A Message from Pastor Jamey
Hey everybody,
I hope you enjoyed a good holiday season, Christmas and New Year with friends and family. This Sunday is our first chance to gather as a church family in the new year. While I enjoyed the Sunday off, I’m ready to gather again and take on 2024!
If you didn’t get a chance to see last week’s online message, I would encourage you to do that. It’s a small investment, only 11 minutes, and you can see it here. In the message, I laid out a new reading plan for the new year called “A Year with Jesus.” We are taking a whole year to read slowly through the four Gospels that follow the life of Jesus. I pray that as we spend this intentional time with Jesus, we will be significantly influenced by Him. The plan can be found in the Believers Church App, and its structure is pretty simple. On Monday, you will read a large chunk of one of the Gospels (this week, it was Mark chapter 1); then, Tuesday through Saturday, you will read that chunk in smaller bites. Sunday is a day of rest or a catch-up day…plus it’s the day you will gather with your church family.
I want to share some ideas with you that could help you to maximize this year with Jesus:
Pick a time of day when you can consistently spend time with Jesus.
If your approach to doing this reading is “fitting it in” when you have some free time, I’m afraid your time with Jesus will be pretty inconsistent. Habit experts tend to agree that a habit is more easily formed when you plan for it rather than wait for it. Don’t wait for your schedule to clear to spend this time with Jesus; schedule it. Pick a time (the first part of your day, the last part of your day, your lunch break each day) that generally works best for you, and then schedule that time every day.
Pray before you read.
Your year with Jesus could become a to-do list if you aren’t careful. You’ve heard of the “honey-do list”? Most people don’t talk about those lists with joy, they feel burdened by them. This time in the Gospels isn’t a task to be completed; it is time with a person to be enjoyed and transformative. Before reading your Bible, talk to the One behind the Bible. Ask God to meet you during this time. Ask Jesus to show you something that will help you think of Him and walk closer throughout the day. If you’re like me, your mind fills with everything that needs to be done that day the moment you first open your eyes. It’s good to pause for a moment and focus on the One you will be spending time with before you jump in.
Stack your time with Jesus with another habit.
Do you sit down for coffee in the morning and watch the news or something else? Consider stacking that cup of coffee with the time with Jesus. Replace the time with the TV with the time with Jesus. I firmly believe that every day is better with Jesus AND coffee!
Don’t just read.
If you aren’t careful, you can read the words on the page and miss the words altogether. Have you ever read a page in a book and realized that you don’t know what you just read? That’s not helpful when reading a book, but it misses the point entirely when it comes to time with Jesus. What should you do besides read? How about ask questions. Pastor Rick Warren suggests some great questions to ask while you read the Bible, things like:
1.Is there an attitude to change?
2.Is there an example to follow?
3.Is there a truth to believe?
4.Is there something for which to praise God?
5.Is there a promise to claim?
6.Is there a sin to confess?
In other words, don’t just read the Bible; interact with it. Don’t just read ABOUT Jesus, interact WITH Jesus. As you read and ask these questions, maybe writing down some of what you have read would be helpful. It may help you to remember. If that sounds too much like “journaling” to you, write a take-away on a sticky note and put it where you will see it for a week or so.
· Talk with someone else about what you’re reading.
The goal of these church-wide reading plans is that we all read the same thing simultaneously. Find a couple other people you can text or meet with daily/weekly to discuss what you are learning from your time with Jesus. Following Jesus in community is so much richer!
I’m praying for you as we start this new year. Let’s get the year off right by meeting together THIS Sunday in person at 9 or 10:45 for the start of our new series “House Party.”
Blessings,
Pastor Jamey
PS What is one thing you hope to experience this year in your walk with Jesus?
