Malcolm Cox

For a variety of reasons I have been pondering the substance of Christian unity. Everybody likes the concept. Most of us know it when we see it. But, what produces it?

In a conversation with my friend Steve this week he said we need to learn how to get along and love each other, but we don't have to like each other, let alone agree on everything. So true. But does that compromise anything urged by the Bible?

Twice in the New Testament the Apostles Paul and Peter urge their readers to be "like-minded":

"..make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."...."Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (Philippians 2:2; 1 Peter 3:8 NIV11)

Like-minded in what way? About what? In both of those passages, in context, the emphasis is on relationships. 

Apollos was a godly man as was the apostle Paul, but they found it hard to agree:

“Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.” (1 Corinthians 16:12 NIV11)

There is no suggestion in the New Testament that they did not respect each other, nor love each other in Christ. Agreement on opinion areas is not essential for the progress of the gospel.

Another friend suggested to my wife that I should put together a United Kingdom and Ireland unity Christmas Carol. I was somewhat overwhelmed by the thought, although agreed that it might be a good idea. Fortunately, my good friend Roy Carter (musical genius that is) came up with a good plan. We are working on it now and hope to have the carol ready in time for the 13th of December, and if not, at least the 20th. Then anyone can use it in the carol services as they wish.

In the last couple of days I've sent out instructions and resources to around 20 musicians. I'm looking forward to receiving the recordings of the carol, "O come, all ye faithful". I hope we musicians like each other, I like to think we like each other, but the more important factor is that we all love each other and love God. We all believe in the sentiments of the carol, we all believe in doing something which glorifies God and encourages the churches.

Truthfully, I have no idea how much agreement we will have on nuances of doctrine or disputable matters. But what I do know is this does not matter as much as doing something to the glory of God. 

Let me ask a question. Is this someone you find hard to like? It doesn't mean you cannot be like-minded with them in Christ. Your responsibility and mine is to love everyone God loves. We don't have to agree, we do not have to, and should not, attempt to make everybody agree on everything. But we must work hard, fight the spiritual fights, and purify our hearts such that we love each other deeply from the heart.

God bless, Malcolm

Update: Penny and I have been asked to teach at the conference. More details coming soon. However, the focus will centre on the connection between theology, ecology and God's vision for this earth.

Take a look at this flyer for a teaching conference coming up in March 2021. I registered this week. I heartily recommend anyone with an interest in these matters to do so.

Register here: https://www.teleiossociety.com

“Ethos; Logos; Pathos”. “The Heart of Communication: How to really connect with an audience” Part 2. Tuesday Teaching Tip 225

“The self-learning blueprint”, Peter Hollins. What we are reading, episode 51

How to Yield in Prayer: “Confession and Reconciliation – How to Get Right with God”: Quiet Time Coaching Episode 254

Sermon for the Watford church of Christ

If you'd like to pray for me I'd be very grateful. Here are some of my plans that you could include.

Until the next time, 

God bless, Malcolm

To confess your sins to God is not to tell him anything he doesn’t already know. Until you confess them, however, they are the abyss between you. When you confess them, they become the bridge. (Frederick Buechner) Greig, Pete. How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People (p. 147). John Murray Press. Kindle Edition.

• Is this the hardest part of the Lord's prayer? Perhaps that's why it has more space devoted to it than other requests. Perhaps it is also the most extraordinary of all requests. Who are we to ask, nay, almost demand to be forgiven?

"– there is more grace in God than sin in you... You cannot be too bad, too broken or too boring for God’s unconditional love, only too proud to acknowledge how desperately you need it."

• The real question is whether we will trust God's word:

‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ 1 John 1:9

• How do you feel about confession? Probably just as nervous as me. Let me take you through a confession technique which Pete Greig describes in his book. It's called the 'Examen'.

‘rummaging for God. Going through a drawer full of stuff, feeling around, looking for something that you are sure must be there.’

• Ask yourself where God showed up today? What happened? How did you conduct yourself?

‘Unwelcome circumstances are not gifts. But they may contain a gift.’3. Repent

"Behaviours that would once have seemed shameful or even shocking will become tolerated, accommodated and eventually normalised as your conscience is numbed. But by confessing your sins regularly, your life will smell sweet!"4. Reboot

"...incrementally day by day, choice by choice, as we train our brains to ‘rejoice always’ and incline our hearts again and again away from the shadows and towards the light."

