March 16, 2015
Dear Allen Temple Family and Friends,
Hope this week's note finds you having experienced the Blessed Assurance that comes with knowing God. Our Lenten Sermon Series will resume this Sunday with the fifth and sixth "I AM" sayings of Jesus. In preparation, I really wanted to write something around seeking God. After all, that's what this Journey is supposed to be about. Taking time, to stop and seek the Lord intentionally. It is a worthy subject and one that is quite appropriate. The examples are too numerous to list of this noble bible characters who diligently and consistently sought the Lord. Moses, Esther, David and Daniel are just a small few.
In addition, there are all kinds of scriptures that encourage us, even commanding us to "Seek the Lord". The prophet Amos speaks to the house of Israel saying, "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name!" (Amos 5:4-8, KJV) Clearly, the Lord desires to be sought.
But I must warn you. There is a danger in actively and consistently seeking God. Yes, I said danger. The danger is that we can become so consumed in our seeking that we fail to monitor what we are saying, how we are serving and how we are acting. The goal of STOPPING, BEING STILL and KNOWING, is to allow God to develop us more fully into the image of Christ! This means in addition to seeking God, we must allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and the word to transform our hearts and minds. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. How we treat one another, is a direct reflection on where we are in God. Fighting, backbiting, gossiping, slandering, lack of compassion and understanding and turning a blind eye to injustices taking place with coworkers, colleagues and neighbors has no place in life of a believer.
I believe the prophet Isaiah can help us this week to seek the Lord in the manner that pleases God. It's just one chapter, but this one chapter contains more than a week's worth of reflection. Let's dialogue with this prophet to ensure our journey will not be in vain. If you are like me, you will read all in one day, in one sitting and that is okay. But to ensure it is digested and engaged, try this: Isaiah 58:1-3; Isaiah 58:4-5; Isaiah 58:6-7; Isaiah 58:8-10; Isaiah 58:11-12; Isaiah 58:13-14. Ask yourself as you are reading, what do these verses say about God, humanity (me) and about what I need to alter or adopt. This week, let's be seekers! Not just of the Lord's but of the Lord's way.
While I attended Howard School of Divinity, I was blessed to serve at the Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC for 15 years. For 7 of those years, I was the Youth Pastor. Youth ministry can be an emotional roller coaster. It is challenging and yet rewarding in ways that sometimes only those who have worked with youth can understand. I am on a flight from the East Coast returning from the wedding of one of my young people. I met her when she was 13 and dealing with all that adolescence brings. Almost every week she would come to bible study having had a physical altercation with someone. There were days when I wondered if anything I was saying or doing had any impact and if she would live to see another day. But God....watching her come down the aisle, I was reminded of this one thing, God is able to keep all that we commit to God's hand. She now has an earned Doctorate, a Professor of Communications at Bowie State University and embarking on a new journey of marriage. She is one of many. No matter how it looks right now, the rest of story is still being written! See you this Sunday!
Be still and know,
Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson
