Friday, November 7, 2014

Day of Praise

Fr, 11/07/14, "Day of Praise"

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - Proverbs 4:23

My wife, Amanda, and I are serving at Fall Camp, which is the Fall (Thursday - Sunday) version of the weeklong Special Camp we served at this past Summer. Fall Camp for Senior-aged adults and Special Camp for middle-aged adults are camps for God's dear ones with intellectual disabilities. Everything here is simple: food, rocking chairs, walks, bingo, a field trip, fishing, ice cream sundaes, and short, simple devotions, like today's Bible verse and reflection.

I have known people who have known today's verse for years. And depending on which ones of those people you're talking about, today's verse is either blessedly simple or tragically simple.

It is blessedly simple for those who know the verse and do it--for those who actually guard what goes in their heart.

And today's verse is tragically simple for those who know the verse and don't do it--for those who do not guard what goes into their heart.

God's appeal to us to guard our heart is simple. But, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 with the parable of the wIse and foolish builders, how much such wisdom to "guard our heart" positively impacts your life will totally depend on whether or not you do it.

It's a simple concept. Even children can understand it by way of an all-time favorite children's song.

(VS 1) Oh, be careful little ears what you hear (repeat)
For the Father Up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little ears what you hear.

(VS 2) Oh, be careful little eyes what you see, (repeat)
For the Father up above,
is looking down in love,
So be careful little eyes what you see.

(VS 3) Oh, be careful little mouth what you say, (repeat),
For the Father up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little mouth what you say.

(VS 4) Oh, be careful little hands what you do (repeat),
For the Father up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little hands what you do.

(VS 5) Oh, be careful little feet where you go (repeat)
For the Father up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little feet where you go.

(VS 6) Oh, be careful little mind what you think (repeat)
For the Father up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little mind what you think.

(VS 7) Oh, be careful little heart what you love (repeat)
For the Father up above,
Is looking down in love,
So be careful little heart what you love.

Praise God!



Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

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