| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive” Our Bible verse for today: “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Be fully alive” I want to tell you right up front (and without apology) that I have stolen the title for this month’s theme. It comes from a book with that same title which I’ve just finished reading – “Fully Alive” by Tim Shriver. Some of you may recognize Tim’s name. He’s part of the Kennedy family clan. His mother was Eunice Shriver. Along with her famous brothers John, Bobby, and Teddy, she was one of the nine Kennedy kids who made up that large family. Tim’s sister Maria was married to Arnold Schwarzeneggar, and so she was the former First Lady of California. Being from a long line of passionate Democrats, Tim’s political and social positions are different from mine. But that doesn’t matter because the book wasn’t really about those things. The book was something of an autobiography in that it follows the course of Tim’s life from his early years as a child, all through the school years, and into middle-age. But the primary focus of the story pertains to Tim’s personal development in two crucial areas of life, both of which combine to determine how “fully alive” a person is. The first area is spiritual development. Tim is a Christian and so he writes about his personal journey from childhood faith into a deep discipleship relationship with Jesus Christ as an adult. The second area of the book’s focus pertains to a life of service. Tim argues (and I agree) that a person isn’t fully alive until that person is living a life of service to others. Faith and service were fundamental elements in the life of the family he grew up in, which is why they produced so many public servants including a President, Senators, Congressmen, and leaders of philanthropic organizations. The family creed was “You have been given much; you must serve others in exchange.” In other words, “The more you have, the more you are expected to give.” That, of course, was taught by Jesus in Luke 12:48 and is a key element of Christianity. I enjoyed the book, and I’ll quote some helpful passages from it throughout the month. I’m also in full agreement with the author’s conclusion that we’re not fully alive until we are fully alive in Christ, and living a life of service to others. We will spend the rest of this month exploring both of those truths. We all want to be fully alive – in the best sense of the phrase, so let’s think about how that can happen. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
| Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. |
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 