“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:2-3
On Christmas eve, I received a notification on my facebook posts from several months ago. The notification was from a video post I made over the summer. Thursday mornings, I would wake up early, go down to the lake at camp and paddle around. The stillness I experienced was indescribable. Still, quiet, peaceful, calming are the only words I can say. One has to experience that type of quiet time in nature to really know what I am talking about. Well, the notification came up, “Kevin, I enjoyed your clip here on Christmas Eve!! Seems like yesterday you were in my class. God bless you in all you do!!” This was encouragement from my 7th grade Bible teacher, Norm Reynolds.
One of the important teachings I remember from Mr. Reynolds was scripture memorization. He had the class memorize Psalm 1. Those 6 verses had a powerful impact on my faith. Delight in the Lord. Meditation on God’s word day and night. Plant yourself by the riverbank. Bear fruit. Prosper in the Lord. Time with God is important.
Today, one specific way my faith is strengthened is through purposeful devotional time. This time is set apart and it grounds and nourishes me. It prepares me for the day ahead and allows me to experience the joy of the Lord in prosperity and adversity.
Some of you know my “notifications” are turned off on my cell phone. I do this because I get easily distracted and I want to be in the moment- talking to the person I am with. There is one notification I keep open, it is the “youversion Bible” app. At 8am each morning, my phone buzzes and a reminder comes up with a bible verse for the day. I click it, and read it. Then it is followed by a 3 minute video devotional. You can find ways to spend time with the Lord- this is one way I do it. If you want to check out the (free) app here it is: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/
Plant yourself,
Blessings,
Pastor Kevin