• Take a moment or two to thank God for the day that has gone, and ask him to set your heart and mind in a good place for the opportunities of tomorrow.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Ps. 51:1–3, 10)

Questions for discussion:

Suggestion: Focus on confessional and reconciliatory prayer for the next seven days.

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Subtitle: "A strategic plan to break down complex topics, comprehend deeply, and teach yourself anything."

This week, let's have a look at a book I've just finished called, "The self-learning blueprint".

The author is Peter Hollins. According to his website he is:

"...a bestselling author and human psychology and behavior researcher. He is a dedicated student of the human condition. He possesses a BS and MA in psychology, and has worked with dozens of people from all walks of life. After working in private practice for years, he has turned his sights to writing and applying his years of education to help people improve their lives from the inside out."Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A Self-Learning Plan; The Myth of Requirements; Macro and Micro Planning

Chapter 2: The Four Pillars to Self-Learning; Transform and Synthesize Knowledge; Combine the New with the Familiar; Self-Testing and Retrieval Practice; Absorption Requires Space

Chapter 3: Tactics for Learning; Managing Your Attention Span; Pomodoro and Friends; Change Locations; Construct Vivid Imagery; The Question Master

Chapter 4: Navigating Obstacles and Failure; The Procrastination Cycle; Academic Buoyancy; Productive Failure; Inspiration Through Failure

Why did I read the book?

As most of you will know, one of my special areas of interest is in preaching and teaching the Bible. But doing it effectively. In other words, it's not enough to say the right words, to teach some truth, or even to convey some important information. A question must be asked and answered - is what I'm teaching connecting with people, and is it finding a home so that people can learn and grow?

I picked up this book, even though it's not from a spiritual perspective, because I want to learn more about the science and technicalities of how we help ourselves learn and then help others. Many books exist on how to help others learn, and I am reading those also, but I wanted to read something which focused on how to teach things to myself. If I can become proficient at teaching myself, surely it will be easier to do so effectively in helping other people.

Many of the concepts in the book with familiar to me. They were, however, a few surprises. And even the topics of which I was already aware, there were some fresh thinking which were I found very stimulating.

Today I will not be giving you a blow by blow of everything in the book, just a few of the Ideas which had the most impact on me.

My Big Takeaways

1. Test yourself: Simply cramming more stuff into the brain does not mean we learn it. Indeed, neither does going over the same material time after time. Highlighting has its place, but it does not guarantee learning. Testing ourselves is one of the best ways to settle information into the brain:

"Instead of putting more stuff into our brains, retrieval practice helps us take knowledge out of our brains and put it to use. That’s what cements memory." Hollins, Peter. The Self-Learning Blueprint: A Strategic Plan to Break Down Complex Topics, Comprehend Deeply, and Teach Yourself Anything (Learning how to Learn Book 3) (p. 78). PH Learning Inc.. Kindle Edition. I have downloaded the flashcard app Anki. Currently I am using it to learn the main principles from this book. Such spaced repetition, or distributed practice, is a way to ensure the Quality of the learning is high. It's a myth that quantity is the defining factor.

"...instead of measuring the number of hours you spend on something, try instead to measure the number of times you can revisit it."2. Pay attention to your attention: What are the true limits to our learning? It's not the capacity of our brains.

"...our capacity for learning is almost never limited by the time we have; it is more often limited by the energy and attention we have."It's important to develop our own personally designed strategies to help us learn at the best rate and depth possible. A method I've heard of before but never used is the Pomodoro technique. Perhaps you've tried it. I have been experimenting. It consists of working for 25 minutes, then taking a short break. Sounds simple, but has a profound effect. When you're working for those 25 minutes, you are not distracted by anything else. Open no secondary applications, do not glance at your phone. Everything can wait for 25 minutes, can't it?

In my personal experience I have found the 25 minutes fly by. Not only that, but I get a lot done. Why not try it and let me know how it works for you?

3. Change locations: One of the more surprising ideas in the book is that of changing locations when trying to learn something. In other words, don't just sit at the desk. Go to a different part of the house, go outside, walk around whilst learning something.

