Turn Up the Heat!

Well, happy Sabbath, everyone! It's good to see all of you. Thank you, Teresa! Beautiful music, really appreciate that. Beautiful voice, wonderful words. Certainly appreciate the praise and honor to God. He is awesome. There is no doubt about that. So really appreciate the special music.

Well, here we are on another Sabbath day. Has it been kind of normal? Kind of usual? I mean, the days go by. Maybe we had a little bit of a special week this week with Thanksgiving, perhaps got together with family or friends. But that's different than probably most weeks. Most weeks, it's maybe just another day. Another day goes by. An everyday routine. Do you ever feel like that? It's just the familiar. It's the normal.

Sometimes we may get into that type of thinking when it even comes to Scripture itself.

I'd like to begin by going to a familiar story, one we kind of know about. It's over in John 2, verse 13. You'll recognize it as soon as I say it's the story about Jesus Christ and the money changers. Oh yeah, we know that story, right? Let's take a look at it and see if there's something we might glean from this that might work against the routine. Maybe work against the familiar. The story, a number of places in Scripture. John 2, verse 13 is the section I'll read. And it starts at the time of the Passover. It says, Jesus went to Jerusalem. Down in verse 14 of John, chapter 2, it says, He founded the temple, those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business. Now, of course, some of this was necessary because people had to sacrifice and they needed the animals in order to do that. But of course, obviously, the money changers are doing more than just selling animals for sacrifices. It seems like they were probably in it for a lot more than just exchanging things. So Christ shows up on the scene. Verse 15, it says, When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen, and he poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of merchandise.

So we know the story. We know that Christ was not happy with those that were doing business. They were making money off of God's temple. Now, it is interesting that this reminded the disciples of something. It even tells us they remembered. Well, what did they remember?

Did they remember Christ saying, Woe to you, scribes, you hypocrites?

No, that's not what came to mind for them. Well, what did they remember?

Did they remember that Scripture says, wow, a day in your courts is better than a thousand other days? No, that's not what came to mind either. Look what came to mind for them in verse 17. It says, after the circumstance of Christ driving out the money changers and all the animals and overturning the tables, it says his disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house has eaten me up. Psalm 69.9 is what came to their mind. This was a song of Asaph. It came to mind. Zeal for your house has eaten me up. That's what King James and New King James says. There was a passion that Christ exhibited, and it was a consuming passion. That's what Revised Standard says, a consuming passion consumed Christ. The good news says, my devotion for your house burns in me like a fire. I wonder if that's what comes to our mind when we think of this example of Christ. His devotion for the house of God was like a fire inside of him that couldn't be put out. He certainly demonstrated that by taking things in his own hands and driving out those money changers. Of course, maybe a question comes to your mind as you consider this example of Christ. What came to mind for his disciples?

Well, his example was one of zeal. This word for zeal here is the word zios, is the base word there. It literally means to be hot, to be hot or boil over. Liquids boil over because they are hot. Or if you're talking about metal, you might think of someone who works with an anvil, a metal worker, maybe someone who might be a blacksmith, and they take a horseshoe and they want to mold that to the shape of their horse's hoof. So what do they do? Put it in the fire. What happens to it? Well, after a while it starts to glow, a bright orange. That's exactly what this word means when it's dealing with solids. It's something that's glowing from the heat, or a liquid is boiling over. That Christ had this zeal, this passion, this enthusiasm, this devotion for the house of God that was something that couldn't be put out. Couldn't be put out.

And so when we consider Christ's perspective on this, do we have that kind of zeal? That kind of boiling over glowing red-hot passion for God's way? Or, well, it's another Sabbath. Another time to get together. Just, yeah, just normal. Well, it certainly wasn't normal for Christ. And I think by setting this example, I think he's telling us, do we recognize the times that we live in? Do we recognize what's going on in our life and in the world? I think Christ is telling us it's time to turn up the heat, that spiritual vibrancy that we need. It's something that's not just nice to have, not just something that, well, if you had more devotion, if you had a little more enthusiasm and dedication, this would be good. Have a little more... No, that's not what he's saying. It's not what his example is illustrating here. It's illustrating the fact we better have a passion for our Heavenly Father and His way. That better be first and foremost in our life. It's not just a nicety, but it's a requirement. In fact, as you read through the Word of God, you'll see how many times over and over and over this idea of zeal and enthusiasm and devotion and dedication to God is emphasized for us as God's people. If you turn to the back of the book in Revelation, we have those letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and Revelation 3.

Yeah, there's this familiar section of Scripture in Revelation 3, verse 14, where there's a letter written to the church of Laodicea. Oh yeah, I know this letter. You know it, don't you?

Revelation 3, verse 14, it's not just something that we should take as routine, because here as God has given instructions to these various churches, which certainly apply to all of us throughout the ages, we find in Revelation 3, verse 14, the letter to the Laodiceans.

And here we find the Apostle John is inspired to encourage us to turn up the spiritual heat, because we better have a passion for God's way and have a devotion to Him no matter what. And so instructions are given, talks about the challenges that they were facing. God says, I know your works in verse 15, and he says that you feel you're rich, you feel you're in great shape, spiritually you're doing just fine. Yeah, we know the routine. Yep, we're fine, we're good.

But God says, wait a second, I'm going to give you some counsel here. This is what you need to do. You don't even realize the spiritual condition that you're in. And so he gives guidance, he gives correction. And in fact, in verse 19, he says, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

So God corrects us that chastening is kind of an education. He's wanting us to come to understand His way and do something about it. And so he says, hey, you better take action. Notice what he says, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. That same base word for zeal, to be hot. Make sure you are glowing. And not just once in a while, not just occasionally, not just a Sabbath thing. When you look at the really the context of this word and the way the word is used so oftentimes throughout the New Testament, that's pointing to a constant state. This is how you consistently have to be constantly passionate for God's way. He's talking about a lifelong path of dedication and enthusiasm for living God's way. And in fact, he even says the proof of this frame of mind is having a different perspective, that we change our thinking. We repent. We change from that lackluster, familiar, everyday, normal type of routine to having that intense enthusiasm that's devoted to God. And so he instructs us, that's what we need to be. And it takes us back to that story of Christ driving out the money changers, doesn't it?

Because just think of what was going on physically there. He got rid of the money changes. He got rid of the oxen. He got rid of the sheep. He got rid of those that sold the doves. He got rid of all of that, all of the clutter, all the clutter in the house of God, Christ eliminated.

And I think in a way, that's kind of our thinking. Our minds get cluttered so often with so many things. And we need to drive out the money changers, the animals. Because after all, we're the temple of God. We collectively, as the church of God, yeah, sometimes we get cluttered with so many things going on. But Christ is telling us, turn up the heat, have a greater sense of spiritual passion and zeal for my way. And so get out that clutter. Get rid of the inconsistency that clouds your thinking. Get rid of the variance. Get rid of the sluggishness that can slow us down, spiritually speaking. And Christ did it physically to make that point. That zeal for the house of God, for His way, for His church, was burning in Him like a fire. And He couldn't help but exhibit that enthusiasm for God's way and get rid of the clutter out of the house of God. And I think by setting that example, He's telling us that passion for God, that passion for His way, has to be. It's not just a nice thing. It's something that's absolutely required. And so He tells us, be zealous. Change your thinking. Change your attitude. He goes on here in Revelation. He says, I'm standing at the door knocking. If you hear my voice and open the door, I'll come and dine with Him and He with me. And so He makes that point. He wants to be with us, but we've got to get rid of the clutter and turn up the heat, spiritually speaking. In fact, the Apostle Paul talked about this same passion for God, not just as something that would be nice to have once in a while, or occasionally we turn up the heat, but that consistency that we're to have in our spiritual calling. Philippians chapter 1 verse 27 is where the Apostle Paul reminds us of that kind of frame of mind that we're to have. Paul was reminding those in Philippi, which was a very faithful church, a church that was dedicated to God, one that helped Paul and served him and sent him aid as he traveled and preached and taught. It's interesting as he begins this letter, he kind of ties these different examples together. The example of what the disciples remembered about the zeal that Christ had for the house of God and how it connects with our zeal and passion for God in his way. It's something that we have to have, not something that we should just turn on once in a while, but something that needs to be there constantly, consistently. So notice what Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 1 verse 27. He says, let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So there's that reflection of who we are shown in our actions. He says, whether I come and see you or absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. So it sounds a little bit like some of those instructions to Laodicea that as the church of God, as the church of God, we strive together. We strive together to fulfill the calling that God's given us, both individually and collectively. There is a duty. There's a job. There's responsibilities we have to fulfill. And so Paul reminds the Philippians, striving together for the faith of the gospel.

That is interesting, he says, not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which to them is a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God.

So he connects this striving together, this passion and enthusiasm and devotion and dedication that we have to God, having a right relationship with Him, having a zeal for putting His way into practice in our lives, and the fact that it's a statement that we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to be overly anxious over what life may bring, the challenges that we face. He says, if we are overly anxious and worried, terrified of our adversaries, he says, that's making the totally wrong point. He says, our life, our dedication, our devotion should make a statement that is one from God. And our behavior is illustrating exactly what's going on inside of us. And so, certainly that passion for God and that relationship that we develop with Him has to be first and foremost. That's what Christ demonstrated. That's what Paul's talking about here, that we're fulfilling that gospel of Christ. But it's also interesting that it extends in a collective fashion, and it connects us back to that example of Christ in the temple. Passion also has to be a part of what we see as a part of God's Church.

Do you have a passion for the Church of God? Is that something that defines your thinking?

Paul wrote to the Ephesians about this very thing. Notice Ephesians chapter 3, verse 8. Once again, we see this is not an elective. This isn't an option. This is a requirement of our calling, to have a right relationship with God, to be devoted continually to Him, having that passion for His way, His will, and a relationship with Him, but also a passion for the Church.

And it should go somewhere. It should produce something. And Paul wrote to the Ephesians about this very fact. Now, this is probably a familiar Scripture, one we've probably read many times over, maybe a normal one. But one I think we can glean a little bit different perspective from if we begin to look into it a little bit more deeply. Notice what Paul writes to Ephesus, verse 8, chapter 3. He says, to me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

So we have the Apostle Paul. We can see why God called him. He was certainly a humble man by this point. One considered himself the least, not only the least of the apostles, but least of the saints, least of those called by God. He recognizes the grace of God, that without God's grace, he would have no hope. And yet through the power of God, by the power of His Spirit, God could use him to preach and to teach, to travel through the Roman Empire, do unbelievable, miraculous things. Preaching about God's way, he calls it the unsearchable riches of Christ.

And then part of that message, verse 9, it says, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. So Paul talks about the mystery. The mystery, yes, that is something that's a secret. The fellowship of the mystery. Well, what is the secret that he's talking about? What is it that cannot be known unless God reveals it? Well, he's kind of referring back to this unsearchable riches of Christ. The fact that God is creating a spiritual family, that ultimately God wants us in His kingdom as His children, His spiritual family. That's what God wants. And ultimately, it should be made known that there is a connection. There's a fellowship, a sharing.

Koinonia is the Greek word there. Koinonia, a sharing, a participation. We are partners in the mystery, partners in the gospel, partners in the plan of God, that the world doesn't get it.

But it should be evident. It should be evident. So Paul's on this mission from God to preach and teach about the riches of Christ, to talk about this fellowship of the mystery, the plan of God, the purpose of God. And it's interesting that we become a part of this message as well. If you ever noticed this before, notice verse 10. It says, to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. And so speaking of this fellowship of the mystery, the eternal purpose of God, he's bringing many sons and daughters to glory so that we can become a part of his spiritual family in the kingdom for eternity, his divine children born into the family of God. I mean, what an awesome purpose that is. And yet he says, there's something that should be evident, that because of our calling, the intent ultimately then, he says, is that, look at verse 10 again, that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church. We, as God's church, have a collective responsibility to show this multifaceted, that manifold wisdom of God. The many facets of what God is doing, what his purposes, what his plan is, should become evident by us as God's church. That is our responsibility. And in fact, it should be something that is so evident that did you notice who recognizes this?

Verse 10 says, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. I mean, this is talking about some staggering implications.

