FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART December 12, 2022
One of the greatest gifts that I have ever received is a temperature-controlled coffee mug, given to me by my youngest child, Josh and my daughter, Charissa. Made by “Ember,” it comes with a charging base and has a built-in heater. It will keep a cup of coffee hot for over an hour. It even connects with your mobile phone, so that you can set your desired temperature. It has an LED light on the side of the cup that indicates the charging status.
What makes this mug so useful is that I have a tendency, at my home and my office, to make a fresh cup of coffee and then get busy and forget to drink it. After a while, I reach for the cup and take a swig of that nasty, lukewarm brew. This leads to a quick trip to the closest microwave, only to have the same thing happen again. A distraction, such as a phone call or a visitor, will result in the whole process being repeated. At the church, I have been known to reheat the same cup several times throughout the day.
I am sharing this information in case you are looking for Christmas gift ideas for your pastor. No, seriously, I wanted to tell you about an even more important item that sits on my desk at the church. It serves a similar purpose in a much more important way. This item keeps hot something that is even more precious than coffee. Ever present, near my right hand, is the Word of God. I have many Bibles, but this is the one that I read and study daily, and preach from each week. It keeps the fires of God burning in my heart.
The prophet, Jeremiah, reached a point in his ministry that he tried to refrain from speaking out because of the unpopularity of his preaching. He had been beaten and put into stocks because he prophesied of the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. We read his words in Jeremiah 20:9, “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name, but His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” The Bible on my desk shows signs of usage. The binding is coming apart, but the pages still contain the precious Word of God that stirs my heart and soul to share it with anyone and everyone who will listen.
Serving in love, Bro. Jim