Message from Pastor Leo

December 15, 2007

     If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.  John 8:31-32

    Last January we made a covenant, as a church, that we would all read the Bible for an hour every day.  We agreed to start in Matthew, read through the New Testament, turn back to Genesis, read through the Old Testament, and we agreed to do that for an hour every day trying to get through the Bible as many times as we could.  In fact, we’ve been doing that for the last three years. 

     As with all covenants, you start strong, then you get tired and the Devil gets in there, then you get interrupted, then you get weary, then you get behind, and then you think, “What’s the use?” and you quit.  But we should never grow weary in reading God’s word because two things are happening:  we’re putting the word of God in our hearts, and we are training ourselves and disciplining ourselves to realize the most important thing is our relationship with the Lord. 

     It’s all about relationship, relationship, relationship.  Churches get it all turned around and think it’s about service - that service is the most important.  But the greatest of all commandments is, “Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” Mark 12:30   It’s about having a personal, intimate, relationship the Lord.

     Jesus defined eternal life as, “And this is life eternal, that they might know you, the only true God.”

John 17:3  He could have said, “that they know about you.”  He could have said, “ that they might serve you.”  He could have said, “that they might be the biggest tithers in the world.”  But He didn’t .  Jesus said eternal life is a personal, intimate, relationship with the Lord.  And the greatest of all commands is, “Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”

     How do you do that?  How do you get to know God?  How does this become a reality in your life? You have to read the Bible.  You have to take in the word of God.  You have to spend time with Him.  It’s the most important thing to the relationship.  If two people were to get married and live at opposite ends of the world and never communicate, what kind of relationship would they have?  It’s the same in your personal relationship with the Lord.  It’s not about religion.  It’s not about how much you do for the Lord.   God makes gold.  He makes mountains and waterfalls.  He commands the morning to appear.  What do you think it is that you could do for Him?  Give Him your heart.  Give Him your heart in true intimacy.  Train yourself and be consistent in meeting with the Lord everyday.

     We’re about to start another year and I’m going to commit, again, to spending quality time with the Lord every day.  Won’t you join me?  Set aside your busy life for one hour every day - get up earlier if you have to, but set aside time to sit quietly and intimately with God.  Remember, God tells us, “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed.”  That’s a big “If”.  It doesn’t say “if you continue serving me,”  It doesn’t say, “if you continue to give me money.”  It doesn’t say, “if you build a bigger church facility.”  It says, “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

     Read your Bible.  Read it every day in this new year.  Continue in His word day by day.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

May the Lord Jesus Christ Be Magnified!

Pastor Leo A. Giovinetti