much as he could before he applied for a job where he could use his degree. His idea was to never be in a situation in the future where he could not pull from practical experience.

I knew a man many years ago who took a job running heavy equipment and the bosses put him in my crew. It was my first day and my foreman got me started and he watched me for a while and could tell I had experience. He needed to go back to the office in town and said as he got in his truck, "If that guy does not work out, I am giving you the authority to fire him.

I said, "Are you serious?"

The boss said, "Yea. If he is not good then just send him to the office for his check". He drove off.

I watched as I worked and the man had obviously misrepresented himself as a good operator so I sent him in for his check. He said,

"Are you serious?" I just did what I was told. I had never done that before-no one had ever told me how to fire a man and I did not like it much.

In Acts 19, there were men who did not know Christ who were ordering evil spirits out of people in 'the name of Jesus Christ whom Paul preaches';

Acts 19: 15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?”(In other words, "Are you serious?") 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Jesus said, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

Are we serious about our faith? In John 14:26, Jesus said the Holy Spirit 'will remind you of everything I have said to you'. He was talking with followers whom He had taught and who had proved their loyalty. We are followers of Christ who never heard Him teach. How do we know what Jesus said? Our source, of course, is the Bible, the God-breathed, inspired, and written word of God.

If we do not read the Word of God, how can we really know what Jesus said? If we have not studied the Word, how will the Holy Spirit bring to memory what Jesus said? Are you like the petroleum engineer who had studied his books and wanted to learn from the ground up and one day pull from his experience or like the man who lied about his knowledge of heavy machines and had no clue?

When you answer the phone, you know and recognize familiar voices of family, right? If we are in the Word of God the way we say we are, we will recognize when God speaks. This is not hard but it takes a trained heart. It's not weird. It is divine.

This calls for consistency-faithfulness in Bible study and reading. It takes a heart that wants to pray and meditate. God will not empower you with the Holy Spirit if you do not take up your cross daily.

The Holy Spirit does not get mad and pout and stop speaking to us. We get lazy and stop listening. We use every excuse to not pray and read the Word.

Are we serious? There is still time as long as it is called today.

Hebrews 3: 13 But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called “today.” Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change.

Find an avenue for accountability and encouragement. Find a study group or friend that seeks God in Christ and work together. But find that time and place in your life everyday to listen...

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

I confess-I am lethargic and lazy in my seeking You. Give me a hunger for Your word and train my heart to hear You.

Great God of compassion.

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen