Scott's Thoughts

 

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

January 12, 2005

 

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

 

 

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

 

This verse was brought to my attention yesterday by a book I have begun to read, “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp. His point was that a child’s behavior, whether good or bad, springs from the heart.

 

Of course, this is true for all of us, not just children. What a person says and does reflects the condition of his or her heart:

 

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) No wonder the Bible says to “keep your heart with all vigilance”! It determines the true quality of our lives.

 

We can get an idea of what “all vigilance” looks like by considering the security preparations for the upcoming Inauguration of President Bush. I read this morning that there will be an unbelievable amount of security for this event: fighter jets flying overhead, Coast Guard boats patrolling the rivers, numerous sensors to detect chemical or biological weapons, many metal detectors, and over 6,000 security officers patrolling the grounds. That is a picture of “all vigilance”! Not just the President, but members of the Supreme Court and other national leaders will be gathered together in a relatively small area. In a sense, as the most important public figures of our nation, they represent America’s “heart”, and would make the inauguration an attractive target for terrorists.

 

We ought to be just as vigilant in guarding our hearts. It is the most important part of who we are. We must be ready to fight temptation and keep out ungodly attitudes and evil thoughts. In our study of the 10 Commandments on Sunday evenings, we have seen again and again how it is possible to keep the commandment in an outward fashion, but break it inwardly. It’s the heart that matters.

 

How do you guard your heart? By entrusting it to Jesus Christ by faith. First, remember your salvation. God chose you so that you would be holy and blameless before him. He sent you his Son Jesus Christ to cleanse you from your sin and give you new hearts. He sends his Spirit to dwell within you, who gradually makes you more Christ-like. It is God’s will to purify your hearts. In this, he calls you to hold fast to him by faith. This faith is strengthened by prayer, by the Word and sacrament, by worship, by Christian fellowship, and by other God-given means of grace. As you trust your faithful Savior and seek him daily, and as you grow in your knowledge of him and of his love for you, the more you will “keep your heart with all vigilance”.

 

The Lord bless you all this week.

 

Please note the following information:

 

          Last Sunday (1/09):

 

-         The annual congregational meeting was held after the morning service last Sunday. The major decision that was made was to approve the budget for 2005. If you were not able to attend and would like to have a copy of the budget, please let me know.

 

           This evening (1/12):

 

-         We will meet for our weekly Wednesday evening prayer meeting this evening at 7:00 p.m. at our house. Please call me for directions or to inform me of any matters for prayer (church, 321-5220 or home, 321-6151).

 

This coming Lord’s Day (1/16):

 

-         The adult Sunday School class will watch and discuss the next segment of Ravi Zacharias’ video series called “Deliver Us From Evil – Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture”.

 

-         I will preach from Mark 13:14-23 during the morning service. The message will be, “The Suffering Church”.

 

-         I have been preaching on the 10 Commandments during the evening service. This Sunday Evening we will look at the 8^th Commandment, “You Shall Not Steal”.

 

Website update:

 

-         Eric Pyle notes:

 

The sermon audio is now current up through Sunday Jan 2, 2005.

 

Including the entire Advent series:

http://opcnorman.org/resources/#morningService

 

And the series on the Ten Commandments:

http://opcnorman.org/resources/#eveningService

 

Eric Pyle (webServant@opcNorman.org)

 

Tsunami relief:

 

-         If you are interested in helping the Tsunami relief work, and want to be sure your gift is used by those who are ministering in Christ’s name, please read the following e-mail from the Diaconal Committee of the OPC:

 

Beloved in the Lord:

 

After considerable research, the executive committee of the General Assembly Committee on Diaconal Ministries has decided to set up a tsunami fund as a vehicle for willing donors to help provide relief to believers in the affected areas. Please designate gifts "for tsunami relief." Your gifts will be given through existing Reformed ministries and churches in the areas of disaster. It is our sincere desire that diaconal aid given in the name of Christ be accompanied by a clear gospel witness. Since there are Reformed ministries in the area of the disaster, we intend to distribute the Lord's gifts through such ministries. Gifts designated for tsunami relief should be sent to:

 

Committee on Diaconal Ministries

The Rev. Leonard J. Coppes, secretary-treasurer

9161 Vine St.

Thornton, CO 80229-7636

 

 

 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

 

 

 

 

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org