Daily Dose of the Word of God - Beyond Sunday Ep. 95

Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach

Transcript

Jeff Klein 0:00  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose in the Word of God. It's Monday, September the 8th. This is Jeff Klein with your weekly reminder to take your faith Beyond Sunday into the rest of your week. A recent article in The New York Times about the modern view of genius intrigued me. The author stated that some people with more romantic ideals believe that genius is a divine spark given to certain people whose talents exceed the norm. In reality, current scientific thought purports that genius is the product of an uncanny choice to focus for long periods of time in one direction with the intention of improving natural skills.

Jeff Klein  0:46  

Arguably, the best NBA player, Michael Jordan was also said to be the hardest practicing player on the floor. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark or IQ. It's not that some people are more spiritual than others - it's deliberate practice. The church today often asks why God doesn't seem to move in the same way he did in the book of Acts. I have to wonder if it has something to do with the way we practice. If you think about it, spiritual formation is not optional. We are either being transformed into the way of Jesus, or being malformed by other negative forces within us and within the world. How does this formation happen? By what we practice. Do you want to become a genius at being Jesus's presence where you live, work and play? Then practice! Practice doing the word. Practice doing the things of Jesus. Practice trying to become more like Jesus. Hebrews 2: 1 says it well. "We must pay the most careful attention therefore to what we have heard from the Word of God so that we do not drift away." John Mark Comer, in Practicing The Way says this:" Formation into the image of Jesus is a long, slow process - not a one time event. There is no lightning bolt from heaven. Spiritual Growth is similar to bodily growth, very gradual."

Jeff Klein  2:12  

So as we begin this new year, before we're back to next summer, what will you be practicing? To be formed into someone who walks the way of Jesus? We need more geniuses in this area.

Jeff Klein  2:25  

Let's pray. Lord God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit - teach us what simple practices we should focus on in the next nine months so that we can become geniuses at following Jesus. In your name we pray, amen.