When we enter Jesus’ kingdom, he begins a life-long process of transformation in our lives. No part of our life is off-limits, if we are to grow to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
God’s Word is a primary source of transformation. As we engage with the pages of Holy Scripture, our thinking, our loves, our desires, our loves, our actions are reshaped by the work of the Spirit. As we find ourselves at the beginning of a New Year, is often a profitable time to recommit ourselves to Bible intake habits that may had slid as the previous year progressed and consider how we might grow in the year that lies ahead.
The Apostle Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:1, “Dear friends… I have written… to stimulate you to wholesome thinking” and, likewise, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind“.
One of the immense blessings of the internet is the ability to benefit from the wisdom and writing of many people whom we have never met, and probably never will. On the other hand, never has the need for discernment to sift the wheat and the chaff been greater!
To help stimulate your mind in 2016, it’s my intention to each week find a worthwhile article to link to from our church website. I will be endeavouring to link to a new article every Wednesday morning as a mid-week stimulus, so you can check back regularly and know when to expect an update. I’ve been inspired in doing this by Tim Challies, and if you follow Tim regularly you’ll probably recognise many articles he recommends finding their way on to our website as the year progresses!
Since your time is precious and valuable, mostly I will either summarise the article briefly or quote a few paragraphs from it, to help you decide if you’d like to read more. An obvious disclaimer: just because I link to an article doesn’t mean that I personally agree with every detail the author expresses, although in the vast majority of cases, I’ll be in substantial agreement. But the goal is to stimulate your mind – and sometimes our mind is stimulated by interacting with ideas we disagree with, in part or the whole.
I hope you enjoy the journey. If you have any suggestions for worthwhile articles for me to consider, you can let me know and I will consider sharing them via this forum.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Andrew