When John Piper was going through treatment for cancer, he wrote a little book titled ‘Don’t waste your cancer’. His message was that cancer does not win if it takes your life; it wins if it causes you to drift in your Christian walk. So my message today is ‘Don’t waste this lockdown!’
How sad it would be if the saints of Earlwood Anglican came out the other side of this lockdown having drifted somewhat in their faith, because they failed to set aside time for God. The simple fact is, a lockdown gives us more time than ever before, to spend with the Lord. What possible excuse do we have for not setting aside time for church on Sunday, and setting aside time during the week for private devotions?
The author of the letter to the Hebrews gives his readers several warnings. The first is found in Heb 2:1-4, which comes straight after the author’s declaration that Jesus is incredible (Heb 1). He says ‘we must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away’. Yet as we learnt last week, the phrase ‘pay the most careful attention’ is better translated as ‘be addicted’ (cf. 1 Tim 3:18) or ‘be obsessed’.
Now such an obsession cannot come without the Spirit’s help. So may I recommend in the strongest possible terms that we continue (or start) to pray that God’s Spirit will transform our hearts to hold God as our ultimate treasure. Yet he cannot answer that prayer unless we give him opportunity to do so. As such, can I please recommend we set aside time each Sunday for church on-line, and time each day for Bible reading, Bible meditation and prayer.
Let’s come out the other side of this lockdown with an even deeper relationship with our Saviour and Lord. Don’t waste this lockdown!
