4/23/23 A Note From Pastor Ben
Friends and Family,
God’s Word is clear: motivation matters. In other words, God is concerned with not only what we do, but also why we do it. This has huge implications for parenting, discipleship, counseling, and all-around Christian living.
As humans, we are prone to think we know our motivations behind everything we do. However, the human heart is far too complex for us to always understand what drives our actions. We need insight from the One who is infinite in knowledge and completely untainted with sin in order to enlighten us. Proverbs 21:2 says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”
Because we are made in God’s image, we have a certain measure of intuition in these matters, but our sinful nature distorts it. Tim Keller said, “Don’t overly trust your moral instincts and motives.” Only God can weigh the heart and only God can shape it so that our motivations increasingly reflect that of Christ.
That’s why, as a church, we must continually allow God’s Word to wash over us. Not only is it encouraging to be reminded of the gospel of Jesus, but the Word also has a way of refining our instincts to be Godward. Therefore, as I’ve said before, I’ll say again, let us give ourselves to the continual reading, study, and application of God’s Word.
This is why I love expository preaching. Few things can shape a church more than Word-driven, Spirit-empowered preaching. Personally, I have loved preaching through the book of John. It has caused me to have greater insight into my own motivations, and it has caused me to marvel at the splendor and wonder of Jesus. We’ll be in John 7 for a couple more weeks and then we’ll pause for stand-alone sermons on Mother’s Day, Graduate Sunday, and Memorial Day Sunday.
I love you, First Baptist, and I love growing with you in Christ.
-Pastor Ben
God’s Word is clear: motivation matters. In other words, God is concerned with not only what we do, but also why we do it. This has huge implications for parenting, discipleship, counseling, and all-around Christian living.
As humans, we are prone to think we know our motivations behind everything we do. However, the human heart is far too complex for us to always understand what drives our actions. We need insight from the One who is infinite in knowledge and completely untainted with sin in order to enlighten us. Proverbs 21:2 says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”
Because we are made in God’s image, we have a certain measure of intuition in these matters, but our sinful nature distorts it. Tim Keller said, “Don’t overly trust your moral instincts and motives.” Only God can weigh the heart and only God can shape it so that our motivations increasingly reflect that of Christ.
That’s why, as a church, we must continually allow God’s Word to wash over us. Not only is it encouraging to be reminded of the gospel of Jesus, but the Word also has a way of refining our instincts to be Godward. Therefore, as I’ve said before, I’ll say again, let us give ourselves to the continual reading, study, and application of God’s Word.
This is why I love expository preaching. Few things can shape a church more than Word-driven, Spirit-empowered preaching. Personally, I have loved preaching through the book of John. It has caused me to have greater insight into my own motivations, and it has caused me to marvel at the splendor and wonder of Jesus. We’ll be in John 7 for a couple more weeks and then we’ll pause for stand-alone sermons on Mother’s Day, Graduate Sunday, and Memorial Day Sunday.
I love you, First Baptist, and I love growing with you in Christ.
-Pastor Ben
Recent
Archive
2023
March
May
June
Categories
no categories
No Comments