The ultimate goal, making the wisdom of God known. What is he talking about here when he talks about principalities and powers recognize this very fact? If you turn just a couple of pages over to Ephesians 6, verse 12, well, we've got another familiar section of Scripture, one that we know this section of Scripture. It's pretty everyday, maybe routine. But when you really recognize what it's saying, it's not. Ephesians 6, verse 12, we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but what are we fighting? Principalities against flesh and blood. Powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age. Against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. You see, that connects right back to what we were reading in chapter 3. We are to show the manifold wisdom of God shown by the church, shown by us as God's called out people to principalities and power. This is talking about the demonic realm. We should recognize we are passionate for God's way. We can't hide this very fact that God's wisdom is shown in our lives. And we are making a statement every single day, standing up against the power of the devil, standing up against the demonic realm, because we are committed to God. We are passionate to His way. We have driven out the things that cloud our thinking. And we are passionate for God's way, fulfilling the role that He's called us to, to show without a doubt that by the power of God's spirit, we stand against the powers in the demonic realm. We stand against principalities. We ultimately have disarmed principalities and powers, like it tells us in Colossians 2.15. We've disarmed not by our own power, but by the power of God's spirit. We have been given that power so that the multifaceted wisdom and plan and purpose of God is made known by the church.

That's part of why we're not called only for personal salvation. But there is a job, there's a duty that God has called us to, to make that plan and purpose obvious, and so obvious, that even the demons aren't going to mess with us. Because they know we are committed to God. We are committed to His way. We are not going to be clouded thinkers so that we get off track, that we are going to stay zealous for God's way. And so He's been giving us that calling, which is an amazing, amazing calling. And so we have that obligation to have a passion for the church and its mission and the duties that God has called us to. And so that should drive away the whole hum, should drive away the every day, the routine. Because when we really begin to think about it, God hasn't been haphazard. He hasn't just, well, I guess we'll call Him, we'll put them into the church, maybe it'll work out, I don't know. Is that God's perspective? It's not at all.

When you look at what 1 Corinthians 12 speaks of, it talks about the church as a body, that we are the body of Christ. And one of the things that is so striking about, yeah, we know that analogy. It's familiar, okay, the body, it's not all the eye, it's not all, yeah, we need all the parts.

Yeah, we certainly recognize that very fact. But the key in that is that it tells us that God has set us, God has set the members, each one of them in the body, just as He pleased. Just as He pleased.

God takes personal involvement to place us very, and the connotation there is that He arranges us. He puts us exactly where He wants us, whatever part of the body that may mean.

And we have a function, we have a responsibility, we have a duty. And if we don't do the things that God has placed us, and positioned us, and arranged us to do, what happens to the church?

Well, how do we proclaim the manifold wisdom of God, the multifaceted arrangement that God has put us? If I don't fulfill my part, if I don't do the function that I'm supposed to do, well, the body can function, but every part is not doing its share.

And so it's such a reminder, the importance of our collective duty as God's people, that we have to have a passion for the church, our collective responsibility, that we're to be the instrument in God's hands, to make that known. To make that known. And we can, in a sense, shake our fist at the demonic world when we trust God, and we put our confidence in Him, and we respond and submit to God's Holy Spirit.

That's what we can do, and we proclaim His goodness. We proclaim His plan, and we recognize that we have a Savior who died on our behalf, and He's called us out. We are the ecclesia. We are the ones who are called out and brought together for a purpose, and a duty, and a job, and a responsibility, which means we have to be together. We can't be separated. We can't be divided. I mean, Paul wrote to those in Corinth.

Maybe we can turn over there. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 10. It's such a good reminder for us to recognize our collective responsibility to make known the will of God so that people can recognize the purpose and plan of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 10. We recognize that calling, and here's Paul writing to those in Corinth, emphasizing how important it is to have that same frame of mind.

He tells them, verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 1, I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. And that speaks to that zeal, that passion, that devotion, enthusiasm that Christ had.

It should...well, we have Christ living in us. We have God's Spirit. We need to be in that frame of mind, that as God's people we are called out and we are brought together.

We assemble together, proclaiming the wisdom of God, showing his plan and his purpose. Which, of course, that means not only do we have to have a passion for God in his way, a passion for the church, we recognize that, hey, we've got to pray for each other. We've got to pray for the mission and the vision of the church so that we, each of us, recognize our personal responsibility and that so the work of God can be accomplished.

And, of course, that's kind of twofold in the sense that it's an outward mission, that we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God, that we do that collectively, we do that individually as well by our actions, by the light that we shine, by how we put God's way into practice, that we're ready to give a defense of the hope that lies within when certainly we are faced with those circumstances that we can proclaim the goodness of God.

We take advantage of those. We are ambassadors for Christ every day, all day, every situation. We have that recognition of that mission that God has called us to. And, of course, it's also an inward mission, one that we better be speaking to ourselves, that we need to be led by the Spirit of God. And as Ephesians 4 talks about that, we are joined and we're knit together because every one of us has a part to play by what every joint, every ligament, what every member supplies, every one of us doing our share, every one of us doing our share and growing.

And as we fulfill that mission, I believe that strikes a passion in our lives because ultimately we need to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And, of course, this is another one of those things. It's not optional. I mean, is spiritual growth an option or is it a requirement?

I think when we look through Scripture, we certainly recognize it's not just an optional kind of thing. If we look what's written in Hebrews 6, right at the very beginning of that chapter, it speaks to that fact. To have a passion for the mission and vision of the church is not just for somebody else. It's not just for them, for those. It's for me and us. It's our collective responsibility. I have a share to play. And if I don't do my share, the church just won't be right. And it won't be accomplishing the mission that God has called us to. And part of that is our personal growth, our spiritual growth, our dedication and devotion to God has to be one that's boiling over. So we see that here in chapter 6 of Hebrews. It says, Leave the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ. Those elementary principles, it could literally mean that the ABCs. Okay, we learned our ABCs when we were maybe in kindergarten or first grade. The elementary thing. Okay, it's time to go on. It's time to go on from there. So go on, leave that discussion and go on, it says, to perfection. Perfection.

Not laying again the foundation of... And so here are our elementary principles. We could say the fundamental beliefs, the fundamental of beliefs. Now they're important, absolutely, no doubt. Can't live without them. But if we're just stuck on the elementary, on the ABCs, how do you ever learn to read and write? How do you learn to go on? To really use it for its potential? He says, perfection is our goal. So don't lay the foundation of repentance again from dead works, and of faith toward God, of doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of dead and eternal judgment. That's the beginning. But we have to continue to grow spiritually, to grow in our connections and our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. And he says, this isn't an option. Conforming to the image of God is our calling. So we have to go on. It is required.

Not an option. If we're to fulfill the calling of our collective church, we have to go on. We must go on. We must recognize that God wants us to have that kind of zeal that ate up Christ, that was His passion for God and His way and His house. And so we might ask ourselves, am I consumed with the mission and the vision that God has called me to as a collective body of Christ, as an individual as well? In fact, how would you rate that? How would you rate that? I mean, are you satisfied with where you're at? Are you satisfied with the devotion that you have for God? Satisfied with the passion that you have, the zeal? Is that something that... I mean, where would you rate yourself? If you were rated yourself on a scale from 1 to 10, where would you place yourself? If 1 is ice cold and 10 is as hot as it could possibly get, where would you place yourself on that scale? Well, hopefully, is it trending up? Maybe trending down? Just hanging in there about the same? Just kind of normal? Well, could maybe be a little better?

Depends what day you ask me. Maybe some days it's better than other days. Or, well, that's okay. I'm okay. Are we satisfied with okay? Is that where God wants us to be? I mean, where would God want us to be?

Well, I think He's definitely calling us to turn up that spiritual heat, to turn up the heat and have a passion and a zeal for His way. But if we find ourselves kind of okay, normal, normal, what do we do? How can we heat it up? Is there anything we can do? Well, it is amazing once you begin to think about it how many things that you can do to light that fire for God's way. I think one of the initial ways that we can do this is to remember what God has done. If we begin to rehearse what God has done for you specifically, what has God done in your life?

I think if we begin to think about those things, it can change our perspective. It can help us to ignite that devotion to God's way. There's a beautiful Psalm that kind of reminds us of this. Psalm 105 is one of those Psalms that certainly reminds us of the kind of zeal, passion that we need to have for God and His way. And it tells us a way that we can ignite that. Psalm 105 is one of those Psalms we draw some of the lyrics from, Mar-Hymnal, from. It starts out, give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make His deeds known among the peoples, among the nations. Yeah, we sing these words. Maybe sometimes, well, maybe we take those for granted sometimes. We don't really listen to the words we sing. It talks about seeking God, seeking His strength, seeking, well, how do I do that? How can I have that kind of perspective in my life? Well, it tells us, verse 5. Verse 5, it says, Remember His marvelous works which He's done, His wonders and the judgments of His mouth. That's where it can start. And when you think of, if you reverse that, well, what's the opposite of remembering?

