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THE LETTER WE ARE STILL READING · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

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  Speaker 1: Good morning. Thank you so much for joining us today
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  Speaker 1: on This is the Life podcast. As we get ready
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  Speaker 1: to spend our morning moments with Jesus today, the Lord
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  Speaker 1: takes us to Colossians chapter 4 and verse number 16.
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  Speaker 1: I got to thinking about the letters of the Apostle
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  Speaker 1: Paul and all the letters that he wrote to the
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  Speaker 1: churches and to us in Romans and all the different
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  Speaker 1: things that he wrote was so much about his life
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  Speaker 1: in Christ Jesus, what the Lord was always doing through him,
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  Speaker 1: for him, within him, and the valuable lessons he was
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  Speaker 1: trying to teach others And conveying that through his writing.
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  Speaker 1: And so I really want to do a devotion on
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  Speaker 1: that this morning. On the importance of that. In Colossians
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  Speaker 1: chapter 4 verse number 16. It says this. And when
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  Speaker 1: this epistle is read among you. Cause that it be
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  Speaker 1: read also in the church of the Laodiceans. And that
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  Speaker 1: ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. See Paul wrote
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  Speaker 1: to the believers in Colossus. But he knew the letter
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  Speaker 1: would not remain there. It wouldn't remain with them alone.
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  Speaker 1: He asked specifically that it be read in another church
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  Speaker 1: as well. Words written for one group of people would
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  Speaker 1: strengthen others who needed to hear it also. And the
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  Speaker 1: powerful thing about it is we're still reading that letter today. See,
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  Speaker 1: that makes me think about the value of writing down
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  Speaker 1: what God has taught you Along your journey. And along
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  Speaker 1: the way. For all of us. I don't mean that
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  Speaker 1: our journals somehow become scripture. That's not what I'm saying.
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  Speaker 1: But I mean that our lives do hold stories. And
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  Speaker 1: they're stories worth telling. And worth remembering. Prayers we prayed
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  Speaker 1: when we didn't know what to do. Write that down.
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  Speaker 1: Verses that carried us through a very difficult time. Or
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  Speaker 1: a difficult year. Moments when God provided. When we didn't
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  Speaker 1: know where. our next whatever was coming from, but God
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  Speaker 1: provided that. Maybe lessons we learn only after we look
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  Speaker 1: back and saw the hand of God leading us the
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  Speaker 1: entire way. See, if we never record those things, then
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  Speaker 1: some of the details will fade with time. Journaling doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have to be complicated. I've been doing it for many,
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  Speaker 1: many years. A date, a few honest sentences, And a
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  Speaker 1: note about what's happening at the time. That's plenty. You
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  Speaker 1: might write about a prayer that has not yet been answered.
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  Speaker 1: And then years later you may turn back to that page.
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  Speaker 1: And see how God was working in ways you couldn't
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  Speaker 1: even realize at the time. You thought the prayer wasn't
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  Speaker 1: being answered. But every step along that way as you
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  Speaker 1: look back. You can say God was answering that prayer
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  Speaker 1: and I didn't even realize it. See I think about
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  Speaker 1: my wife and my family. Of course especially my grandchildren.
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  Speaker 1: I hope that one day they can look through something
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  Speaker 1: I've written and somehow they see more than a record
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  Speaker 1: of what I did. I want them to see the
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  Speaker 1: hand of God in my life through the years, the
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  Speaker 1: days when I was grateful and the days that I
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  Speaker 1: struggled and the ways He remained faithful to me through
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  Speaker 1: all the days of my life. Perhaps when they face
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  Speaker 1: a hard season of their own, and they will, Something
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  Speaker 1: on those pages may just encourage them to keep trusting God,
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  Speaker 1: even when they can't see the answer. I feel much
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  Speaker 1: the same way about the songs that I write. Each
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  Speaker 1: one of those holds a piece of my journey, a prayer,
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  Speaker 1: a memory, a lesson, a hope. From childhood to the
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  Speaker 1: challenges of adulthood, my life can be found in every verse.
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  Speaker 1: And I may write it out about what God is
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  Speaker 1: doing in my life, but I pray, that he can
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  Speaker 1: use that to speak to others as well. See, you
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  Speaker 1: don't have to be a writer to leave that kind
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  Speaker 1: of legacy. Start with one page today. Write down something
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  Speaker 1: that God has brought you through or something that you
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  Speaker 1: have asked him to help you with and to help
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  Speaker 1: you through today. And then years from now, those words
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  Speaker 1: may remind you of God's faithfulness, but it may also
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  Speaker 1: help someone you love They may read them and find
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  Speaker 1: the courage that they need for their own journey. The
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  Speaker 1: Apostle Paul, when he wrote these letters, he did not realize,
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  Speaker 1: perhaps at the time, that these letters would still be
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  Speaker 1: read by us today. He wanted them to be read
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  Speaker 1: to the next churches. But those churches carrying them on
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  Speaker 1: to the next church and the next church. And we
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  Speaker 1: know so much about the Apostle Paul's life. Through his writings.
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  Speaker 1: And so I encourage you today. Someone in a generation
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  Speaker 1: beyond what you can see. May never see your face.
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  Speaker 1: May never hear your voice. But if they can sit
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  Speaker 1: down and read something that you wrote. That God was
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  Speaker 1: doing in your life. There's no telling what the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Spirit can do with that. So today you be safe.
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  Speaker 1: You be strong and you be blessed. And you get
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  Speaker 1: to writing. Write something today that you can pass on
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  Speaker 1: to the next generation. Lord's Will, we'll see you back
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  Speaker 1: here again tomorrow for our Front Porch Fridays. And I
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  Speaker 1: hope you're encouraged today. Speak a blessing over you and
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  Speaker 1: your family today. And as always, have a great day.