"...if you change locations frequently while learning and processing the same information, you are strengthening your memory because it will be associated with multiple locations, smells, and general stimuli to make you remember it."Apparently this is known as 'increased neural scaffolding'. I have taken to studying something at the desk on one occasion, and then studying the same material at the dining room table. A different view, a different chair, a whole different experience.

4. Learning that learning is more important than learning: The process of learning is more important than the fact we learn. This is important because we often fail in our attempts to learn things. All the struggle gets so great we wonder if it's worth it. Is there and that we must remember that as long as we are in the process of learning we are being victorious. Successful. To be commended. Especially to ourselves!

"Learning mode is different from results mode, and they have entirely different measures of success. When you want to learn, you are just looking for an increase in knowledge—any increase is successful learning. Reframe your expectations to make the learning as important as the result—more important, if possible."5. Put it in your own words: Copying and pasting text from a book or other document gives us the impression of learning. However, at best a shallow. The best way to embed new concepts into her brain is to wrestle with the material. Peter gives us the 'Peter' method.

"The four steps are: (1) normal note taking with as much detail as you can, (2) summarizing the information in your own words and clarifying the significance and noting questions, (3) connecting this particular piece of information to the lesson at large, and then (4) answering remaining questions and then summarizing each distinct page or section again."Part of the reason I make videos and podcasts about books is to force me to put things into my own words.

Conclusion

Did any of my main takeaway is connect with you? Testing yourself, paying attention to your attention, changing locations, learning that learning is more important to learning, or the significance of putting what you learn into your own words?

Perhaps you have discovered other principles or practicals which make a significant difference to not only acquiring information but truly learning it.

I liked the book. It's got enough proper research to make it credible, but not so much that it obscures what makes a desire to learn truly practical.

I'm in a phase of my life where I am desiring to learn how to learn better. If you have any ideas for me I would love to hear them.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Tuesday Teaching Tip 225

Introduction

"There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience." Alexander Gregg

1. Ethos

"Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’. In the context of public speaking it answers the question, ‘Is this person worth listening to?’ or ‘What right do they have to give this talk?’"

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.” (Acts 22:3 NIV11)

2. Logos

It means constructing a persuasive argument, organising your various points in a sequence with each point building on the previous one, and might involve giving facts, citing authorities on a subject, using historical and literal analogies, explaining a text or some statistics.

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 NIV11)

3. Pathos

It is from pathos that we get our words ‘sympathy’ and ‘empathy’. Pathos is essentially an appeal to the heart – to the emotions.

“And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9 NIV11)

• Key tools in utilising pathos are illustrations, stories and the use of pauses (momentary silence). If these tools don't come naturally to you, practice them and you will improve.

Conclusion

Questions: "Which of the three - ethos, logos, pathos - is your weak point? What can you do to improve it in your next talk?"

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool", a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Just a short one this week. It's been especially busy with Christmas church service preparations as well as clearing the decks for a couple of days holiday next week.

Thankfulness has been on my mind. I was baptised into Christ 36 years ago this month, and I baptised my wife into Christ 36 years ago next week. You can imagine that gratitude is a feature of my prayers at the moment. This Sunday's lesson for the Watford Church (links in next week's newsletter, but it will be on my website in the very near future) is on the passage Luke 17:11-19

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distanceand called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”      When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.      One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.     Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”” (Luke 17:11–19 NIV11)

The passage is about more than thankfulness, but it is not about less than thankfulness. Jesus, by implication, commended the one leper for coming back to thank him. What is it that put that man in a position to be recognised by Jesus for his gratitude? First, it was an experience of the compassion of Jesus. Second, it was an experience of the power of Jesus. Then, it was the experience of the consequences of his obedience. His heart was touched, and he returned to thank Jesus, even though he was no Jew himself.

My devotional suggestion this week is to take some time to cast your mind over evidence of the compassion of Jesus in your life, and the power of Jesus in your life. Write it down. Make a record and pray prayers of thankfulness. I'm confident your spirit will be refreshed.

If you'd like to pray for me I'd be very grateful. Here are some of my plans that you could include.

God bless, Malcolm

"A man prayed and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until he realised that prayer is listening." (Søren Kierkegaard)

• Do you believe that listening is possible? Is it something you desire?

"Everyone starts out in life trying to pray, but only those who learn to listen become fluent in its form."