Forgetting, right? It's forgetting. Yeah, we're forgetful sometimes. And what happens? What happens then? Well, it seems, well, if you're like me, you forget. Don't remember these things. And then it's easy to start complaining with where I'm at. Might begin to think, well, my life, I don't know if God's been fair. You know, look at them. They seem to be doing just fine and prospering, and they're doing great, and I don't know what's the deal, God. I don't understand. Or if I forget things that God has done, it's pretty easy to feel like, wow, there's so much going on. There's so many things. It's easy to feel discouraged. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. It's easy to feel maybe a little disconnected about things. And whatever it is, it seems like if we're not careful, we may forget what God has already done in our lives. Because it's easy to focus on the negative. It's easy to notice the things that might be missing. But the challenge is, where does that lead us? If that's what we think about, if we forget to remember, I mean, where does that lead in our minds? Well, now I'm feeling sorry for myself. Now, wow, I don't know. Or it could even lead to anger. God, what are you doing? Why do I have to go through these things?

And if we forget the works of God, I think we could end up, well, sometimes like the Israelites.

You've probably read through the various stories. Sometimes they totally forgot about God. And they felt they deserved every blessing that God gave them. They felt, many times, entitled. We forget about God. We could feel that way ourselves. That could cause us to start thinking like that. And of course, you think about the Israelites. Well, what did they deserve?

What were they entitled to? I mean, you go back to the very beginning. They came out from Pharaoh on a high hand and God opened the Red Sea. Well, they must have deserved it, right? And they were hungry for meat. And so they must have deserved the quail. They must have deserved the manna. They must have deserved the water. Well, what did they deserve? None of those things. None of those.

And when we begin to think about it, what is it that we deserve? You see, if we become forgetful, I mean, do we really deserve God's mercy, His grace, His love?

Well, we're pretty much like the Israelites. We don't deserve any of those things.

And so when we become forgetful, it can cause us to think in such a wrong way. And we get off track. But if we begin to remember, I think it can help us to turn up the heat. We think about, well, what has God done throughout the Bible? Boy, there's so many amazing passages that we can read, so many events that took place where God stepped in and did miraculous things, amazing things, phenomenal things. But, you know, it's not just restricted to Scripture. It's not just the great stories of the Bible. I think we, in our lives, have a great story to tell. If we will remember, if we really just step back and recall what God has done, what has God done in your life? I think we can see His hand in so many places if we only take the time to really notice it. And I think God wants us to do that. And by recalling what He's done, I think it can restore our confidence. It restores our faith in God. We then don't base our perspective on what's going on in our circumstances. It changes things. That we can have a deep-seated joy for what God has accomplished. And we can turn, turn from feeling down and discouraged or over-anxious, to really turn and praise and honor and worship God. In fact, if you're still here in the Psalms, I think that's part of the point of Psalm 77. Psalm 77 verse 11 gives us this initiative to begin to overcome the doldrums, overcome the everyday, overcome that normal, just kind of routine perspective that we may have by remembering, by remembering. Psalm 77 verse 11, I will remember the works of the Lord.

Yeah, dedicate yourself to do this. He says, Surely I'll remember your wonders of old.

Also notice this, verse 12, I'll also meditate on all your work. What are you doing in my life? What's happened throughout my experience, God? I'll talk of your deeds. That sounds very personal. That sounds reflective of what God's done in each of our own lives. In fact, He says in verse 13, Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary. Who is so great a God as our God? And so it expands it just from our individual experience to the church, the sanctuary. The sanctuary is part of the temple. It's part of the temple. God's work in the church. We can recall those things as well. And so here we see a strength in faith, a strength in confidence in God. And it results in honor and praise and worship that can begin to flow so much more easily when we recognize what God has done.

And then it doesn't have to be a selfish thing. We're better strengthened and equipped than to help others in our remembering. I mean, could you think of the things that God has done in your life? How can I... I'm pretty forgetful sometimes. How am I supposed to remember?

Write it down. Write it down. We can write it down to remember and rehearse these things.

Now, if you're like me, you probably aren't a journal type of person. You know, some of you are pretty amazing. You keep journals and you kind of like a diary, you write things down and then that's pretty amazing. You track all kinds of things. I'm not like that. I kind of wish I was better at that, but I'm not a journaler. But you might be, and that would be a great way to remember, to remember what God has done. But maybe you're like me. Or I like to write things down, and maybe it's just a thought, maybe it's just a circumstance, it's just something that I remember. You can write it on my calendar. I know most of you probably have a smartphone and you can write appointments in your calendar. You could write down things that you want to remember that God has done for you.

