From One Deacon to Another
A DEACON SEEKING GOD’S WISDOM
As a follow up to Keith Hillman’s testimony last month where he defined wisdom with the simple definition of “seeing things from God’s view, and acting on it,” I wanted to expand on how to be certain that we are aligning our view with God’s and not trying to align God’s view to ours. To do this, we need to be sure that we are seeking God’s wisdom through prayer and reading His word and not relying on our own wisdom or the wisdom of the world. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” God’s word should be our anchor for where we are seeking His wisdom. With three young children at home, it is very easy for me to get “busy” and not set aside a daily quiet time to seek God through prayer and the reading of His word. For me, I find that the best time for me to set aside is first thing in the morning to start the day with studying God’s word to align my view with God’s, and to align what I view as important with what God, through His word, tells us is important. One of the things that I have noticed with my children, is that on the days that I neglect my quiet time, my patience with my children is shorter than on the days where I set aside the time to seek God’s wisdom through prayer and the studying of His word. In many of these instances, I can reflect and see that my focus was on things that are not entirely aligned with the things that God tells us is most important. My challenge to you is that if you are not daily seeking God’s wisdom through prayer and the studying of His word, that you make the commitment to do so. This will help you as you seek wisdom by aligning your view with God’s view in preparation to act on it.
– Josh Smith
Encouragement
BEING STABILIZERS IN A SHAKEY WORLD – 4 Ways Deacons Have Served Well in a Year of Crisis – by Mark Dance (Source – Deacon Magazine, Spring 2021, page 28)
The fact that you are reading this issue means you have survived 2020 which started off with a presidential impeachment trial and ended with a presidential election. Between those polarizing events, churches had to navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and a civil rights movement.
Piece of cake, right?
Deacons have always been a stabilizing force in my life and in the churches with I have served as pastor for 33 years. Additionally, I have the honor of being the son and grandson of Baptist deacons, so I cannot think of a single moment in my life without having deacons on my side.
Deacons have always been a stabilizing force in my life and in the churches with I have served as pastor for 33 years. Additionally, I have the honor of being the son and grandson of Baptist deacons, so I cannot think of a single moment in my life without having deacons on my side.
Here are four of the most common ways deacons have served well this past year.
- Caring for Senior Adults
- Opening Lines of Communication
- Initiating Outreach
- Pastoring Pastors
Even after the coronavirus coast is finally clear, there will eventually be another opportunity to become stabilizers in a shaky world.
You can read the full article in Deacon Magazine
– Anthony Bunting