Lord, Bring New Life Into Me

A long time ago, I was taught you only get one chance to make a first impression. Now, usually the first words out of a person’s mouth are generally the ones people will remember the most about you. A brand new mother looks upon her newborn child, revels at the beauty of her child and, in almost every case, expresses her joy and love. First words generally are the most lasting. I remember my first words to my son; “he is perfect, I love you so much my lil buddy”. There are other occasions where it is not only the words but the tone we use that can communicate so much. I say hello to my friends much differently than I do a complete stranger. If we are on the phone, we need to communicate our visual cues with our voice and the person on the other end can hear and respond appropriately. This is what truly scares me about our society today. It is so easy to lash out and hurt people through the anonymity of the keyboard. We are unable to communicate cues through social media and leave the interpretation up to the other person. In many cases, relationships are destroyed through these misinterpretations. It took me years to understand that I must engage the thought process before opening my mouth and engaging my tongue.

I have taken to reading scripture in a new way. For years, I have read my Bible and know what it will say next but was recently challenged to read scripture as if it were the first time I read it. Read the Truth as though it were the first time you had met God and this was going to be your first impression of the King of kings. Consider the verses we are going to focus on this Sunday. The writer declares with exuberance “Oh, how I love your law!” Ps 119:97 NIV. Can you see the smile on the face of the person as they declare the joy and love for our Creator? Their face was probably lit up and there was a smile that could not be quashed. Now consider this; take a moment to absorb that joy in the declaration and think about how we can communicate that same joy to those around us as we go about our daily duties. Would it make a difference in the lives of others around us? Would this also make a difference in your own day? It is so easy to find negativity in life, find someone who is seeking to share their joy and drag them into this same pit. It only takes a few callous comments and suddenly misery has company. First words can make the day or destroy the day. My question is this; do you share your joy or find joy in other’s misery? Take time to consider your first words of the day, your first impression for someone else’s new day.

This Sunday, we continue our journey through Psalm 119:97-104. We invite you to join us if you can at 10:30 MST on Sunday or watch live online on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/ ) or view it afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).

Blessings
Pastor Todd