Something awesome happened today. I can write it down. Just a little short little thing.

God prays you for this. This was wonderful. Things that happened in your life, things that happened in your children's life, grandchildren, things that happened in the church. You could just make a short little, just a little blurb on your calendar. And you know what's cool about that?

Guess what happens when next year comes up? There it is. This is what happened last year. It's almost like, you know, Thanksgiving. It comes up every year on your calendar, doesn't it? Well, if you write those things down in your calendar, it's going to pop up next year. And you're going to remember it automatically. You'll see, wow, you take a few moments and you recall, you rehearse, you remember, oh yeah, I might have forgot about that, but I wrote it down. And I remember the works of God. It popped up again. And so from time to time, if we just write down ways that God has been at work in our lives, in your family's life, in the congregation's life, and then we read it over once in a while, it reminds us. It helps us to keep that fire, that spiritual flame ignited, because there's so much to be thankful for, so much to praise God's for. And when we think about that, it's one of those things that it reminds us. We have to be intentional. We have to be intentional about remembering. Otherwise, yeah, we tend to forget. We tend to forget. And so this will help us not to forget. In fact, over just a couple of pages in Psalm 103, here's another one of these familiar Psalms. Beautiful song that oftentimes we sing parts of this song as well. It reminds us about that intentional remembering. Psalm 103, right at the very beginning, it says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, bless the, O my soul, everything that I am, my very being. And what does it say? End of verse 2. And forget not, don't forget all his benefits. So we can regularly remember what God has done in our life, in our family's life, in our congregation's life. And we know God is good. God is awesome. God is merciful. God is love. And this is going to help us to remember those things, to keep that zeal like Christ had. Now there's so many different things we can do to turn up that spiritual heat.

A second thing that we can do is we can refocus. We can refocus and think differently. You know, we don't have to be in the dull, the routine, the everyday. I mean, if you're like me, it happens all too often. I know what happened earlier in the week. You know, one thing after another just grabs your attention. And I don't mean that in a good way. It's some distraction, something that gets me off track, something that disrupts what I should be doing with things I shouldn't be doing.

Now it's not disruptions from people. I'm not talking about those kinds of things. It's things I inflict upon myself, my own thinking. Maybe it's thinking of a situation of worrying over something I can't do a thing about. Something that distracts me off of what I should be doing, should be focused on, to doing something trivial or unnecessary. You ever find yourself in those kinds of situations? I mean, yeah. And that distraction then can be really frustrating. It turns into frustration. And then it's just like, well, I just got to get through this. Just buy this. Get in that just kind of everyday getting by mode or just survival mode. Instead of having a confidence in God, just get it over with. And as you think about that kind of thinking that oftentimes kind of invades our minds, that distraction is really a tactic of our enemy. You know, Satan loves to distract us. He loves to get us off track. He has this goal to interfere in our lives, the lives of God's people. And if he can invade the church and our thinking and our way, even keep us busy with things that don't really matter, the temporary things, the things that are going to fade away, gets us focused on the unnecessary, then he thinks he can win. And if we lose that focus on what really matters most, then we do get off track. But it doesn't have to be that way. When we refocus, when we rethink things, those responsibilities, those distractions don't have to take over. They don't have to overwhelm us. What it reminds us of is the fact that, boy, I need to recalibrate. I need to recommit. And when those things hit, when I'm just in that getting by mode, instead of having the peace of God, instead of having the confidence, when that idea comes to mind to evaluate, I need to step back and recalibrate.

What is most important? What is my priority? What is most important in my life? And it's something I can ask God about, something I can pray to God to show me. How do I get this straightened out?

What are the areas in my life that I need to put in a different order? How can I reprioritize the things that concern me? What should be first on my list, God? Help me with this. What needs to be adjusted? You see, if we begin to refocus and recommit and kind of recalibrate our life, well, what should be the priority? If I pray and ask God, help me in evaluating and looking at my own life and show me. Show me in your mercy what needs to be first. I think that's a way, then, we can begin that process of refocusing. Of course, then, that also means I have to listen to God. If I pray and ask Him to help me, ask me to show me, ask me in His love and His mercy to help me reprioritize my life, then I've got to make sure I listen. I listen to Him.

And so, have you ever scheduled time just to listen to God?

Sometimes I forget to do that. That's not a good thing. Can we schedule time even just throughout the day? Just to step back from everything we have to do, because there's always things that need to be done. Always things to do. Other things that grab our... Do we ever just schedule time just to step back and listen? No, I don't have to be reading. I don't have to be studying. I don't have to be listening to a sermon. No, I can just step back and listen.

And I can meditate. And I can think. I could stay in touch with God and listen for a change.

It's amazing how we can refocus if we just step back, ask God to guide us, and then listen. Listen to Him. There's this beautiful passage in Isaiah chapter 58, verse 11, which reminds me of this fact that if I'm going to recalibrate and refocus, I've got to pay attention to God. I've got to look at my own life, ask God to help me reprioritize things. And then I've got to listen. I've got to pay attention to what God has in mind.

And the amazing thing is God promises to be there for us. He promises to hear us. He promises to understand and help us. Isaiah 58 is one of those passages that is such a great reminder of that. Notice what it says in verse 11. It says, the Lord will guide you continually. We put our faith, we put our confidence in Him. We step back and we pray and we honor Him and then we listen. He says He's not going to guide us every once in a while. He's not going to give up on us. He's going to continually be there for us. In fact, He uses this beautiful metaphor to really hit home for us. It says, He'll satisfy your soul in drought. It's like your life is going through this really dry place. Hasn't rained forever, it seems. It's like a drought. There's no water. But when we pray, we ask God to help us refocus, and we listen to God, what's going to happen? He says He's going to strengthen us and will be like a watered garden. A watered garden. Not going to be dry anymore. We're going to be inundated with kind of a spiritual flow of water, like a spring, it says, whose waters do not fail. That's the kind of God that we have. And we pray for a willingness to change. He hears that prayer. And when we look to Him and we listen, He's there for us. Like a drought that is suddenly quenched with a beautiful rainfall that just makes that garden, that spiritual garden, flourish. And of course, that means that if we're going to refocus, then I've got to adjust. I've got to adjust and make those changes as God guides. And when we see things that need to be tweaked, see things that need to be changed, we ask and pray God to guide us and to lead us with His gentle hand to help us as we strive to draw closer to Him. And His amazing promises are there to help us and support us. He will be our guide continually. And of course, it shows that we have to plan that. We have to purpose it in our heart. We have to be intentional in doing these things. We can't just let it happen because we know what happens when we just say, well, whatever, doesn't usually go very well. But when we're intentional, it can change everything. One of the Proverbs that you're familiar with is a reminder of that. Proverbs 16 verse 9. Proverbs 16 verse 9, I think, highlights this concept of refocusing and recommitting to God as we evaluate and we listen and we make those adjustments. Proverbs 16 verse 9, you know this proverb, it says, a man's heart plans his way. Yes, we have to be intentional. We have to plan the way.

But ultimately, where is our life? It's in God's hands. The Lord directs his steps. So I think we see, yes, we have to make plans. But ultimately, count on God. Count on God to direct us.

Look to Him. Look to His continual guidance. And that can make all the difference in the world because there's no doubt, like Christ, God wants us to have that dedication, that devotion, that passion for His way. But we certainly don't want to forget what Christ admonished all of us. He said, be sure you're asking. Ask and it will be given. So we certainly need to ask for it. Christ said, seek, look for it. What would the result be when we do? He says, you're going to find it. If you knock, He says, it will be open to you. You will receive and you will find and you will have it open to you.

And so that's the kind of God that we have. He wants us to have that type of passion for Him, a relationship with Him and with Jesus Christ, and a passion for His church and the goals and the duties and the responsibility and the mission that He's called us to. And of course, He reminds us, it only comes from that persistent pursuit of God and His way. And through prayer and following His Word and remembering every day, it can change things. And so it changes from the routine. It doesn't have to be the ho-hum. It doesn't have to be the familiar, normal type of thing. When we ask for God, He promises to fulfill us. When we seek Him, asking for that kind of passion that Christ had, asking for a will to submit to Him more fully, when we seek His presence, that's the kind of prayer I think God loves. And He can't wait to fulfill that kind of a passion in our life. And so let's strive for that kind of a zeal, that kind of a heat, that kind of a boiling over passion for God, for His church, and for the mission that He's called us to. And we can have that kind of perspective when we remember what God has done and when we refocus and we recommit to Him. And when we do those things, I think we can't help but turn up that spiritual heat.