United Church of God

Letter From Dan Preston - November 2, 2018

Letter From Dan Preston

November 2, 2018

Good evening brethren and Happy Sabbath!

A new challenge

As I was preparing the sermon for tomorrow, I read across the shortest - and consequently, most easily memorized - verse in the Bible - "Jesus wept."  This is recorded in John 11:35 (NKJV), and happened when Jesus was visiting the family of Lazarus after his death.

This scripture is often cited as a proof that Jesus Christ - God in the flesh - had emotions.  While we will be talking about the emotional side of things tomorrow, it struck me that with it being so easy to remember, this verse might be a good scripture to start something new in our congregations...

Memory Scriptures!

Beginning tomorrow, each week's announcement bulletin will contain a new memory scripture.  Our goal as a congregation will be for each of us to commit this scripture to memory. Throughout the week, perhaps each morning when you get up to pray, or at night before you go to bed, take a few minutes to read over the memory scripture for the week and think about it.  While future memory scriptures will be longer and might seem daunting at the beginning of the week, I bet you'll be surprised how well you know it by the following Sabbath!

The goal of doing this is the same goal that God had after codifying His law with Israel, Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (NKJV) reads, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."

'as frontlet between your eyes'

God wants His law to be front and center in our minds, wherever we go and whatever we do.  How can we accomplish that if we don't know His laws? By committing a new scripture to memory each week, we will all help engrave God's law on our hearts.  

I look forward to this new challenge that we will take on together and the growth it will bring us as individuals and as a congregation!