• If God wants a relationship with us, wouldn't it make sense that he would speak?

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)"

• Of course, there are charlatans, manipulative people and the disturbed who think they hear the voice of God when they do not. However, should such extremes prevent us from learning how to listen? Let's go onto note the ways in which Pete Greg suggests we can develop this vital spiritual skill.

‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. (Eze. 3:3)

• All scripture is God breathed ( 2 Timothy 3:16), and it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12-13). The Bible is designed to communicate. What it says to us depends upon whether we are listening!

Big Tip: Pray through your Bible reading, don't just read it.

"Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)

He also speaks through creation (Ps. 19:1–2), through our consciences (1 Tim. 1:19), through angelic visitations (Matt. 1:20), through preaching (Rom. 10:14), and even on one occasion through a talking donkey (Num. 22:28)!

Of course, dreams, visions and prophecies are highly subjective, so we must weigh them against Scripture, apply common sense, and if they are directional we should also seek wise counsel.

• In the tradition I inhabit, it is often perceived as suspect to claim that one has had a vision or dream from God. I'm not sure exactly how to weigh all that up, but what I do know is that God has more than one way of getting his message to us.

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. (Prov. 12:15)

• Big Tip: Talk to the evidently godly when you are spiritually confused.

Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

• Isn't it often the case that God's voice comes to us at times anyways we don't expect. Take Elijah:

‘after the fire came a gentle whisper’, and this was the voice of God.Big Tip: Try journalling as a way to process what comes to you during times of personal reflection

Blessed … are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28)

• One of the great joys of the Christian life is to see obedience produce the kind of fruit that God has planned. When we see his hand at work, we are hearing him.

Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Grant us ears to hear, Eyes to see, Wills to obey, Hearts to love. (Christina Rossetti)

• Questions for discussion:

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

"I make the case that once we emphasize the cultivation of an integrated inner self, then we can realize true excellence—personal excellence." Marcus, J. Tyrone. Unbeatable: Seven Pillars of Personal Excellence . N/A. Kindle Edition.

This week, let's have a look at a book I've just finished called, "Unbeatable: Seven pillars of personal excellence".

I was put on to it by my friend Allan Cunningham. The author has agreed to an interview with me in the next week or two, so I will not write as much as usual in this blog. Instead, you might like to watch the video or listen to the podcast. You will get the gist of the book along with some juicy quotes and my response.

Next week or the week after you should be able to watch my interview with Tyrone. I'm really looking forward to chatting to him. It seems we have much in common since many of the books he mentions are on my bookshelf.

The author is J Tyrone Marcus. More about him and his work can be found at his website.

Conclusion

If you watched the video or listened to the podcast did any of the quotes or my points resonate with you?

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

Tuesday Teaching Tip 224

Introduction

"All the great speakers were bad speakers at first." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Teachability

"..if I had to single out one characteristic of those who are the most effective communicators – whether they are addressing audiences of thousands or speaking to seminars of twelve – it would be this: they are teachable." Parsons, Rob. The Heart of Communication: How to really connect with an audience . John Murray Press. Kindle Edition.

having watched and trained some of the most gifted footballers in the world...said, ‘Hard work will always overcome natural talent when talent does not work hard enough.’

• As we begin the series, let me ask a question: "Who are you learning from?" "Who are your teachers?"

“When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” (Acts 18:26 NIV11)

“When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.” (Acts 18:27 NIV11)Conclusion

Questions: "Who is your teacher? In what way do you sense you could grow in your ability to connect with those to whom you speak?"

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool", a devotional look at the Gospel of John

mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox,

I'm preaching on this topic for the Watford and Dublin congregations this weekend. The reason it's on my mind is because of two incidents.

Firstly, on Monday I had my usual extended prayer walk. Part way through, in the woods, I was stopped by God. I don't often 'hear' the voice of God, but on Monday I felt a compulsion to stop my walk and listen to this question, "What is important to you, Malcolm?" I stood still for a while, thinking about this question. What is important to me? Why is it important? Is what is important to me in theory actually being revealed by the way I live? By the choices I make? But what I say "yes" to and what I say "no" to? 

The second incident was the death of Kirstie Birr. I've known Kirstie and her husband Adam for many years. Kirsty was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and it is astonishing she has well outlasted the predictions of the medical community. She died this week, faithful to God. The outpouring of love towards her and her family has been deeply moving. So many people so grateful for so much that she gave them.

