This week I have scheduled some spiritual refreshment. I need it. I have learned over the years that to be spiritually dry is dangerous.
We were given a nice used couch years ago. We put it in the family room. It had about five good years left in it when it came to us. When it finally reached the point of no return we needed to think of a dignified way to discard it. We didn’t want to spend money on it. I decided to burn it. We hitched the wagon to the old Ford tractor and drove it up into the yard. We wrestled that old, tired couch out onto the wagon and took it for its last drive. There was an old burn pile back in the woods. I would burn it there.
This would be an adventure. The children came along. We wrestled the couch off the wagon and onto the ground. I thought about putting some kerosene on the couch to see to it that it would burn well, but I didn’t. I just lit a match and tapped it on the bottom corner of the couch. What happened next shocked me. It was as if I had saturated the couch with lighter fluid. It shot into flame. Within seconds the flame was leaping thirty feet high and the heat from the fire drove us all back. We all stood in shocked silence while the couch burned in a couple minutes down to a small mess of blackened coils.
If you are spiritually dry you should do something about it quickly. It is a dangerous position to be in. Your life can go up in flames in a shocking fury. Spiritual dryness is no trifle. High doses of the Word can be helpful. Psalm 1 says of the one who meditates on the Word of God; “He will be like a tree planted by rivers of water.” If you are spiritually dry get with people who aren’t and let them influence you. When you walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers you are in trouble. Get out your Bible and get alone with God or spend some time with godly, righteous, people who praise and honor God and see if you don’t get your color back.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
April 12, 2010
I have suffered lately, probably more so than I have in a long time, but my relationship to the Lord is getting richer and sweeter by the minute. I have no money. I have no worldly success. My mom, my best friend, is dying. I have a very rebellious son who steals from me constantly. I am going to say that by all appearances, I am a total fail in this life. This is the son that I had in faith to God trusting Him for my family. And yet, my walk with God keeps getting richer and richer. My suffering is suffering with Christ. It is hard but it is where the fruit is and it is things that I wouldn’t choose for myself ever!
The key to everything in God is faith. Nothing we do can give us the grace we need to draw close to God or to do the next right thing; only faith can give us that. We get more faith by the Word. We thus receive grace through that and we receive more grace by trusting God while we’re suffering and not giving up.
I am putting all my faith in His righteousness in me and this not of myself. Still suffering can be discouraging and yet, I am not taken over by it because of this grace.
I have gotten so much revelation in the last few years just by obediently witnessing. I have learned and grown more in the last 6 years than I have in all years previous because I finally understand the message. It is an exciting time, Pastor Pierpont. God is pouring out His Spirit. Be encouraged!! God is giving us the answers!!
Many blessings,
Vera
What a powerful analogy of our spiritual lives if we do not take heed. Thanks
Yesterday I was saying to Bob Casement after classhow God is so good at weaving His word into our lives when we need it.
This last couple weeks I have been reading Deut. to get a review of the Old Testiment. The 6th chapter is such a life changing message when we listen to it. LOVE GOD with all you are.
Friday as I walked, listing to my MP3, a message of yours from 2008 came on. Not sure how it even got downloaded on there! The message, “The Master Key” , LOVE GOD with all you are.
Sunday Bob was covering the last chapter of James, the main point, LOVE God in all you do.
Today, after finishing my prayer time in which I was asking God to help me live like the Ps. 1 man, watered by the stream of living water, I decided to check face book, and seeing your post, took time to read it. There it is again, the Ps. 1 man! Isn’t God amazing!
I thank Him every day for you and the other pastors, for your hearts for the Lord and for His people.
Sherry
That’s a good point! Sounds like fun burning too! 🙂