I know we're not at the end of the year yet, but it seems that now might be a good time to begin preparing to consider how well I have lived my life according to what's most important this year, and how I might think through how to orient my life towards what is important in 2021.

The key scripture for the sermon is what David wrote:

“One thing I ask from the LORD,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4 NIV11)

My quiet time coaching episode this week is focused on contemplation. Meditative contemplation on God, his word, his truths, his nature help us with prioritising. If our relationship with him is our top priority, then surely our choices of what matters most to us and what we act on it life will be better informed.

My hope is that this week, and for the weeks to come that I will ensure that my connection with my heavenly father is the most important thing to me. That being the case, I believe I will be able to assess 2020 accurately, and be better prepared to plan for 2021.

Take time to consider what is most important to you, and how that shows up in your life.

God bless, Malcolm

If you'd like to pray for me I'd be very grateful. Here are some of my plans that you could include.

Until the next time, 

God bless, Malcolm

Introduction

* Most important thing to do for virus, economy, social well being?

* Lot of our malaise when feeling overwhelmed, flat, anxious or overstressed is due to confused priorities, or, what's really important?

    * “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Mk 12:28–29

    * So, we know loving God and neighbours is primary

    * But, how do we figure out what that means for our lives, personally?

PART 1: Unhealthy ways to decide what's important

* Imagine if you made decisions about our children our marriage or our friends on these bases.

    * I will do what you want because I am feeling guilty about mistakes I've made in the past.

    * I will do what you want because I'm afraid otherwise you might hate me or leave me.

    * I will do what you want not because it makes you happy with because it makes me feel better.

* That would not be a healthy relationship with a human

* It certainly is not a healthy relationship with God.

Questions for the groups: What was the important thing they knew or learned? Why was and is this important? How would the importance of this manifest itself in your life?

Five characters to show us the way

1. David

“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Ps 27:4

* It's easier to teach a Christian the bible than it is to teach them how to worship.

* David - a man after God's own heart.

* ‘Beauty’ = favour, pleasantness

* A good quiet time could be to meditate on what is ‘beautiful’ about the LORD. Would that include His holiness, mercy, long-suffering nature, loving-kindness, integrity, justice, completeness, perfection, wisdom, .....? Interesting that in Ps 50.1-6, His/Zion’s beauty is expressed in terms of fire, speaking, tempest, judgment etc.

* His desire to be close to God is very active - ‘ask’, ‘seek’ X2, ‘dwell’, ‘gaze’

* ‘dwell’ used of a married couple who have set up house together

2. Rich young ruler

“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”” Mk 10:21

* Do you have any barriers to full surrender to Jesus?

* He starts on his knees, but turns his back on Jesus

* This man has no material needs and no law-needs. He knows he has other needs, but what are those needs. Jesus is about to tell him - and it is clearly not what he man expected.

3. Mary

““Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”” Lk 10:41–42

* Sometimes good things are why we miss out on the best thing.

* The better priorities, chosen consistently over time, yield a lasting legacy of godliness

4. The blind man

“He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”” Jn 9:25

* Important to remember the transforming power of Jesus in our lives.

* It's never doctrine that converts anyone, it's always the evidence of the power of Jesus in peoples' lives.

* Perhaps especially true for our children

* Have your testimony ready.

5. Paul

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13–14

* Baggage from the past will obscure what is important for the present and the future.

* Paul did not deny his baggage, but he did not let it get in the way of being ambitious for God.

* We never fully ‘arrive’ on earth, but progress can be a delight

Conclusion

What have our characters taught us about what is important?

* David: knowing that God is at the heart of prayer

* Rich young ruler: knowing God is at the heart of surrender

* Martha: knowing God is at the heart of service

* Blind man: knowing God is at the heart of witness

* Paul: knowing God is at the heart of ambition

Suggestion:

* Use these characters as a way of assessing what's important going into 2021

* As a filter to help assess where you are & want to be in 2021

Scriptures used in or related to today’s lesson: Ps 27:4; Matthew 23:23; Mark 10:21; 12:28-29, 33, 39; Luke 10:41-42; 16:15; John 9:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Philippians 3:13-14

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

God bless, Malcolm